Masters 2019: Tee Times, Date, TV Schedule and Prize Money
The opening major of the year is here. The 2019 Masters will bring the best in the sport to Augusta National in Georgia for a shot at the coveted green jacket.
Last year saw Patrick Reed take home the top prize for the first major win of his career. He's far from a favorite this year, though, and will have to battle it out with some of the usual suspects, including Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods.
Dates & TV Schedule
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Thursday, Apr. 11: 3 p.m.-7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. BST on Sky Sports Golf
Friday, Apr. 12: 3 p.m.-7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. BST on Sky Sports Golf
Saturday, Apr. 13: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. ET on CBS, 8 p.m.-12 a.m. BST on Sky Sports Golf and BBC Two
Sunday, Apr. 14: 2 p.m.-7 p.m. ET on CBS, 7 p.m.-12 a.m. BST on Sky Sports Golf and BBC Two
Prize Money
The exact purse has not been announced for the 2019 Masters, but we have a pretty good idea of what the winning golfer stands to make. According to PGA.com's Dan McDonald, the purse was $11 million in both 2017 and 2018. Last year, Reed made $1.98 million for his troubles. So look for this year's winner to take home around $2 million, perhaps even topping that lofty number.
Tee Times
Here's a look at some of the top tee times and pairings for the 2019 Masters. A complete list can be found at Masters.com.
10:31 a.m. ET (Thurs.) and 1:16 p.m. ET (Fri.): Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson, Viktor Hovland
11:04 a.m. ET (Thurs.) and 1:49 p.m. ET (Fri.: Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm, Haotong Li
11:15 a.m. ET (Thurs.) and 2 p.m. ET (Fri.): Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Cameron Smith
1:16 p.m. ET (Thurs.) and 10:09 a.m. ET (Fri.): Francesco Molinari, Rafael Cabrera Bello, Tyrrell Hatton
1:38 p.m. ET (Thurs.) and 10:42 a.m. ET (Fri.): Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Bryson DeChambeau
1:49 p.m. ET (Thurs.) and 10:53 a.m. ET (Fri.): Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas
2 p.m. ET (Thurs.) and 11:04 a.m. ET (Fri.): Jordan Spieth, Paul Casey, Brooks Koepka
The Favorites
According to Oddschecker (as of Wednesday, Apr. 10), McIlroy is the favorite to win the tournament, with odds hovering around +650 (bet $100 to win $650). The Masters is the only major missing from the Northern Irishman's resume, but he's come close. He's finished in the top 10 in each of the past five years at August, with a best showing of fourth place in 2015.
McIlroy won the Players Championship last month and already has five top-five finishes in PGA tournaments in 2019.
"I would dearly love to win this tournament one day," he said, per the Associated Press (via the Denver Post). "If it doesn't happen this week, that's totally fine, I'll come back next year and have another crack at it. But I'm happy with where everything is—body, mind, game."
Dustin Johnson (+1100) and Justin Rose (+1200) are top contenders to prevent McIlroy from getting the career grand slam. The pair are both looking for their first green jackets.
Rose has come close, finishing in second place in both 2015 and 2017, the latter coming in a playoff against Sergio Garcia.
Bettors are also looking favorably upon Tiger Woods (+1800). The four-time Masters winner hasn't been a threat at Augusta in several years, but a recent return to form has some believing he can make a run at first place.
After missing the cut at the 2018 U.S. Open, Woods showed some of the old magic in the next two majors. He finished tied for sixth at the Open Championship, then followed up with a second-place showing at the PGA Championship, two strokes behind the winner, Brooks Koepka. He also has has two top-10 finishes at PGA events in 2019.
Despite some great showings, the 43-year-old admits he has difficulties practicing the game as much as he would like to because of age and injuries.
"The hardest part is I just can't practice like I used to," Woods said, per USA Today's Christine Brennan. "My back gets sore. I just can't log in the time that I used to, and that goes with every part of my game. I can't work on every single part of my game every day. I have to pick different parts of my game to work on, and that's the challenge I now face going forward."
The last time Woods finished in the top 10 at Augusta was in 2013, when he tied for fourth place. His last win was in 2005. Another run would be huge for the sport, bringing in thousands, if not millions, of viewers looking to see one of the best to ever play the game back in the Masters mix.
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