MASTERS BLOG: How Scheffler’s march to victory unfolded

7:05 p.m.: Scheffler again claims Masters title

After staying at the top of the leaderboard all day during the final round of the Masters, Scottie Scheffler has earned another green jacket.

He won his second Masters in three years Sunday, shooting a brilliant 4-under 68 to pull away from a trio of challengers on the back nine and finish 11 under for the championship.

Ludvig Aberg, making his Masters debut, was second at 7 under. Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood finished in a tie for third at 4 under.

The 27-year-old Scheffler was tied with Aberg, Homa and Morikawa while playing the eighth hole, but he responded with three straight birdies. The others began to falter, and Scheffler cruised from there to another drama-free green jacket.

Scheffler won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship earlier this year, and the Masters gives him a third win in his last four starts. The other? Scheffler finished short putt to finish second at the Houston Open.

Now, he’ll have a second green jacket to take home to his wife, Meredith, who is expecting their first child at the end of April.

6:35 p.m.: McIlroy discusses elusive pursuit of grand slam

Few people were probably more disappointed in the weekend’s outcome than Rory McIlroy, who’d set his sights on completing a career grand slam.

Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus both said during Masters week that they thought McIlroy had it in him.

Here’s what McIlroy had to say in a brief interview after finishing up on Sunday:

Q. Rory, can you give us your reflections on today and your Masters week?

RORY McILROY: Yeah. I mean, I don’t really know what to say. Just sort of felt like my game was okay and managed it pretty well, but obviously Friday was a really tough day, and losing five shots sort of put me in a pretty difficult position going into the weekend.

Then the conditions were pretty tough. The greens are crusty and firm and hard to get the ball super close and hard to make a ton of birdies. Once you get seven or eight back going into the weekend here, it’s hard to make up that ground.

Q. Can you sum up your disappointment?

RORY McILROY: I guess it’s more the same of what I’ve shown this year. It’s not as if it’s been a down week in comparison to the way I’ve been playing. It’s just a matter of me trying to get my game in a bit better shape going towards the rest of the season.

Q. Do you feel like you can get that confidence and momentum back with three majors coming up in quick succession?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I need to take a little bit of time and reflect on this week and what I did well, what I didn’t do so well, and sort of try to make a plan for the next few months, especially from here going through obviously the end of July. As you say, major season, they’re going to come thick and fast here, so hopefully get myself in a bit better form for those last three.

Q. Will you scale back a little bit --

RORY McILROY: No, the next two weeks I’m playing Hilton Head, I’m playing New Orleans. I’ll take a week off, playing Quail Hollow, play the PGA, take another week off, then play another four in a row. Loving golf at the moment. Loving it.

Q. Do you feel like you’re close?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, because all these disappointing weeks are 20ths, 25ths. They’re not terrible weeks by any stretch, but there’s a lot of room for improvement.

I’m close in some ways, but then I feel quite far away in others. It’s a bit of a -- once I get one thing, sort of put that to bed, then another thing pops up, and it’s just one of those at the minute.

Q. What’s missing in your game?

RORY McILROY: Just a little bit of control, I think, with the ball-striking, especially in those sorts of winds. It really exposes any weaknesses that you may have. That Friday definitely exposed a few things.

As the golf course changes here, you just have to be so precise, and I wasn’t quite precise enough this week.

Q. You’ve been on tears like Scottie is on. We talked about this at the API. What’s in his head right now?

RORY McILROY: Nothing. Nothing. Not a lot of clutter. The game feels pretty easy when you’re in stretches like this. That’s the hard thing whenever you’re not quite in form. You are searching and you are thinking about it so much, but then when you are in form, you don’t think about it at all. So it’s trying to find that balance.

Q. We make a big deal about a first-timer hasn’t won here since 1979. When you look at Ludvig, does he strike you as a first-timer?

RORY McILROY: No, I think he showed why at the Ryder Cup. I think every stage throughout his very, very young career, he’s shown that he belongs. Gets the win in Europe, plays the Ryder Cup, gets the win in the States, playing in his first Masters, contending on the back nine on Sunday. He’s sort of proven at every stage that he’s played at that he belongs.

Q. Michael Collins shared that at Bay Hill you had a bit of a longing for Bryson to be there, or at least you would see the value in Bryson being at Bay Hill. When you see what he does this week, a bit of an entertainment factor, does it reiterate the value of him and a few guys back into the pro golf world?

RORY McILROY: Absolutely. The Masters stands alone in of every other golf tournament, but I think even in of the ratings the first two days on ESPN looked like they were up, which is a sign that when we’re all back together, then golf thrives. When we’re divided, it doesn’t. That’s just another example of why we should all try to put our heads together and get back together.

Q. When you talk about reassessing things, is there a way to measure when the time has come for that that’s almost analytical as opposed to emotional? How do you determine that?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, probably not the right time to be analytical at the moment, but I think as well if you’re really going to make wholesale changes it’s hard to play a lot of golf and make them at the same time. I don’t feel like I need to make wholesale changes. That’s why I’m playing a lot. But if the time comes that I need to make wholesale changes with my golf swing and really try to reassess, it could be a six-month to a year process. Not saying I wouldn’t play any tournaments in that time, but the focus would be on the sort of technical side of things and really not result driven at all. I don’t think I’m there yet, but there may come a time where I need to address that and really go back to the drawing board.

But I think right now it’s little tweaks here and there and managing my game.

I really feel like I can sort of play my way into form here over these next few weeks.

6:16 p.m.: ‘Welcome to Augusta, swirling winds’

Patrick Reed isn’t happy with how things turned out for him Sunday.

“Frustrating, to say the least. Today was one of those days I felt like I didn’t really do anything poorly, didn’t really do anything spectacular, and it was hard to kind of get it around the hole close,” he said after finishing up the final round.

“It was just one of those days that seemed like it was hard this afternoon to go really, really low. There wasn’t a ton of wind, but it was swirling all day I felt like. Welcome to Augusta, swirling winds.”

6:08 p.m.: Åberg is making a name for himself

Many casual fans might not have heard of Ludvig Aberg, even though he’s ranked ninth in the world after a string of top-10s that includes a second at Pebble Beach.

So here’s a reason to root for him: He’s just like us ... even dropping his snack like one of us:

“Golf stresses me out. It does,” the Swede said, probably eliciting a knowing nod from amateurs everywhere. “I think there’s a lot of things that stress me out. I’m just pretty good at managing it, I guess.”

He’ll need to be really good.

5:50 p.m.: Scheffler has stayed at the top all afternoon

There’s been some back-and-forth all afternoon in the battle for the top positions. But one thing has remained consistent: Scottie Scheffler has been in the top spot either alone or in a tie.

Right now, he’s leading by three after he ripped off three consecutive birdies around the turn before bogeying No. 11, and.

He has a three-shot advantage on Max Homa and Ludvig Aberg with six holes standing in front of him and a second green jacket.

Scheffler made a nice putt at the eighth, then stuck his approach to a couple of feet for a tap-in at the ninth.

The world’s top-ranked player, who is widely considered the best ball-striker in the game, then gave himself another good look at the 10th and got that putt to go to reach 9 under for the championship. Aberg will be falling back soon. He dunked his second shot at No. 11 in the water left of the green.

4:39 p.m.: Augustan Luke List ‘got off to a rough start but hung in there’

Augustan Luke List paused for a brief interview after finishing his final round, about two decades since he first made the cut at the Masters. Here’s what he said:

Q. Luke, how did you feel about the weekend? Was it a bonus because you thought you might not make the cut?

LUKE LIST: Yeah, for sure. Then obviously once that es, you want to play well. Didn’t really -- I had it going yesterday for a little bit, but today I got off to a rough start but hung in there.

I didn’t make any 10 to 15, 20-footer range putts this week, and that’s what you’ve got to do around here to score. Didn’t really make any birdie putts today. Unfortunately, just didn’t score.

Q. Was today by far the easiest day?

LUKE LIST: As far as conditions go, yes. There’s some good pins out there, yeah, but just with temperature, the ball is going a long way. It felt like in the beginning they kind of brought the greens back a little bit, just a touch from yesterday. They’re definitely playable, and there’s definitely some opportunities out there.

Q. Can I ask you about Scottie? He came in the favorite. He may win. What do you think of his game?

LUKE LIST: It’s phenomenal. It’s scary that he’s kind of flipped a switch in his putting. He’s always been a tremendous ball striker, and the media has kind of got in his head a little bit. Every time I play with him, he putts really well.

To have won THE PLAYERS and Bay Hill and he had a ridiculous amount of scores under par in the Florida swing, which is really tough. He’s just an all around good player and good guy, so it’s easy to see why he’s having a lot of success.

