The Masters 2018: Complete TV and Live-Stream Guide for Opening Round
Tiger Woods' bid for a 15th major golf title will dominate focus when the opening round of the 2018 Masters begins at Augusta National in Georgia on Thursday.
Defending champion Sergio Garcia is among those aiming to ruin Woods' chances. Last year's runner-up Justin Rose will also be one of the prime contenders, along with familiar names such as Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler.
Woods, Rose, McIlroy and Johnson are among those whose entire opening round can be streamed online.
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Here are the viewing and schedule details for Thursday's action:
Date: Thursday, April 5
Time: 8 p.m. BST, 3 p.m. ET.
TV Info: Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf, ESPN
Live Stream: Sky Go, BBC iPlayer, WatchESPN, CBS Sports App
Masters.com will stream all 18 holes for the following featured groups:
Group 10: Hideki Matsuyama, Patton Kizzire, Paul Casey 3:09 p.m. BST/10:09 a.m. ET
Group 12: Tiger Woods, Marc Leishman, Tommy Fleetwood 3:42 p.m. BST/10:42 a.m. ET
Group 27: Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm 6:36 p.m. BST/1:38 p.m. ET
Group 29: Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Rafael Cabrera-Bello 2 p.m. BST/7 p.m. ET
All groups and tee times are available, per the tournament's official website.
He hasn't won a major in a decade, but 42-year-old Woods has revived his game somewhat after a slew of injuries and personal troubles. The question is, does Woods still have the power in his drives to keep pace with many of the younger stars involved at Augusta?
His friend Jason Day isn't convinced, as he described, per BBC Sport's Iain Carter:
"Obviously his driving's not the greatest, but once he's on the fairway he hits unbelievable iron shots. And if he doesn't, then everyone likes seeing the big flop shot...and he holes those big long putts and makes things exciting."
Woods is on the comeback tour, but he will find it difficult to get beyond Spieth. The 24-year-old is perhaps the most talented member of the 87-strong player field.
His recent history at Augusta includes ups and downs, but the man who has claimed one green jacket from four previous attempts plays this course well, according to Kyle Porter of CBS Sports.
Porter said his "putting is an issue," but he thinks Spieth is too good not to be considered the favourite. Spieth is in an enticing group also featuring Alex Noren and Louis Oosthuizen.
Rose will have something to say about Spieth's chances. He'll be armed with the motivation to make amends for missing out after a forcing a play-off against Garcia in 2017, saying he's thought about "what might have been," per BBC Sport.
Rose has rediscovered his motivation in time to make a strong bid to go one better this year, starting on Thursday.
Of course, Garcia enters the tournament as the player to beat after his late heroics a year ago. He's paired with Justin Thomas and Doc Redman for the opening round.
The lukewarm expectation the Spaniard can repeat is something confusing to Geoff Shackelford of The Ringer.
Garcia's style doesn't lend itself to the awesome drives and spectacular chip shots some of the other names in the field are capable of. Yet Garcia does well at taking a methodical approach to combatting a course.
If he can stay in the thick of things at the right end of the leaderboard during the opening rounds, Garcia's ability to handle the pressure could prove decisive come Sunday.
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