AUGUSTA, Ga. — A brief look at the 86th Masters, which starts Thursday:
Site: Augusta National Golf Club.
Length: 7,510 yards.
Par: 36-36—72.
Purse: To be determined ($11.5 million in 2021).
Field: 91 players (six amateurs).
Cut: Top 50 and ties.
Defending champion: Hideki Matsuyama.
Tiger tales: Five-time champion Tiger Woods plays for the first time since the Masters in November 2020, a span of 508 days. He is coming back from serious leg injuries suffered in a February 2021 car crash.
Grand Slam, Act VIII: Rory McIlroy tries for the eighth time to win the Masters and complete the career Grand Slam.
Now on the tee: Two-time champion Tom Watson joins Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as honorary starters.
Course changes: Tees have been moved back 15 yards and to the left on No. 11 and several trees on the right were removed. Tees were moved back 20 yards on No. 15.
The odds (FanDuel Sportsbook): Jon Rahm (+1200); Justin Thomas (+1300); Cameron Smith, Scottie Scheffler, Dustin Johnson (+1500) Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy (+1900); Tiger Woods (+5000).
Noteworthy: The last five Masters held in April were won by players outside the top 10 in the world ranking.
Quoteworthy: “I would have probably taken some pretty high odds a few months ago, even a few weeks ago, whether or not he would be here. But when you think about it, it really shouldn’t surprise us. He is one of the most determined, dedicated athletes that I have ever seen in my life.” — Masters chairman Fred Ridley on the return of Tiger Woods.
Key tee times: Tiger Woods, Louis Oosthuizen, Joaquin Niemann, 10:34 a.m.; Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Brooks Koepka, 2:03 p.m.; Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, James Piot, 10:45 a.m.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-7:30 p.m. (ESPN); Saturday, 3-7 p.m. (CBS); Sunday, 2-7 p.m. (CBS).
Interactive: Masters.com. Featured groups from 9:15 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
