Masters Tee Times Released As Tournament Nears Climax
Masters Tee Times Released As Tournament Nears Climax...
The 2026 Masters Tournament tee times were announced Saturday morning, setting the stage for a dramatic final round at Augusta National. With just three strokes separating the top five players, Sunday's pairings could determine who dons the green jacket.
World No. 1 Jordan Spieth will tee off at 2:45 PM ET alongside rising star Tom Kim, who sits one stroke back. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler follows at 2:55 PM with PGA Tour veteran Justin Thomas. The groupings reflect the tournament's tight leaderboard, where eight players are within five shots of the lead.
Augusta National officials moved up Sunday's start times by 30 minutes due to forecasted afternoon thunderstorms. The earlier schedule aims to avoid weather disruptions during the critical final holes. Tournament chairman Fred Ridley confirmed the decision during Saturday's press conference.
Fans have been refreshing the Masters app and website since dawn to check tee times, causing brief outages mid-morning. The tournament's official Twitter account saw over 50,000 retweets of its pairings announcement within the first hour.
Sunday's final round airs live on CBS starting at 2 PM ET, with featured group coverage beginning at 10 AM on ESPN+. The early leader will be 24-year-old Collin Morikawa, who carded a 66 on Saturday to reach 10-under par.
Tee times matter more than usual this year due to potential weather delays and the packed leaderboard. Players going out early could benefit if storms arrive as predicted around 4 PM. The last six Masters champions have all come from Sunday's final pairing.
Local businesses in Augusta report record merchandise sales, with many patrons buying commemorative items before the tournament concludes. Hotel occupancy rates hit 98% Saturday night as fans secured lodging for the finale.
This marks the first Masters since 2019 without Tiger Woods competing, though the 15-time major champion is expected to attend Sunday's trophy ceremony. Woods withdrew Friday after making his record 24th consecutive cut.
The tee time release comes as golf's popularity surges in the U.S., with NBC reporting a 22% increase in early-round Masters viewership this year. Sunday's final round could challenge last year's record 16.3 million viewers if the competition remains close.