Once you get confidence in this game, it kind of rolls. He’s probably just trying to bottle it and keep it going as long as possible.

Q. You think he’s going to be a force like this for years to come?

LUKE LIST: Yeah, without question.

4:29 p.m.: ‘Definitely been a dream week’ for Shipley

For Ohio State amateur Neal Shipley, being paired with Tiger Woods in the final round was like a dream come true.

“Playing with Tiger, Sunday at the Masters, the whole week, I think I have to win one of these things to kind of top this week. Definitely been a dream week,” he said.

“You know, today being out there with Tiger, we were chatting. We talked a lot about just golf, Charlie and just normal things. He’s such a normal guy and really cool. He was great to me all day. Couldn’t be more appreciative of him just being awesome today, and it was just really cool to be around him and just the attention he gets and the roars. The crowds were phenomenal.”

As an amateur, Shipley got to stay in the Crow’s Nest, the famous lodging atop the clubhouse.

“I stayed on Monday night with Christo and Jasper up there. It was really cool to experience being out there with those two guys,” he said. “It’s a tight little room up there, but it was just really cool. We kind of watched the National Championship basketball game and got to hang out. It was awesome.”

4:17 p.m.: ‘I enjoyed every bit of it,’ Olazabal says

It’s been 30 years since Jose Maria Olazabal got his first green jacket, and he always enjoys coming back, he said after finishing the final round.

“I enjoyed every bit of it, I have to say,” he said. “It was a wonderful present to be able to play the weekend. I think it’s the second time in 10 years or whatever. I wasn’t expecting that, to be honest, tackling the week. I wasn’t expecting to play good golf like I did this week. ... I’ve enjoyed every bit of it this week. I’m proud of myself, the way I played and the way I handled the situation.”

4:12 p.m.: ‘It was just tough’ for Shane Lowry

After finishing his final round, Shane Lowry paused to sum up his performance during Masters week:

“Not very good. It’s over now. I’m a little disappointed obviously. Yeah, I played alright golf throughout the week, just made a lot of bogeys, a lot of bogeys. No big mistakes, nothing disastrous, just a lot of bogeys. Yeah, I just didn’t really hole my par putts when I needed to. When you do that early on around this course, you get behind the black ball, and it was just tough. "

4:04 p.m.: Åberg moves into a tie for second place.

4 p.m.: Mickelson not disappointed with week

After finishing the third round, Phil Mickelson said it hasn’t been a bad week for him.

“It was good. It was a fun challenge. It was a challenging golf course. I really enjoyed the challenge,” he said. “I was not as sharp with my short game and threw a lot of shots away there, but I had a fun week and a great opportunity to experience this course and this test in a way that we don’t normally see.”

A reporter noted that fellow player Akshay Bhatia looks up to Mickelson.

Does Lefty have any advice for the young man?

“I have a lot of respect for him. We first met and started spending time when he first turned pro. He came to the conclusion that over the course of the next four years, he’ll progress more as a player if he were to turn pro and go through the challenges of playing professional golf during those four years that he could be in college. He had the foresight to make a really tough decision and make the right decision for him because it’s turned out that after winning a couple of times, he’s progressed very fast in these last four years and come a long way. He’s got an incredible golf game. What a career he has.:

Bhatia just needs to keep going forward, Mickelson said.

“He doesn’t need to do anything different. Just keep fine tuning what he’s doing. He’s on a great path, and he’s gotten so good that all he has to do is just fine tune, fine tune. He doesn’t have to do anything different, and he’s already incredible. He’ll just keep getting better, just like he has.”

3:50 p.m.: Kim and Kitayama bounce back

Tom Kim and Kurt Kitayama proved to the leaders heading out later Sunday that there are low scores to be had at Augusta National today.

Both of them bounced back from dismal third rounds in spectacular fashion, combining to go 10 under on Sunday.

Kim shot 77 on Saturday before making eight birdies on his way to a final-round 66. Kitayama’s turnaround was even more pronounced. He followed up an 82 with a 68 that was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 second, an improvement of 14 shots — nearly one per hole.

3:45 p.m.: Rahm holes from fairway

It’s been a forgettable Masters for defending champion Jon Rahm.

But one swing will leave him with a fond memory.

On the seventh hole, Rahm drove his tee shot into the trees right of the fairway and had to punch out. He made up for his mistake by sinking a wedge from 80 yards for a birdie, dropping his score on the day to 2 under though he remained 10 strokes off the lead.

3:40 p.m.: Who’s carrying the LIV banner?

Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith are carrying the LIV banner on the final day of the Masters.

DeChambeau, who held at least a share of the lead through the first two rounds, endured a messy 3-over 75 on Saturday that dropped him four strokes behind leader Scottie Scheffler with a 3-under score through 54 holes.

Smith was six shots off the pace, the only other LIV golfer with a realistic chance at making a run for the title at Augusta National.

The upstart tour, which has shaken the world of golf by doling out huge contracts to lure a host of big-name players away from the PGA Tour, had 13 players in the Masters field. Eight of them made the cut, including defending Masters champion Jon Rahm.

More on LIV:

• LIV questions linger as Masters continues
• Amid golf’s civil war, both sides are in Augusta
• Tom Watson wants pro golf to come together

3:28 p.m.: Back-to-back birdies for DeChambeau

Bryson DeChambeau just had back-to-back birdies on No. 4 and No. 5.

3:15 p.m.: Birdie on No. 4 for DeChambeau

3:10 p.m.: Homa s tie for second place

3:05 p.m.: Åberg moves to 5 under par

2:50 p.m.: Scheffler now on the course

2:35 p.m.: Cameron Smith now 3 under par

2:20 p.m.: Tiger reflects on final round

Tiger Woods paused for a brief interview after he finished his final round today:

Q. Tiger, it’s remarkable how you can be competitive for a couple of days without any reps. How can you turn two rounds into four moving forward?

TIGER WOODS: Well, this is a golf course I knew going into it, so I’m going to do my homework going forward at Pinehurst, Valhalla and Troon, but that’s kind of the game plan.

It’s always nice coming back here because I know the golf course, I know how to play it. I can kind of simulate shots. Granted, it’s never quite the same as getting out here and doing it.

Same thing, I heard there’s some changes at the next couple sites. So got to get up there early and check them out.

Q. What will be the challenge to get ready for Valhalla, if that’s the next one?

TIGER WOODS: Well, just keep lifting, keep the motor going, keep the body moving, keep getting stronger, keep progressing. Hopefully the practice sessions will keep getting longer.

Q. Tiger, no one’s asked you about the meeting with Yasir in the Bahamas last month. What were your impressions of him? Do you feel like you’re any closer to a deal with him?

TIGER WOODS: I don’t know if we’re closer, but certainly we’re headed in the right direction. That was a very positive meeting, and I think both sides came away from the meeting feeling positive.

Q. What’s the one thing this weekend that was the biggest challenge?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I think that just the wind and what it was doing out here to the golf shots and the balls and putting, how difficult the course was playing.

It doesn’t take much to get out of position here. Unfortunately, I got out of position a lot yesterday and a couple times today.

Q. Tiger, in of the achievement, not the outcome of the tournament, but the achievement for you personally, how do you rate this performance this week?

TIGER WOODS: It was a good week. It was a good week all around. I think that coming in here, not having played a full tournament in a very long time, it was a good fight on Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately yesterday it didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted it to.

Today the round that I -- the way that Tom is playing I thought I had in my system. Unfortunately, I didn’t produce it.

1:44 p.m.: Tiger wraps up final round

With a tap-in par on No. 18, Tiger Woods wraps up his final round of the 88th Masters at 16 over. He started the week thinking he might be able to win a sixth green jacket, but ended up at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Still, he’s looking a lot better than he did a year ago, when he had to bow out on the last day due to lingering pain from a debilitating car accident and multiple reconstruction surgeries.

It was an achievement just to make the cut, and the 48-year-old legend remains an inspiration to many.

1:24 p.m.: Rahm birdies No. 7

1:15 p.m.: Tiger shakes hand of exiting CBS announcer

After finishing No. 16, Tiger Woods just stopped by and shook the hand of Verne Lundquist, the CBS announcer who’s retiring after this Masters, his 40th.

Woods and Lundquist will always share a connection at Augusta National.

At the 16th hole, where Woods made a memorable chip-in at the 2005 Masters on the way to his fourth of five green jackets, the golfer stopped to shake Lundquist’s hand and exchange a few words after tapping in for par.

The 83-year-old Lundquist is retiring after calling the Masters for CBS for the 40th time.

