AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 06: A flag blows in the breeze on the 17th green during the second round of the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 6, 2018 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)It’s been less than six months since The 2020 Masters took place, but the world’s best golfers are headed back to Augusta National Golf Club this week for the 2021 tournament.
On Tuesday, the Masters released the tee times and groupings for the first two rounds of the tournament on Thursday and Friday. You can find the full list at this link.
Now, let’s take a deeper look at some of the featured groups that will tee off on Thursday.
Group 11, 10:06 AM ET Thursday- Bubba Watson, Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland
Brooks Koepka headlines one of the early groups, although many golf fans are unsure if the four-time Major Champion is healthy enough to stay in contention. He’ll be joined by Bubba Watson, who’s a two-time winner at The Masters, earning the green jacket in 2012 and 2014. 23-year-old Viktor Hovland, one of the PGA Tours brightest young golfers, rounds out the group.
Group 13, 10:30 AM ET Thursday- Dustin Johnson, Lee Westwood, Tyler Strafaci (A)
2020 Masters Champion Dustin Johnson will start his tournament defense at 10:30 on Thursday morning. The 36-year-old gapped the field last November winning by five strokes and already sounds hungry for his second green jacket. Lee Westwood, who finished as a runner-up at consecutive tournaments in March, will join Johnson and pursue his first major victory. 2020 U.S. Amateur Champ Tyler Strafaci will get an opportunity to play alongside two of the game’s best when the Masters starts on Thursday.
Group 14, 10:42 AM ET Thursday- Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy
Three of the sport’s best will be paired together in the group following Dustin Johnson’s. Xander Schaffele, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy will tee off at the first at 10:42 AM ET on Thursday. Rahm and McIlroy both finished in the top-10 at last year’s Masters, so will look to improve upon those finishes this weekend.
Group 28, 1:36 PM ET Thursday- Adam Scott, Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa
Bryson DeChambeau, who’s taken the PGA Tour by storm over the past few months, will make his fifth start at Augusta National this weekend. After winning the U.S. Open in 2020, the 27-year-old broke through again just a few weeks ago at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. DeChambeau will tee off alongside 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott, who struggled in 2020 after a strong 2019 season. Max Homa will look to make his first cut at The Masters in just his second start.
Group 30, 2:00 PM ET Thursday- Jordan Spieth, Cameron Smith, Collin Morikawa
The final group to tee off on Thursday will feature one of the hottest golfers this year: Jordan Spieth. The 27-year-old won his first tournament in over three years at last week’s Valero Texas Open. He’ll be joined by 2020 Masters runner-up Cameron Smith, who boasts multiple top-5 finishes at Augusta National. 24-year-old Collin Morikawa, who won the 2020 PGA Championship will join Spieth and Smith, forming a strong final group on Thursday.
The first two rounds of the 2021 Masters Tournament will air on ESPN, before CBS takes over on Saturday and Sunday.
