Masters 2018: Complete Guide to This Year's Tournament at Augusta National
It's a tradition unlike any other—the Masters.
Every spring, the happenings at Augusta are highly anticipated, but 2018's iteration is can't-miss TV.
Tiger Woods is among the favorites—sentimental and otherwise—after resurrecting his career from back-injury limbo. Several of the world's top players are seeking their first victorious trip to Butler Cabin, too.
And if those aren't good enough, there's always the world's No. 1 player (Dustin Johnson), who'll attempt to actually reach the first tee this year after an untimely tumble down some rental house stairs last spring prompted his withdrawal.
Sergio Garcia will try to defend his green jacket, a feat no man has pulled off since Woods in 2002.
Ditch the remote. Fluff the pillows. Click the cellphone ringer to silent.
Here's everything you need to know to get ready for Augusta.
All About Augusta National
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Other majors rotate. But the Masters is the Masters.
It's always held on the exquisite track at Augusta National Golf Club.
The course opened in 1933 and hosted the Masters for the first time a year later. It was designed by Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie and was built on the site of the former Fruitland Nursery.
Thus, each hole is named after a tree or shrub.
The club has taken a lot of non-golf shots over the years, and for good reason.
It didn't allow black members until 1990 and admitted its first two female members—former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore—in 2012.
That said, it remains one of the most challenging, and visually pleasing, courses in the world.
Where to Watch on Television
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Throughout the tournament, you can go to Masters.com for live streaming and CBS Sports Network for coverage from the driving range.
But to watch the action on television, here's the skinny (all times in ET).
Thursday
3-7:30 p.m., ESPN
Friday
3-7:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday
3-7:30 p.m., CBS
Sunday
2-7 p.m., CBS
Biggest Storylines
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Heeeeeeere's Tiger
Tiger Woods has been stuck on 14 major victories since the 2008 U.S. Open and hasn't even made the cut at a Grand Slam event since 2015, but competitive top-five finishes at two recent tune-ups have restoked the hype machine while simultaneously lifting his world ranking to 103. He was in the 600s at this time last year.
When Woods has red-shirted relevance, he moves the needle unlike any other.
Will Rory McIlroy Complete a Career Grand Slam?
Gene Sarazen. Ben Hogan. Gary Player. Jack Nicklaus. Tiger Woods.
The names link superstars from era to era. And should he continue what's been a four-year Augusta run that's yielded a solo fourth along with ties for seventh, eighth and 10th, Rory McIlroy will have a real chance to immortalize his name at the tender age of 28.
Can Jordan Spieth Get His Groove Back?
Still just 24, Jordan Spieth already has a win, two seconds and an 11th-place finish at Augusta, but he's not been anything resembling a dominant force this season.
His best finish in 2018 has been a tie for third at the Houston Open, which makes it the first year since 2014 that he's failed to win a tournament before the Masters. He arrived in Houston ranked 179th on tour in strokes gained putting, and he'll need to regain form with the short stick to add to his major trophy case.
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The Top Groupings
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There are some notable groupings for Thursday and Friday at this year's Masters.
Here are just a few (tee times are Eastern):
Thursday, 10:42 a.m./Friday, 1:27 p.m.: Tiger Woods, Mark Leishman, Tommy Fleetwood
Yes, this will be the group that sports-minded cubicle workers track Thursday morning while simultaneously trying to avoid eye contact with bosses. But no, it's not because of the Australian and the Englishman who have precisely three PGA Tour wins (all Leishman's) and no majors between them.
Rather, golf fans of all stripes are sure to follow the travails of Tiger, who's labeled himself a "walking miracle" thanks to the back fusion surgery that's reinvigorated a moribund career. He's not won at Augusta since Jordan Spieth was 11 but is nevertheless a top-five pick for oddsmakers.
Thursday, 10:53 a.m./Friday, 1:38 p.m.: Sergio Garcia, Justin Thomas, Doc Redman
He's not the best player in the world, but Sergio Garcia remains among the most popular. His heartbreaks at majors were the stuff of weekend legend by this point last season, and his breakthrough to win his first Grand Slam event at Augusta prompts the requisite "can he repeat?" wondering this time around.
Meanwhile, Justin Thomas has gone from trendy 2017 dark horse to bonafide 2018 contender after earning Player of the Year chops—not to mention $9.9 million—last season. Playing alongside those two might prompt some jangled nerves for U.S. Amateur winner Doc Redman, but he's approaching Thursday believing that simply experiencing the event is "going to be a success no matter what."
Thursday, 1:38 p.m./Friday, 10:42 a.m.: Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm
History starts here for a 28-year-old guy from Northern Ireland. And if Rory McIlroy is to make a serious run at completing his career Grand Slam, he'll surely recognize that no one since 2005 (Woods) has won the tournament after finishing the first 18 holes outside of the top 10.
Elsewhere, Adam Scott already has a green jacket in his closet from 2013, and Jon Rahm is ranked third in the world and has a win and a second in seven events this season. It'd be no surprise if someone from this group led into Friday, and it'd be only a mild surprise if it isn't McIlroy.