His decision to step away has rekindled memories of his epic call of Woods’ chip-in nearly two decades ago, when Lundquist bellowed, “In your life have you seen anything like that?!”

1:05 p.m: Ohio State golfer could be cashing in

Neal Shipley, who just birdied No. 15, is probably driving up his NIL value at the Masters.

The amateur golfer from Ohio State – who’s paired with Tiger Woods today – has been able to profit the last few years from his name, image and likeness after the NCAA began allowing college athletes to make money.

Shipley said this week he has a good group of backers back in Columbus, and they’ve been invaluable. As an amateur, Shipley cannot accept prize money from tournaments, and playing majors such as the Masters and U.S. Open is expensive. Housing alone for a week can cost thousands.

Those backers are getting their money’s worth this week.

Shipley is the only amateur to make the cut, and he found himself playing his final round Sunday with Tiger Woods, where TV cameras followed every shot along with thousands of patrons.

Shipley plans to play the U.S. Open in June as an amateur before deciding whether to turn pro.

12:33 p.m.: The key contenders in battle for green jacket

Scottie Scheffler begins in two hours with a one-shot lead over Collin Morikawa and a two-shot advantage on Max Homa as he chases a second green jacket.

Morikawa is trying to win the third leg of the career grand slam. Homa is trying to win his first major championship.

Bryson DeChambeau looked to be on the verge of a meltdown when he drove into the trees right of the 18th fairway Saturday, but he punched out to the short grass and then hit wedge from 77 yards that spun back into the cup for a birdie.

12:28 p.m.: DeChambeau insists he’s changed

Bryson DeChambeau is trying to prove he has changed.

He was once so arrogant that he called Augusta National a par-67 course because of his power. But he has matured a bit over the years, and that maturity has been on full display at the Masters this week.

The former low amateur at the event is seeking his first green jacket, and he’s put himself in position not by overpowering the course but by working with it. He has been patient. He has taken only calculated risks. And his putting has been sublime, which is usually the most important thing on the fast, undulating greens of Augusta National.

As for that “par-67″ comment from 2020, DeChambeau said this week: “You know, you mess up. I’m not a perfect person. Everybody messes up. You learn from your mistake, and that was definitely one.”

12:10 p.m.: Tiger continues to struggle

Tiger Woods just made par on No. 11, his fourth par this week at the hole.

But he continues to struggle at the Masters.

In his 100th round at Augusta National, Woods started the day par, birdie, bogey, par before running into major problems on the fifth hole. He took an unplayable shot off the tee and was driven back to the tee on a golf cart to re-hit.

Woods shot 40 on the front nine. That comes on the heels of an 82 on Saturday, his worst round ever at a major.

The five-time Masters champion has played the last 27 holes in 14 over and his now at the bottom of the leaderboard among those who made the cut.

Before the round Woods, dressed in his traditional Sunday red, appeared to receive some swing tips from his teenage son Charlie on the practice range.

Things started off well enough for the 48-year-old Woods, but that didn’t last long.

After playing the first two holes in 1 under, Woods made a bogey on No. 3 before things started to unravel on the par-4 fifth hole when he took an unplayable lie and was driven back to the tee box in a golf cart to hit again. He wound up with a triple-bogey 7.

He added another bogey on the 6th.

The once-dominant Woods is playing with Neal Shipley, the only amateur to make the cut at the Masters.

The age difference between the two is notable.

Woods’ streak of cuts made at the Masters began in 1997, before the 23-year-old Shipley was born.

Even with Woods being out of contention he is still attracting the usual huge throng of fans eager just to get a glimpse of the player that became the face of the sport. Fans applaud after every Woods’ shot — good or bad — and continue to shout encouragement his way.

11:55 a.m.: Rahm gets a birdie on No. 1

Reigning champion Jon Rahm and Tony Finau just teed off on No. 1, with Rahm making a birdie. They’re in the Featured Groups you can watch live at https://www.masters.com/en_US/live/index.html.

11:10 a.m.: Hole locations for the final round

11:06 a.m.: Fashion statements at the Masters

Jason Day’s wardrobe has nothing on some Masters patrons who are out and about today at Augusta National Golf Club.

10:11 a.m.: A green jacket would be life-changing for Homa

Max Homa has never finished in the top 40 in his five visits to the Masters, but now he’s two shots back. The YouTuber is among a group of rising golf stars at the Masters who have never won a major.

9:50 a.m.: Jason Day does it again with his wardrobe

Jason Day would rather be wearing a green jacket, but he’s been generating a lot of talk during the past week with his fashion statements.

He may do it again today.

Right now, he’s wearing a nylon-looking white pullover hoodie that almost resembles a caddie coverall.

Some have alternately raised questions about whether the clothes are either too loose or restrictive. And the Augusta National Golf Club actually asked him to remove this vest that some likened to a billboard:

9:43 a.m.: Beautiful weather expected for final round

The weather will be about as good as it gets for the final round of Masters 2024 with less windy conditions, sunshine-filled skies and seasonably warm temperatures.

It’s a little chilly right now at 63 degrees, but the temperature will reach the upper 70s by noon, ultimately rising to the mid-80s.

9:38 a.m.: An interesting note about the green jacket

A green jacket will be slipped onto today’s winner immediately after his victory.

The green jacket used in the ceremony will be one borrowed from an Augusta National Golf Club member who has roughly the same build.

The winner will then be fitted for his own personally tailored green jacket.

9:33 a.m.: Here are the featured groups today

Masters.com and the official Masters App will stream a Featured Groups channel.

This offering, which will begin approximately five minutes before the first Featured Group’s starting time, will provide 18-hole, spotlight coverage of select pairings.

Today’s Featured Groups schedule:

• 9:35 a.m. Neal Shipley, Tiger Woods
• 11:45 a.m. Jon Rahm, Tony Finau
• 12:45 p.m. Rory McIlroy, Joaquin Niemann
• 2:15 p.m. Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele

9:28 a.m.: Tiger is going ahead with competition

Unlike last year when Tiger Woods dropped out before play began on the final day of the Masters, the golf superstar is going ahead today.

He was drilling on the driving range up until a couple of minutes ago with his son Charlie, also a golfer, at his side. Tiger is set to tee off at 9:35.

9:15 a.m.: Final round to begin

The third and final round of the 88th Masters begins at 9:15 a.m. with Adam Hadwin and Vijay Singh teeing off. Scottie Scheffler — the top-ranked player in the world — is the leader going into the round, hoping to win again two years after he first received the green jacket. If Scheffler does win, he’d be the youngest multiple Masters champion ever.

Here are the tee times for the final round:

• 9:15 a.m. — Adam Hadwin, Vijay Singh
• 9:25 a.m. — Jake Knapp, Grayson Murray
• 9:35 a.m. — a-Neal Shipley, Tiger Woods
• 9:45 a.m. — Tom Kim, Denny McCarthy
• 9:55 a.m. — Kurt Kitayama, Thorbjorn Olesen
• 10:05 a.m. — Erik van Rooyen, Eric Cole
• 10:15 a.m. — Jose Maria Olazabal, Camilo Villegas
• 10:25 a.m. — Russell Henley, Jason Day
• 10:35 a.m. — Keegan Bradley, Min Woo Lee
• 10:45 a.m. — Si Woo Kim, J.T. Poston
• 11:05 a.m. — Corey Conners, Brooks Koepka
• 11:15 a.m. — Phil Mickelson, Shane Lowry
• 11:25 a.m. — Taylor Moore, Sahith Theegala
• 11:35 a.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Harris English
• 11:45 p.m. — Jon Rahm, Tony Finau
• 11:55 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Luke List
• 12:05 p.m. — Ryan Fox, Rickie Fowler
• 12:25 p.m. — Danny Willett, Adam Scott
• 12:35 p.m. — Will Zalatoris, Tyrrell Hatton
• 12:45 p.m. — Rory McIlroy, Joaquin Niemann
• 12:55 p.m. — Matthieu Pavon, Sepp Straka
• 1:05 p.m. — Matt Fitzpatrick, Patrick Reed
• 1:15 p.m. — Adam Schenk, Chris Kirk
• 1:25 p.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Lucas Glover
• 1:45 p.m. — Cameron Young, Tommy Fleetwood
• 1:55 p.m. — Byeong Hun An, Cameron Smith
• 2:05 p.m. — Cameron Davis, Nicolai Hojgaard
• 2:15 p.m. — Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele
• 2:25 p.m. — Max Homa, Ludvig Aberg
• 2:35 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa

