Masters Schedule 2018: TV Coverage, Live Stream and Tee Times for Opening Rounds

The 2018 Masters Tournament gets under way on Thursday, as the cream of the golfing crop descends upon Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia competing for the first major of the year.

The field includes past champions seeking to add another green jacket to their collection, along with relative rookies seeking to have an impact in their first taste of Masters action.

Sergio Garcia is back after he ended his wait for a major title when he beat Justin Rose in a playoff to win last year's Masters, while previous champions Jordan Spieth (2015) and Phil Mickelson (2004, 2006, 2010) also return.

Another familiar face is Tiger Woods, who comes back to Augusta three years after his last run at the Masters and 13 years since winning the most recent of his four green jackets.

Read on for a preview of the tournament front-runners, complete with all the essential live-stream and television information for viewers in the United States and the United Kingdom.

U.S. TV Schedule

Wednesday, April 4: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Thursday, April 5: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. ET (CBS Sports); 3 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Friday, April 6: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. ET (CBS Sports); 3 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Saturday, April 7: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. ET (CBS Sports); 3 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. ET (CBS)

Sunday, April 8: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. ET (CBS Sports); 2 p.m. - 7 p.m. ET (CBS)

Viewers can live-stream the action using CBS Sports Digital and WatchESPN.

UK TV Schedule

Wednesday, April 4: 7 p.m. BST onwards (Sky Sports Golf)

Thursday, April 5: 7 p.m. BST onwards (Sky Sports Golf)

Friday, April 6: 7 p.m. BST onwards (Sky Sports Golf)

Saturday, April 7: 7 p.m. BST onwards (Sky Sports Golf), 7:30 pm. BST onwards (BBC Two)

Sunday, April 8: 6 p.m. BST onwards (Sky Sports Golf), 6:30 pm. BST onwards (BBC Two)

Viewers in the United Kingdom can live-stream the action using the Sky Go app and BBC iPlayer.

Here are the full tee times for Round 1, per the tournament's official website:

Group 1: Austin Cook, Ted Potter Jr., Wesley Bryan 8:30 a.m. ET/1:30 p.m. BST

Group 2: Ian Woosnam, Ryan Moore, Jhonattan Vegas 8:41 a.m. ET/1:41 p.m. BST

Group 3: Mike Weir, Brendan Steele, Matt Parziale (A) 8:52 a.m. ET/1:52 p.m. BST

Group 4: Jose Maria Olazabal, Kevin Chappell, Dylan Frittelli 9:03 a.m. ET/2:03 p.m. BST

Group 5: Bryson DeChambeau, Bernd Wiesberger, Matthew Fitzpatrick 9:14 a.m. ET/2:14 p.m. ET

Group 6: Mark O'Meara, Brian Harman, Harry Ellis (A) 9:25 a.m. ET/2:25 p.m. ET

Group 7: Vijay Singh, Satoshi Kodaira, Daniel Berger 9:36 a.m. ET/2:36 p.m. BST

Group 8: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Pat Perez, Francesco Molinari 9:47 a.m. ET/2:47 p.m. BST

Group 9: Danny Willett, Kyle Stanley, Jason Dufner 9:58 a.m. ET/2:58 p.m. BST

Group 10: Hideki Matsuyama, Patton Kizzire, Paul Casey 10:09 a.m. ET/3:09 p.m. BST

Group 11: Zach Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Branden Grace 10:31 a.m. ET/3:31 p.m. BST

Group 12: Tiger Woods, Marc Leishman, Tommy Fleetwood 10:42 a.m. ET/3:42 p.m. BST

Group 13: Sergio Garcia, Justin Thomas, Doc Redman (A) 10:53 a.m. ET/3:53 p.m. BST

Group 14: Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson, Jason Day 11:04 a.m. ET/4:04 p.m. BST

Group 15: Patrick Reed, Charley Hoffman, Adam Hadwin 11:15 a.m. ET/4:15 p.m. BST

Group 16: Billy Horschel, Chez Reavie, Cameron Smith 11:26 a.m. ET/4:26 p.m. BST

Group 17: Sandy Lyle, Si Woo Kim, Doug Ghim (A) 11:37 a.m. ET/4:37 p.m. BST

Group 18: Trevor Immelman, Ian Poulter, Patrick Cantlay 11:48 a.m. ET/4:48 p.m. BST

Group 19: Angel Cabrera, Ross Fisher, Jimmy Walker 11:59 a.m. ET/4:59 p.m. BST

Group 20: Fred Couples, Haotong Li, Joaquin Niemann (A) 12:10 p.m. ET/5:10 p.m. BST

Group 21: Larry Mize, Russell Henley, Shubhankar Sharma 12:32 p.m. ET/5:32 p.m BST

Group 22: Bernhard Langer, Tony Finau, Yuta Ikeda 12:43 p.m. ET/5:43 p.m. BST

Group 23: Charl Schwartzel, Webb Simpson, Yuxin Lin (A) 12:54 p.m. ET/5:54 p.m. BST

Group 24: Kevin Kisner, Thomas Pieters, Xander Schauffele 1:05 p.m. ET/6:05 p.m. BST

Group 25: Gary Woodland, Yusaku Miyazato, Tyrrell Hatton 1:16 p.m. ET/6:16 p.m. BST

Group 26: Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar 1:27 p.m. ET/6:27 p.m. BST

Group 27: Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm 1:38 p.m. ET/6:38 p.m. BST

Group 28: Jordan Spieth, Alex Noren, Louis Oosthuizen 1:49 p.m. ET/6:49 p.m. BST

Group 29: Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Rafael Cabrera-Bello 2 p.m. ET/7 p.m. BST

Preview

More than a decade on from his last win at a major tournament (2007 PGA Championship), Tiger Woods has returned to the Augusta field and is a strong contender for the 2018 Masters, at least according to the bookmakers.

A boost in recent form has him at +1400 (14-1), per OddsShark on Tuesday, April 3.

After spinal fusion surgery last year and time away from contending for a major, Woods is looking to recall his former magic, most of all his 2005 Masters win.

The official PGA Tour Twitter account shared a highlight moment from that triumphant run to a fourth green jacket:

Golf magazine writer Josh Sens said Woods will not win this year's title when considering his "true statistical chances," but recent joint-second and fifth-place results on the PGA Tour suggest he's at least in good shape.

Mickelson is hoping to match Woods on four green jackets at the 2018 Masters and has the advantage of more recently tasting victory at a major, although it's been eight years since he last won at Augusta, via CBS Sports:

The 47-year-old sits just on the fringe of the favourites at +1800 (18-1), and if he can tee up a strong enough start to be challenging come Sunday, one can bank on Augusta rallying behind him.

American compatriot and 2015 Masters winner Spieth tied for third at the Houston Open on Sunday, where he demonstrated his putting game is anything but lacking:

Last year's 11th-place finish at Augusta was Spieth's first time in four tournaments finishing outside its top two. It's a prolific record that's sure to put him in place for another sterling effort in 2018.

Dustin Johnson was forced to withdraw from competing in the 2017 Masters due to a back injury, but he's looking forward to making a run at his second major crown, via journalist Codie Sloan:

Johnson's finishes at Augusta have got gradually better over the years, placing joint-sixth and joint-fourth in 2015 and 2016, respectively—a trajectory he'll seek to continue in his eighth Masters appearance.

The 33-year-old was a big favourite prior to injuring himself on the eve of last year's tournament, and despite lacking the same swing coming in, he has a chance of challenging on a course he appeared to have cracked in 2016.