On the morrow, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and an increasingly bitter South African will hit ceremonial tee shots and the 90th Masters Tournament will officially begin. If you have a badge, you’re probably debating if you’ll get to the grounds early enough to watch it in person, weighing that against a long day of walking hills in warm spring sunshine.
If you’re stuck at home or work, you will still be able to see and hear those traditional opening drives, because the Masters annually teaches a masterclass
in sports coverage and availability. The concessions are simple and delicious. The grounds are natural and verdant. The parking is free. The golf never disappoints. But maybe the thing the Masters is best at is giving everyone access.
There’s the traditional over-the-air broadcast via CBS. (If you’re of a certain age, you waited all year to watch 6-7 hours of Masters TV coverage… in total.) But CBS now has one of the smaller content windows of all the broadcast partners, just Saturday and Sunday from 2-7 pm ET.
For the other times, it is an interesting mix. Thursday and Friday, there’s no “television” broadcast until 1:00 pm ET. And that will be on new media partner Amazon Prime Video. They have coverage until 3:30, when ESPN will start broadcasting until close of day.
Saturday and Sunday are a litle different. Only CBS (and Paramount+) will start at 2:00 pm ET.
That being said, CBS Digital, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+,Golf Channel, and ESPN+ will carry early day content pretty much every day. That might only be showing players on the range, or special shows they produce, but it is more content.
Of course there is ALWAYS content on Masters.com and the Masters app. Thursday and Friday early day will be a little fragmented, as they have a choice of Featured Groups, holes 4-6, Amen Corner, and holes 15-16. But starting early afternoon, the Masters media will also feature the typical full-field coverage you’re used to seeing on TV.
Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up: get the Masters App, or cast Masters.com to your big screen, and you’re fine. If you have access to all the CBS/Paramount stuff, get that loaded up in the meantime. And you can always catch “main feed” broadcasting early afternoon on ESPN the first 2 days and CBS on the weekend.
So that’s how. Now let’s talk about when.
Bubba Waston tees off Thursday at 8:08 am ET.
Russell Henley starts his tourney at 10:19 am.
Brian Harman puts peg to ground at 12:03 pm.
Sepp Straka follows a little later at 1:32 pm.
Harris English can sleep in, as his start is 1:56 pm.
And as bonus ‘Dawgs in the Masters content, I inadvertently left off a future Bulldog. Winner of the 2025 US Amateur, Thomasville native, and University of Georgia Men’s Golf commit Mason Howell gets to play with defending champ Rory McIlroy the first two days, and they start at 10:31 am ET. He’s the 3rd youngest winner of the US Am, and will be the youngest player (18) in the Masters field. And that grouping with the defending champ is a decades-old tradition at the Masters, in deference to tournament co-founder and greatest amateur ever Bobby Jones.
I feel like that TikTok pajama-clad DJ who inspires people to get out of bed and start their day. I’m as pumped as can be, and I want you to be as well. The Masters is now just hours away. I hope you’re not an accountant in public practice, or a urologist, because you’re going to be busy and you won’t get to devour all the Masters content like most of us. Either way, Happy Masters to all, and let’s root on another Bulldog to take the Green Jacket. And as always…
GO ‘DAWGS!!!