APRIL 13

10:07 p.m.: Third round of the Masters at a glance

• LEADING: Scottie Scheffler (71) was in the lead at 7-under 209.
• CHASING: Collin Morikawa (69) was 6 under and Max Homa (73) was 5 under.
• MOVING UP: Masters rookie Ludvig Aberg (70) was 4 under and Xander Schauffele (70) was in a group at 2 under.
• FADING: Bryson DeChambeau (75) needed to hole out on 18 to remain 3 under and Nicolai Højgaard (74) was 2 under.
• SHOT OF THE DAY: DeChambeau drove it into the trees on the final hole, punched into the fairway and then holed out from 77 yards for a birdie that left him feeling a bit more positive about an otherwise difficult round.
• TIGER TRACKS: Tiger Woods shot 82 for his worst round in a major. His only other rounds in the 80s had been an 80 in the 2005 U.S. Open and an 81 in the third round of the 2002 British Open. His worst round at the Masters had been a 78.
• KEY STATISTIC: Chris Kirk (68) and Morikawa (69) had the only rounds in the 60s, and Morikawa is the only player to break par in each of the first three rounds.
• NOTEWORTHY: Morikawa is trying to become the ninth player to win the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. The others are Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Gene Sarazen and Jordan Spieth.
• QUOTEWORTHY: “It always crosses your mind. If it doesn’t cross your mind, I don’t know what the hell your mind is thinking about.” — Morikawa on potentially winning his first green jacket Sunday.
• TELEVISION: Broadcast from 2-7 p.m. EDT on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.

10:03 p.m.: Results and statistics from third round

9:55 p.m.: Key facts and figures from third round

• The top three players on the leade board entering the final round are all representing the United States (Scheffler, Morikawa, Homa). The last time that occurred at the Masters was in 2006 (Phil Mickelson, Chad Campbell and Fred Couples)
• Today marked just the second time since World War II that Nos. 17 and 18 ranked as the two most difficult holes during a round at the Masters (in either order). That also happened in 2002 (third round).
• This will be the second time in the last 70 years that only one former Masters champion (Scheffler) is among the top 15 on the leaderboard entering the final round. That also occurred in 2020 (Reed).
• Scottie Scheffler has held at least a share of the 54-hole lead 10 previous times on the PGA TOUR, including twice in 2024 (Arnold Palmer Invitational, Texas Children’s Houston Open). He has gone on to win four of those 10 events, including the 2024 API.
• Scottie Scheffler has held the 54-hole lead in one previous major championship. He led after three rounds of the 2022 Masters.
• Most major championship rounds in the 60s, since 2020: Rory McIlroy (26), Jon Rahm (26), Scottie Scheffler (24), Collin Morikawa (22, including today) and Cameron Smith (21).
• No. 15 is playing to a stroke average of 5.067 through three rounds. That’s the highest it has played through 54 holes since 1999 (5.082).
• This year marks only the second Masters over the last 50 years in which no eagles were carded on No. 15 through three rounds (also in 2022).
• Nicolai Højgaard is the second player in the last 10 Masters to record five consecutive bogeys or worse in either the third or final round. Si Woo Kim did that in 2022.
• Max Homa’s par streak of 18 consecutive holes ended with a bogey on No. 12 today. It was the longest par streak at one Masters since Jon Rahm made 18 pars in a row in 2019.
• The only Masters in which three or more players were tied for the 54-hole lead was in 1967 (Julius Boros, Bobby Nichols, Bert Yancey)
• The last first-year player to own an outright 54-hole lead at the Masters was Ralph Guldahl in 1937.
• Seven of the last 14 Masters champions overcame a 54-hole deficit, including Jon Rahm in 2023.
• Each of the last 27 Masters champions were either leading or within four shots of the leader after 54 holes.
• Shane Lowry carded a two on No. 14 today. It is the fifth par-4 eagle that Lowry has made in his major championship career, all since 2010. It is his first one at the Masters. The only other players with as many par-4 eagles in major championship play as Lowry since 2010 are Rory McIlroy (six), Patrick Cantlay (five) and Brendan Steele (five).
• Collin Morikawa birdied his final hole on Friday and then his first three holes in the third round. He is the first player to make four consecutive birdies this week. He had birdied four consecutive holes in a major twice before: in the 2019 and 2021 U.S. Opens.
• Collin Morikawa (71-70) and Max Homa (67-71) were the only two players to break par in both of the first two rounds this week.
• Prior to this year, Tiger Woods’ highest nine-hole score at the Masters was 40, done five times (1997, first round, first nine), 1999 (final round, first nine), 2004 (first round, first nine), 2013 (second round, second nine) and 2022 (final round, second nine).
• Ryan Fox began his third round just as he began his first round - with three straight birdies. He is the second player ever to start a round with three consecutive par breakers twice in one Masters. Paul Harney did that in 1968 (second and final rounds).
• For the second year in a row, more Americans (31) than International players (29) made the cut. The last time there were more players representing the United States than International countries in the third round of the Masters in each of back-to-back years was in 2004 and 2005. There were as many or more Internationals than Americans in the third round of the Masters 10 times over a 12-year span from 2011 to 2022.
• Players representing 18 countries made the cut this week. That matches a Masters record accomplished four times previously, most recently in 2019.
• Most career strokes under par in the third round of the Masters (entering today): Tiger Woods (40-under), Tom Weiskopf (22-under) and Matt Kuchar (18-under).
• Vijay Singh, the 2000 Masters champion, competed in his 100th official Masters round today. Upon completion of his round, he is the 22nd player to record 100 rounds at the Masters.
• Rory McIlroy birdied No. 2 today, ending a streak of 23 consecutive holes without a birdie or eagle. It was the longest such drought of his Masters career.
• Best career third-round scoring averages at the Masters among players who made the cut this year (minimum: 3 rounds): Tiger Woods (70.26), Xander Schauffele (70.40), Rickie Fowler (70.44), Corey Conners (70.50) and Tommy Fleetwood (70.67).

7:13 p.m.: Scheffler finishes third round at the top

Scottie Scheffler has the lead in the Masters after a wild Saturday at Augusta National.

And it wasn’t even blowing as hard as the day before.

Scheffler had one last birdie for a 71 to give him a one-shot lead over Collin Morikawa going into the final round.

They were among six players who had a share of the lead at one point.

There were charges and collapses.

Bryson DeChambeau made double bogey on the 15th and holed out from the fairway for birdie on the last hole. Tiger Woods had an 82, his worst score in a major.

Other key storylines that emerged Saturday at the Masters:

• DeChambeau’s final swing keeps him in the mix at the Masters
• Hojgaard goes from late leader to tied for 5th after 5 bogeys
• McIlroy will have to wait in his bid to complete career grand slam
• After making history, Tiger has a rough Saturday at Masters

7:03 p.m.: Mickelson sees a positive side to wind

The wind has been at least somewhat unpredictable in the past couple of days, but it’s been a great test, according to Phil Mickelson.

“I think it’s a good, hard test. You’ve got swirling winds, fast greens, difficult pins. Then you have birdie holes and the greens are still somewhat receptive,” he said after finishing the third round Saturday. “I think it’s a great test. You can score well on it. It’s a really good Masters.”

That doesn’t mean it was a breeze.

“It’s not easy. I mean, it’s not an easy golf course. The greens are a little faster. Again, I think it’s very scorable if you play it well.”

6:43 p.m.: What’s ahead for Will Zalatoris?

Will Zalatoris is just going to let things play out however they play out on Sunday.

“Yeah, I pretty much don’t have a chance of making a run at it now,” he said after finishing Saturday’s third round. “I would have loved to have shot at least 67, 68, but I got the driver a little wayward in the middle of the round. Weeks like this, you need to make as many 10- to 15-footers as you can. I’ve made a few, but I pretty much needed to make double what I made.”

6:39 p.m.: Not a bad way to spend a weekend, Lowry says

No matter how Sunday turns out, Shane Lowry is glad to be here.

“That’s the thing with this game. Get up tomorrow and go play Augusta National on a Sunday at the Masters. There could be a lot worse things,” he said after finishing his third round Saturday. “There’s a lot worse things happening in the world.”

6:35 p.m.: How Amen Corner surprised Bhatia

Akshay Bhatia says there’s something about Amen Corner he didn’t anticipate.

“The amount of times I’ve watched it on TV is a lot, and to kind of actually live that in reality is pretty cool. It’s a weird kind of feeling because you get on that tee and everyone is kind of applauding. You get on that green, and you don’t hear any claps. So that’s something I never expected,” he said after finishing his third round Saturday.

“And just kind of the whole aura of the place is amazing, but that’s kind of an extra special place. It was the first time I walked on -- is it Hogan’s Bridge on 15? That was the first time I did that, and that was pretty cool.