The Top Contenders
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Justin Thomas
He won't turn 25 years old until a few weeks after the Masters, but he's already played this year like he expects a green jacket as a present. Seven starts have yielded seven made cuts, including a win at the Honda Classic, a second at the WGC-Mexico Championship and a fourth at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
Thomas was a five-time winner on the PGA Tour—including the PGA Championship—and earned Player of the Year honors while racking up more than $9.9 million in earnings in 2016-17. The early surge this year indicates he's ready to continue the Grand Slam hunt.
"I'm very excited and very thrilled where my game's at," he told ESPN.com. "I feel like I'm playing very, very well. I feel like I have a lot more control over my game than maybe I did last year. I had more wins, obviously, coming into this event than last year. But in terms of a consistency factor, just everything is tightened up a lot more, which I really like."
Justin Rose
He hasn't played a ton so far this year, but he's been good when he's shown up. The South African-born 37-year-old was third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, tied for fifth at the Valspar Championship and tied for eighth at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Not only is Rose ranked fifth in the world, but he's also got a resume with the all-important "major champion" bullet point. That came via the 2013 U.S. Open, and there have been five more major top-10s since as he aims to add a second Grand Slam trophy (via Eyewitness News).
"Game-wise I'm where I want to be," he told reporters at the Houston Open. "I guess it's getting comfortable with the feeling of knowing that I'm going (to the Masters) as one of the favorites and it's my time really to do it."
Rory McIlroy
He announced his pre-Masters presence with authority at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, shooting a final-round 64 that yielded a three-shot victory. He's added a second and a tie for third across seven other events so far this year.
Any player with three-quarters of the career Grand Slam under his belt, particularly one who won't even be 30 years old until next year, is set to be a darling of the smart money. McIlroy may be ranked seventh in the world, but he's as close to being the non-Tiger face of the sport these days as anyone.
"All I want is to give myself a chance," he told Golf Digest. "If I do that, then whatever happens, happens. I just know I'll be better prepared to deal with that pressure than I was the first time. Knowing that should help me. I know I'm prepared. I can't wait to find out if that preparation pays off."
The Dark Horses
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If guys like Justin Thomas, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy were unable to compete this week, the field would be in no way bereft of favorites. But when you have such a complement of recent major winners on hand, someone's got to be a dark horse.
As far as that goes, who better than Tiger Woods?
The 14-time major champion has been around the world both personally and professionally since his fourth Augusta win in 2005, but he's shown significant signs of life this year with a tie for second at the Valspar Championship and a tie for fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Meanwhile, it wasn't long ago that Jordan Spieth looked like the youngster who would succeed Woods as the American face of the sport. He tied for second as a 20-year-old in 2014, then went wire-to-wire for a four-shot win over Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose a year later.
A second green jacket seemed certain in 2016 when he carried a five-shot lead to the 10th tee, but a three-hole meltdown cost him six shots to par and ultimately left him three shots behind eventual champion Danny Willett.
He tied for 11th in 2017.
Spieth has leaned closer to lukewarm than red-hot this year, recording just three top-10 finishes in nine events. The third of those, however, came via a third-place tie in the Houston Open, which is the final pre-Augusta tune-up event. The Houston result shows he's trending in the right direction, and his fourth-place world ranking certainly indicates he's a formidable force no matter where he plays.
Last but not least, give more than a passing glance to 39-year-old Floridian Bubba Watson.
The two-time Masters champ—2012 and 2014—had plunged to a forgettable 117th in the world after falling off the radar at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in early February, but began to regain left-handed mojo with a two-stroke victory at the Genesis Open the following week.
A second 2018 win came in March at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, where he routed Kevin Kisner in the finals and saw his ranking spike to No. 21. He's up two more spots to 19th as he arrives at Augusta National and will tee off Thursday with as much momentum as anyone in the field.
Buyer beware: It's traditionally been a feast or famine proposition.
Watson's two green jackets came via scores of 10-under and eight-under, respectively. In his other seven appearances, he's never broken par and never finished better than a tie for 20th.
But if he's standing alongside Sergio Garcia in Butler Cabin on Sunday evening, remember where you heard it.
The Favorite
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It may not be the first rule of prognostication, but it's close: Don't overthink it.
Translated to 2018 Masters terminology, that means Dustin Johnson.
At this time last year, he was the world's No. 1 player, was coming off his first major win (2016 U.S. Open) and was cast by many as an odds-on favorite. And though an unexpected staircase tumble at an Augusta rental house kept him from flexing those muscles, he's still Dustin Johnson.
That's pretty good no matter the field.
The 33-year-old from South Carolina is but 72 holes away from joining a select group with a green jacket. And he'll benefit by being a stride or two out of the spotlight that'll be directed toward Tiger Woods.
The ties for sixth and fourth Johnson posted in 2015 and 2016, respectively, show he's got the game for the course, and his 17 PGA Tour wins prove he's got the mettle for a final-day grind.
Put them together, and it spells green jacket.
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