6:25 p.m.: Even lighter winds played a factor, Conners says

Corey Conners says his day out there Saturday was challenging.

“The course got a little baked out. I got myself in some tricky spots and wasn’t able to make the saving putts.,” he said

Got some nice breaks on 11, 12, 13 to be able to make some birdies there. Hit a lovely shot on 12. Nice to chip in on 11. Made one from off the green on 13.

“Other than that, just seemed to not get many favorable bounces and didn’t quite have the speed of the greens down. I left myself a lot of pretty fast putts, and they were getting away from me a little bit.”

The wind wasn’t as strong today as it has been, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t matter.

“It was fairly constant. It definitely played a factor. Certainly, we were aware of it all day, and it was part of the discussion on every shot. Yeah, it was just enough where it certainly did have an effect on things,” he said.

6:20 p.m.: Course is deceptively tough, Hatton says

Tyrrell Hatton says he can understand how tough it was out there for Tiger Woods, whose game tanked today.

“Sure, he didn’t hit it how he wanted to, but also like putts that he had, like the greens are so fast out there. You guys, you don’t realize, even a 2 1/2 foot putt is just brutal. They’ve got so much turn. You start it a centimeter outside of your start line and it’s going to miss,” Hatton said.

“Then depending on the pace you’ve hit it at, who knows how far away it’s going to finish up. It’s just it’s so hard it’s only going to get firmer and faster,” he said.

6:1 1 p.m.: What Tiger says about his performance

After suffering a disappointing Saturday in the third round, Tiger Woods stopped for a brief interview:

Q: Tiger, what was the biggest challenge you were facing out there today?

TIGER WOODS: The fact that I was not hitting it very good or putting well. I didn’t have a very good warmup session, and I kept it going all day today. Just hit the ball in all the places that I know I shouldn’t hit it.

And I missed a lot of putts. Easy, makable putts. I missed a lot of them.

Q. Tiger, on 9 it looked like that was a painful swing out of the right side there.

TIGER WOODS: Yeah.

Q. Was there any moment that was worse than the others today that caused it to be worse for you the rest of the day?

TIGER WOODS: All day.

Q. Was it a lack of maybe mental reps?

TIGER WOODS: I wouldn’t say necessarily mental reps. It’s just that I haven’t competed and played much. When I had chances to get it flipped around and when I made that putt at 5, I promptly three-putted 6 and flub a chip at 7 and just got it going the wrong way, and when I had opportunities to flip it, I didn’t.

Q. How much did yesterday wear you out physically?

TIGER WOODS: Oh, yeah, it did.

Q. How about being ready for tomorrow?

TIGER WOODS: My team will get me ready. ... It will be a long night and a long warmup session, but we’ll be ready.

6:07 p.m.: Schauffele reflects on his Saturday

Xander Schauffele felt like he just sort of “plodded along” in Saturday’s third round.

“I think just really plodded along. Didn’t leave it in the best spots at times, but with how windy it still is and how firm the greens are, even the sort of OK spots that were kind of chipping uphill to the holes still aren’t that good,” he said.

“My goal was to get to 4 today. I thought that was doable. I definitely had enough today to do it. Just kind of have to go out and shoot something ridiculous tomorrow.”

He its that he has a tough time not looking at the leaderboard while he’s playing.

“Yeah, you hear the roars, and it’s pretty hard -- as hard as you keep your head down, it’s pretty hard not to look at them. I was looking and didn’t see anything too crazy.”

He’s looking forward to having a good chance on the second nine tomorrow.

“Hopefully I’ll have mine tomorrow,” he said. “I’m going to be ahead of the leading groups, but not too far, I hope. Yeah, that’s all I can shoot for.

5:20 p.m.: DeChambeau in a tie for second

4:31 p.m.: Ludvig Åberg birdies the ninth

3:52 p.m.: Celebrity watch: Who we’ve spotted at the Masters

The Masters is well-known for drawing celebrities to town, and we’ve seen some of them.

News 12′s Richard Rogers was standing next to Harry Styles yesterday – and fellow former One Direction member Niall Horan was spotted here, too.

Our Audrey Dickherber ran into Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen at Topgolf.

And Craig Allison bumped into John Daly.

We saw Falcons running back Bijan Robinson today.

We saw Larry Fitzgerald on Friday and George Kittle on Thursday.

But the question on our lips today is: Are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce in town?

Rumors are flying, and a CBS Sports reporter asked which player or pairing she might like to follow ...

... which begs the question: Does he know something we don’t?

Besides some great golf, they might actually find some relative privacy among the crowds at Augusta National, thanks to the strict no-cellphone policy.

3:45 p.m: Eagle for Shane Lowry

3:30 p.m.: Tiger Woods has his worst opening nine ever

Tiger Woods had his worst opening nine holes ever at Augusta National today.

He finished bogey-double-double-bogey over his last four holes for a 42.

That was two more than the first-nine 40 he shot in 1997, when he won his first green jacket by 12 shots, and again in 2004, when he finished tied for 22nd.

The downfall for Woods on Saturday turned out to be his driver and his putter, which had served him so well through the first two rounds.

While the winds were no longer gusting to 45 mph like they were Friday, Augusta National was still playing fast, firm and difficult.

3:25 p.m.: Scheffler extends his lead

3:20 p.m.: Morikawa sees 3 straight birdies

3:14 p.m.: Rahm reflects after finishing for the day

Reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm just barely slipped under the cut line for today’s third round.

After he finished today, he expressed disappointment in his performance, saying his play hasn’t improved over the course of the week.

“Oh, no, yesterday was terrible. Today I kept in in play off the tee, which is going to do a lot. Didn’t really make any putts, did I? Gave myself plenty of chances; just didn’t make them,” he said.

“Had to play very defensively and try to pick my spots and just couldn’t put myself in a good position coming into today. I think if you came out today and somehow shot 67 or lower, maybe you could give yourself a little bit of hope. But it’s a hard golf course out there. Anything under par is a good round. Anything in the 60s is a fantastic round today.”

In preparation for Sunday, he’s going to relax and spend time with loved ones.

“I’m going to go eat, see my physio, and the only perk of finishing by 3 p.m. is that I can go back home and my parents are here and my wife’s parents are here, so we can all go back to the house and spend some family time with the kids together and watch the broadcast,” he said.

“Have a little bit of positivity, and tomorrow is a new day.”

2:55 p.m.: Scheffler moves into lead with birdie on 1

2:47 p.m.: A look at the ‘Big Oak Tree’

1:57 p.m.: Tiger birdies the fifth hole

Tiger Woods just made a birdie, his first of the day, on the fifth hole. It’s the seventh of his career on that hole.

12:31 p.m.: Masters prize money totals $20 million

The total prize money for those professionals competing in the 2024 Masters Tournament is $20 million. Here’s the breakdown by position:

12:26 pm.: All patron lots are full

All patron lots are full, according to traffic signs. So if you are not on the grounds, you will need to make other parking arrangements.

10:43 a.m.: What’s ahead today at the Masters?

Perhaps the top perk for the 60 players who survived one of the most wind-blown, grueling days at the Masters was getting a weekend at Augusta National far more agreeable.

Flags are flapping, not crackling, and it’s shaping up to be a day suited for scoring and surviving.

“This weekend is going to be nice. Hopefully there will be some opportunities to make a run,” said Phil Mickelson, a three-time champion playing in his 31st Masters. He closed with a 65 last year to finish runner-up. Lefty knows about opportunities.

10:21 a.m.: Scheffler vows to bow out if his wife goes into labor

Previous champion Scottie Scheffler is a favorite to win this year’s Masters.

Just about the only thing that seems like it could slow him down could be a call from home.

Scheffler’s wife, Meredith, is due to give birth to the couple’s first child later this month, and he said he would withdraw even if he was leading the tournament so that he could jet back to Dallas if she went into labor.

How many guys would do that? News 12′s Nick Proto went on a mission to find out:

9:34 a.m.: Hole locations for the third round

9:30 a.m.: Who has the best chance at winning the green jacket?

If history is any guide, you need to be in the top 10 going into the third round to win the Masters. A lot can change today and tomorrow, but here are those top 10 players (including ties) right now:

• Ludvig Åberg
• Byeong Hun An
• Cameron Davis
• Bryson DeChambeau
• Tommy Fleetwood
• Ryan Fox
• Nicolai Højgaard
• Max Homa
• Collin Morikawa
• Matthieu Pavon
• Scottie Scheffler
• Cam Smith
• Danny Willett
• Cameron Young

9:20 a.m.: Fowler and Matsuyama will be first to tee off at 9:35

The third round of the Masters begins with Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama teeing off at 9:35 a.m., followed by Thorbjorn Olsen and Russell Henley at 9:45, then Jose Maria Olazabal and Augustan Luke List at 9:55, with other players following in 10-minute intervals.

The last to tee off will be co-leaders Max Homa and Bryson DeChambeau at 2:45 p.m.

Their fellow co-leader Scottie Scheffler will tee off at 2:35.

Here’s the full schedule:

9:13 a.m.: Who made the cut and who didn’t

Defending champion Jon Rahm was 6 over Friday and in danger of missing the weekend after a three-putt double bogey at the par-4 14th. But during a roller-coaster finishing stretch, Rahm made a pair of birdies along with a three-putt bogey at No. 17 before a par at the tough final hole left him 5 over for the tournament, and one shot inside the cut line.

He made the cut along with Tiger Woods.

But Justin Thomas melted down for the second straight year and missed the cut by one.

And British Open champion Brian Harman needed far more than the second-round 72 that he produced yesterday to play the weekend.

Jordan Spieth, Wyndham Clark, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose also missed the cut.

9:08 a.m.: Sunny, less windy and beautiful conditions today

The weather will be about as good as it gets for the weekend rounds of Masters 2024 with less windy conditions returning to the region. High pressure will be building into the region keeping skies clear, temperatures comfortable, and less windy conditions.

After a seasonably cool start in the upper 40s, today will be a sunny and less windy day with highs in the upper 70s. It will be another breezy day, but not as windy as Friday, with winds from the west to northwest at 13 to 18 mph with 20 to 25 mph gusts.

APRIL 12

11:50 p.m.: Here are the featured groups for Saturday

Masters.com and the official Masters app will stream a featured groups channel on Saturday for the third round.

This offering, which will begin about five minutes before the first featured group’s starting time, will provide 18-hole, spotlight coverage of select pairings.

Saturday featured groups schedule:

• 9:35 a.m.: Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama
• 10:55 a.m.: Rory McIlroy and Camilo Villegas
• 12:45 p.m.: Tiger Woods and Tyrrell Hatton
• 2:15 p.m.: Ludvig Åberg and Matthieu Pavon

10:07 p.m.: Round 2 of the Masters at a glance

LEADING: Max Homa (71), Bryson DeChambeau (73) and Scottie Scheffler (72) were tied at 6-under 138.

CHASING: Masters rookie Nicolai Hojgaard (73) was 4 under. Cameron Davis (72) and Collin Morikawa (70) were 3 under.

MOVING UP: Ludvig Aberg, the world’s No. 9 player making his Masters debut, had the only round in the 60s Friday with a 69 that left him 2 under. Tommy Fleetwood had a 71 and was among seven at 1 under.

FADING: Rory McIlroy (77) was 4 over and defending champion Jon Rahm (76) and Tony Finau (78) were 5 over.

THE CUT: Justin Thomas played his last four holes in 7 over, going from even par to missing the cut by one. Major winners Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth also missed the cut.

SHOT OF THE DAY: Bryson DeChambeau pulled out a 9-foot tall directional sign and carried it out of his way while in the trees right of the par-5 13th. That gave him a lane to punch out, and he got up and down from there for birdie.

TIGER TRACKS: Tiger Woods was 1 over after the second round and made the cut for the 24th consecutive time, breaking a tie with Gary Player and Fred Couples for the longest such streak in Masters history. Woods had to play 23 holes Friday after darkness caused his first round to be suspended until the morning.

KEY STATISTIC: The scoring average of 75.08 was the highest for the second round of the Masters since 2007, and it was only the fourth time in the last 30 years that it was higher than 75.

NOTEWORTHY: Neal Shipley was the only one among five amateurs to make the cut. He was 3 over.

QUOTEWORTHY: “That’s laughable. That’s completely laughable. I can’t hear the patrons, number one. Number two, I just made a triple bogey on the 12th hole that evidently is going to make me miss the cut, which at the time I knew was pretty sensitive in the sense that I needed to keep making pars.” — Zach Johnson, when asked whether his expletive caught by TV microphones was directed at nearby patrons. He wound up missing the cut by one.

TELEVISION: Broadcast from 3-7 p.m. EDT on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.

9:05 p.m.: Notes on the second round of the Masters

• Max Homa has never been among the top 5 on the leaderboard at the conclusion of any round of a major championship. His previous high was T-7 at the end of the first round of the 2023 Open Championship. His previous highest rank at the Masters was T-25, at the end of the first round in 2020 and at the end of the third round in 2023.
• For the first time since 1999, 10 or more double bogeys (or worse) have been carded on No. 15 through the first two rounds.
• Patrick Cantlay becomes the fourth player to record an eagle on a par 4 twice during one Masters. He s Brett Ogle (1993), Jack Nicklaus (1995) and Brandt Jobe (2006).
• Thirty-six of the last 37 Masters champions, including each of the last 12, were ranked no lower than 10th on the leaderboard at the conclusion of the second round.
• This is the third year in a row that Tiger Woods has been over par after 36 holes of the Masters: one-over in 2022 (finished 47th) and three-over in 2023 (WD in round three). Tiger was four-under or better after 36 holes of each of his five Masters victories.
• Tiger Woods has hit 25 of 28 fairways (89%) through two rounds. It is his highest total through two rounds of the Masters since 1996, when he hit 26 of 28 fairways over his first 36 holes.
• Danny Willett is four-under on the par 5s this week, including an eagle on No. 8 in the second round. When he won his green jacket in 2016, he played the par 5s at even par. He and Craig Stadler (1982) are the only champions to play the par 5s at even par or higher for the week.
• The first nine holes have played to a stroke average of 36.421 through two rounds, while the second nine holes played to an average of 37.831. It is the first Masters since World War II that the second nine scoring was over 1.4 strokes higher than first nine scoring through the first two rounds.
• Entering this year, three of the last seven Masters champions failed to make the cut the following year (Danny Willett in 2017, Sergio Garcia in 2018 and Dustin Johnson in 2021).
• The last Masters in which the top three and ties on the leader board after 36 holes were comprised solely of Americans was in 2001 (Chris DiMarco, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods).
• Scottie Scheffler played eight PGA TOUR events in 2024 prior to this week. He held a 36-hole lead or co-lead three times: The Sentry (finished T-5), AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (T-6) and The Arnold Palmer Invitational (won).
• Each of the last 12 Masters champions were either leading or within four strokes of the leader at the end of the second round.
• No player who made the cut right on the cut line went on to win the Masters. The best such finish was by Retief Goosen who finished T-2 in 2007.
• Today marks McIlroy’s 56th career Masters round. It is just the third in which he failed to break par on any hole, having done that in 2010 (second round) and 2016 (third round).
• This is the third time that Scottie Scheffler will lead or co-lead a major championship through 36 holes. He led after two rounds at the 2022 Masters (won) and 2023 PGA Championship (T-2).
• This is the first year that the cut line has been 150 or higher since 2017 (150).

8:43 p.m.: Pairings, start times released for third round

7:12 p.m.: Willett finishes with a triple bogey at the Masters

Danny Willett was right in the mix in the second round of the Masters until taking two shots to get out of a bunker on the 18th and three putts on the green.

It added to a triple bogey that ruined a hard day of work, and his 75 put him at 1-under 215.

Frustrating? Sure. But for Willett, even playing at Augusta National might be a bigger surprise than when he won the green jacket in 2016.

Willett’s left shoulder was aching so much last September that he had an MRI, which revealed two tears along with a few cysts that had to be cleaned out. His recovery time was expected to be at least a year.

And here he is. The Masters is his first tournament since the BMW PGA Championship last September, and even then he wasn’t sure he could be playing until he got in 18 holes on Sunday.

“It will be lovely to be here on the weekend,” Willett said. “Fingers crossed it’s not pumping 50 (mph) over the weekend.”

Willett said he played five times at home last week in England, and the Sunday test at Augusta National was more about being able to hit the shots.

“As we’ve proved, we can still hit most of them,” Willett said. “But there’s still a couple that are not quite where we want them to be.”

The bunker blunders were as much a product of the wind that was sweeping grains of sand into the air. And while it’s been nearly seven months since he last competed, he looked at the body of work over 35 holes and not the triple bogey at the end of two rounds.

“Now the way you want to finish the day, but top 10 going into the weekend,” Willett said. “Press on.”

He plans to take off seven weeks after the Masters before making a full return.

6:05 p.m.: Foreign visitors are delighted with Augusta

It’s always fun to catch up with international visitors about their thoughts on this tournament and their time here in Augusta.

“I think a shout-out for the local airport, Because Ian and I have had bad experiences at Miami in waiting for ages and being questioned, and it was just amazing,” said Mark Palmer from the United Kingdom. “There was no queue. We got to the hotel really, really quickly. I got to the hotel, and actually I don’t feel nearly as shattered as I do when I get up early and hop over the Atlantic.”

Which we love to hear, of course.

But the visitors said our restaurant portions are too big – especially the calamari from Thursday.

5:53 p.m.: DeChambeau, Homa and Morikawa make waves at Masters

Bryson DeChambeau followed up his seven under 65 in the first round of the Masters with another impressive performance in the second round.

Right on his heels are this year’s favorite, Scottie Scheffler, and Max Homa, who is one of the players who had to finish his first round Friday morning after weather led to a late start Thursday.

Homa was dialed in all day, climbing the leaderboard to get to six under.

Colin Morikawa is another player who turned it on in the second round after a solid one under 71 on Thursday.

Morikawa followed that up by going two under on Friday, bringing him into a tie for sixth at three under.

Birdies on 2, 5, 13, 16 and 18 put him in striking distance heading into the weekend.

“This is exactly where i’d want to be,” Morikawa said. “Obviously, I’d rather be a little lower and closer to the lead, but for right now after I’ve been playing the past kind of month, I’m very, very happy. It feels like I have control of the golf ball, and that’s the biggest thing.”

4:42 p.m.: ‘It means I have a chance going into the weekend,’ Tiger says

With a little more joy and looking in better shape this year, Tiger Woods is upbeat about his chances at winning the green jacket.

“It means I have a chance going into the weekend. I’m here,” he said after finishing the second round. “I have a chance to win the golf tournament. I don’t know if they’re all going to finish today, but I’m done. I got my two rounds in. Just need some food and some caffeine, and I’ll be good to go.”

3:55 p.m.: Tiger makes the cut

Tiger Woods made his historic 24th consecutive cut for the final two rounds of the Masters.

3:40 p.m.: DeChambeau alone atop leaderboard again

After a birdie, Bryson DeChambeau is again the sole holder of the top spot on leaderboard.

3:16 p.m.: Scheffler, DeChambeau tied at the top

Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau are currently tied in the lead.

1:46 p.m.: It’s a four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard

There’s now a four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard: Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa and Nicolai Højgaard

1:05 p.m.: Tiger’s main goal right now is making the cut

Tiger Woods is chasing more history at Augusta National, just not the variety he prefers.

Woods can set a Masters record by making his 24th consecutive cut, a task made more challenging by having to play nearly as many holes today (23) as he had all year (24).

But he’s still inside the projected cut when he started his second round.

12:43 p.m.: 3 birdies for Tiger in this round

Tiger has now made three birdies in the first eight holes of the second round.

11:25 a.m.: Max Homa ties for lead

Max Homa just tied Bryson DeChambeau for the lead.

10:26 a.m.: Facts and figures on the first major of the year

• LENGTH: 7,555 yards.
• PAR: 36-36—72.
• PURSE: To be announced ($18 million in 2023).
• CUT: Top 50 and ties.
• DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jon Rahm.
• LAST YEAR: Jon Rahm had to play 30 holes on Sunday in a rain-delayed Masters. He got within two shots of Brooks Koepka in the morning, and then pulled away with a 3-under 69 to win by four shots over Koepka and Phil Mickelson. Koepka went 22 consecutive holes Sunday without a birdie and shot 75. Mickelson shot 65 and at 52 became the oldest runner-up in Masters history.
• TIGER TALES: Five-time champion Tiger Woods has never missed the cut as a pro at the Masters. He has played only 24 holes of tournament golf this year, most recently six holes on Feb. 16 in the Genesis Invitational before withdrawing with the flu.
• LIV AND LET LIVE: The field includes 13 players (seven Masters champions) who play for Saudi-funded LIV Golf.
• GRAND SLAM? Rory McIlroy tries for the 10th time to win the Masters and complete the career grand slam. He has gone 10 years since winning his last major.
• NEWCOMERS: Two players in the top 10 in the world, U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark (4) and Ludvig Aberg (9), are making their Masters debuts.
• KEY STAT: Scottie Scheffler and Wyndham Clark are the only players to win on the PGA Tour this year while ranked in the top 50 in the world.
• NOTEWORTHY: Rory McIlroy is playing in his 16th Masters. Sergio Garcia (19) is the only player who had that many appearances before winning.
• QUOTEWORTHY: “I think it will be great viewing. One, it’s the Masters. Two, everyone is probably excited to see everyone compete again.” — Xander Schauffele.

10:12 a.m.: DeChambeau confirmed as leader of first round

The first round is officially over, and Bryson DeChambeau is confirmed as the leader.

9:31 a.m.: Tiger wraps up first round

Tiger Woods just finished his first round at one over par.

9:07 a.m.: Round 1 of the Masters at a glance

• LEADING: Bryson DeChambeau after a 7-under 65.
• CHASING: Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler was one shot behind after his 66.
• KEY STATISTIC: Play began 2 1/2 hours late Thursday. It was the sixth straight year the schedule was affected by weather.
• NOTEWORTHY: DeChambeau had his best start to a major. It also was his lowest score ever in the Masters.
• QUOTEWORTHY: “Golf is not a very satisfying game, I would say. You win one week and then you show up the next week and you don’t win. It’s like, well, that’s it. The win is over. Now I finished second. That’s too bad.” — Scheffler, the 2022 champion.
• TELEVISION: First-round coverage resumed at 7:50 a.m. EDT on ESPN. Second-round coverage from 3-7:30 p.m. on ESPN.

8:44 a.m.: Here are the Round 2 hole locations

8:22 a.m.: First-round highlights so far

Among the highlights from Round 1 so far:

• There were 50 birdies and three eagles on No. 8 on Thursday, which is the highest number of par breakers (53) on this hole during one round in Masters history. The previous high was 49 in 2011.
• The day marked the second­-lowest first nine-­hole scoring average (35.933) in the first round of the Masters since World War II. The first nine holes played to a scoring average of 35.478 in Round 1 of the 2020 Masters
• Thursday marked the first time in his Masters career that Scottie Scheffler posted a bogey-­free round (17 career rounds).
• Lowest score to par through 17 career rounds at the Masters as a professional: Jordan Spieth (­32), Jon Rahm (­28), Scottie Scheffler (­27), Tiger Woods (­26) and Jack Nicklaus (­26).
• Only twice in Masters history have the top three and ties on the leaderboard at the conclusion of the first round all been former major winners: 1961 (Palmer, Rosburg, Player) and 1972 (Nicklaus, Snead, Palmer).
• Over the last two years (2022 and 2023), Scottie Scheffler has been in either first or second place at the conclusion of a round during a major championship seven times, which is the highest such total for any player over that time. Next on the list are Will Zalatoris (6), Rory McIlroy (6) and Brooks Koepka (6).
• Patrick Cantlay made an eagle on No. 17 today. He is just the fourth player in Masters history to card a 2 on the hole, ing Davis Love III (1998, third round), Tommy Nakajima (1989, first round) and Takaaki Kono (1969, final round).
• Matt Fitzpatrick birdied the 11th, 12th and 13th holes today. He is only the second player in the last 15 years to do that during the first round of the Masters. Haotong Li did that in 2018.
• Bryson DeChambeau, playing in his 25th career round at the Masters, tied his personal best for most Greens in Regulation in one round with 15. He also hit 15 greens in the second round in 2021.
• Bryson DeChambeau becomes the fifth player in Masters history to shoot 65 or better in Round 1 after missing the cut the previous year. He s Rory McIlroy (65 in 2011), Alvaro Quiros (65 in 2011), Paul Casey (65 in 2020) and Brooks Koepka (65 in 2023).
• Bryson DeChambeau, who shot 65 Thursday and 66 in the first round of the 2019 Masters, is the fourth player in Masters history to record a first­round score of 66 or lower more than once. He s Jordan Spieth (3x), Brooks Koepka (2x) and Phil Mickelson (2x) on that list.
• Tiger Woods birdied his first hole of the Tournament for just the second time in his Masters career. He also did that in 1999 (eventually finishing T­18).
• Bryson DeChambeau has led (or co­led) at the end of a round one time in his Masters career. He was tied for the first round lead in 2019 after carding a 66 (­6). He went on to finish the Tournament tied for 29th. DeChambeau has held the lead at the conclusion of a round in two other majors: 2023 PGA Championship (outright led after Round 1, finished T­4) and 2020 U.S. Open (final round only).
• Ryan Fox went out in 31 strokes today (­5), tying the Masters record for lowest first nine holes of the Tournament (in the first round). It had been accomplished 12 times previously, most recently by Sam Burns and Viktor Hovland in 2023.
• Christo Lamprecht shot 34 (­2) over this first nine holes Thursday. He becomes just the third amateur in the last 20 years to shoot 34 or better over his first nine holes in the first round of the Masters. He s Sam Bennett (­4 in 2023) and John Augenstein (­2 in 2020) on that list.
• Bryson DeChambeau, Ryan Fox and Byeong Hun An began their days with birdies on each of their first three holes. It is the first time that three or more players made birdie or better on each of their first three holes in the first round at one Masters Tournament.
• There have been 11 unique winners over the last 11 Masters, dating back to Adam Scott’s win in 2013. That is the longest stretch of distinct winners in tournament history.
• There are five amateurs in this years’ Masters field. Over the previous three years combined (2021­2023), 16 amateurs have teed it up at the Masters but only one has made the cut. Sam Bennett finished T­16 last year after shooting 286 (­2).
• Over the last 20 Masters, the champion was, on average, appearing in his ninth Masters. Three players in this year’s field are making their ninth Masters start: Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry and Justin Thomas.
• Each of the last 18 Masters was won by a player who shot under par in the first round. The last eventual winner to shoot 72 or higher in the first round was Tiger Woods in 2005 (74). Dating back to 2008, 13 of the last 16 winners shot in the 60s in the first round, including in each of the last four years (Dustin Johnson­65 in 2020, Hideki Matsuyama­69 in 2021, Scottie Scheffler­69 in 2022 and Jon Rahm­65 in 2023).

8 a.m.: Round 1 continues; second round begins

After play was suspended at 7:51 p.m. Thursday due to darkness, the first round resumed today at 7:50 a.m.

The second round will begin at 8 a.m.

ESPN’s live coverage resumes at 8 a.m. and continues through the completion of the first round.

Second-round live coverage will remain as scheduled from 3-7:30 p.m. on ESPN.

These featured groups will resume coverage at 8 a.m. through the completion of their rounds:

• Tiger Woods, Jason Day and Max Homa
• Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood

7:55 a.m.: Winds will continue amid cooler conditions

Sunshine and slightly cooler conditions return with sustained west winds between 15-25 mph and gusts 30 to 35 mph.

High temperatures will be slightly below average in the lower 70s.

Looking ahead, we are in store for some of the nicest weather we’ve seen during the final rounds of the Masters in many years.

Morning lows Saturday will be cool in the mid and upper 40s. Afternoon highs will climb to the mid-70s under mostly sunny skies.

APRIL 11

4:45 p.m.: Lamprecht talks about ‘fine line’ golf course requires

After finishing the first round, amateur Christo Lamprecht echoed what so many other others have said about Augusta National Golf Club.

“I think that’s the amazing thing about this golf course, it’s a fine line between stupid aggressive and stupid conservative. I think I didn’t do bad today. It was just – yeah, besides 15, I played really good golf. I shot one under par,” he said.

Considering that, “I really am happy with that round. I’m pleased. I thought I played solid.”

4:25 p.m.: Early starters avoid ‘rubbishy side’ of weather

Danny Willett is one of the players who got through the first round Thursday after many people thought conditions would be rough after overnight and morning storms.

Because of a more than two-hour delay this morning, not everyone made it through.

“Yeah, you always talk about draws and side of the draw. For a moment it looked like we were going to get a bit of a rubbishy side, but luckily it was actually thundering this morning, so no one could actually play in the bad weather,” he said.

“We knew the wind was always going to be up this afternoon, so everyone is going to have to play in it for at least a little bit. But by the same token, because the greens are soft, they’re going to obviously spike up a little bit and they’re still firm, they’re still fast, they’re still tricky. But yeah, I think with the shoulder, not having to play 27 definitely helps.”

Here’s how some of the other early starters felt they did under the conditions:

• Stephan Jaeger: “I mean, honestly, I felt like we played the golf course pretty well. You know, there is just – the winds just bounce, right, and you’ve got to sometimes get the right gust. You know, I could have made maybe a couple more putts. I had a couple long ones that I felt like that was nice two putts. Overall, like I said, I’m pretty happy.”
• Jake Knapp: “Yeah, it was kind of a bummer having to set an alarm for 5, then set an alarm for 6, then set an alarm for 7, just kind of see what we were going to do. But we’re used to just going when we have to go. Once we got the notification, we were ready to go at it.”
• José María Olazábal: “A little tough with the wind. Apart from that the golf course was playing a little bit easier in the sense that greens were softer, more receptive. The wind obviously you know around here the wind is a huge factor and very difficult to control the direction of the wind. That makes this day a little bit more complicated.”
• Erik van Rooyen: “There’s a lot of guys that will probably not finish today. Early in the week, I was a bit bummed seeing the weather and I’m going to have to play in the rain, so now that I played in sunshine, it was great. I don’t know. Hopefully, it kind of turns out my way. But it doesn’t matter.”

3:47 p.m.: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, first lady spotted at Masters

3:10 p.m.: Top-ranked Scheffler moves to 2 under par

3 p.m.: How DeChambeau handled Amen corner

1:20 p.m.: Lamprecht birdies No. 6

12:19 p.m.: LIV-PGA Tour rift remains a key focus

There are 13 players from Saudi-funded LIV Golf in the field this year, including defending Masters champion Jon Rahm, who left the PGA Tour for millions in guaranteed money late last year.

That is down from 18 a year ago, when nobody was quite sure how the rift between the breakaway league and the long-established PGA Tour would shake out at Augusta National.

That continued schism is only one of the many storylines this year, though.

More on that rift:

• Amid golf’s civil war, both sides are in Augusta
• Fred Couples hasn’t budged in his view on LIV Golf
• McIlroy, DeChambeau can agree on one thing

11:54 a.m.: Course conditions are surprisingly good

Despite hours of rain overnight and this morning, course conditions don’t seem bad.

There are a few places where the ground is a little spongy, and there is some cat litter to help patrons walk, but otherwise conditions are surprisingly good.

11:21 a.m.: Honorary starters reflect on their lives, careers

Honorary starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson sat down after the ceremony to take some questions.

Among the questions asked of them was how they stay so youthful.

“I live life, I love people, I love my job,” Player answered.

He said a gerontologist has given him 10 steps to take, and among his own:

“I read a lot, I laugh a lot and I have love in my heart,” he said.

He also thinks it’s important to undereat.

Watson’s secret: “Surround yourself with people you love and eat responsibly.:”

Nicklaus said his kids, grandkids and great-grandkids keep him young.”

Nicklaus and Watson were asked to discuss their wins and losses against each other and what they learned from them.

“What I learned – probably not enough,” Nicklaus said.

Watson said that when Nicklaus, then the greatest golfer in the world, congratulated him, he said to himself: “Maybe I can play with the big boys.”

Watson was asked to comment on the fractured world of professional golf, with the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

He noted that at the Champions Dinner, there was a lot of good companionship.

However, when he said: “Ain’t it good to be together again” there was a kind of a “pall” over the joviality and things quieted down before people left.

“I hope the players took that to heart and said to themselves, ‘We have to do something, we have to do something,’” he said.

He said he doesn’t think the PGA Tour and LIV have the answer right now to mending the rift.

They all spoke of their love of the game.

“You have to learn to love adversity” to play professional golf, Player said.

Watson spoke of what a great life he’s had, being able to play a game for a living instead of toiling.

Player said something needs to be done about growing lengths of shots.

“Nothing about the game today – not one single thing – is the same as when we played,” he said.

“We’re changing the whole history of the game,” he said.

“They’ve got to cut that ball back,’ he said.

Nicklaus agreed with Tiger Woods that Rory Mcilroy is destined to win the Masters and attain a Grand Slam.

“He’s just too talented not to,” he said.

10:27 a.m.: Who should you watch at this year’s Masters?

Scottie Scheffler is such a heavy favorite that some sportsbooks are offering the chance to wager on him against the field. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the second time in March, became the first ever to defend his title at The Players Championship a week later and tied for second at the Houston Open a couple of weeks ago.

job Rahm has been playing well, tying for fourth Sunday at the LIV Golf event in Miami. Brooks Koepka struggled at the same tournament, finishing 7 over and tied for 45th. Jordan Spieth bounced back from missed cuts at The Players and the Valspar Championship to tie for 10th last weekend at the Texas Open, where Rory McIlroy closed with a 66 to finish third and pick up some momentum.

10:15 a.m.: 2024 Masters is officially underway

Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson have just driven the first balls as the honorary starters.

Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley declared that the 2024 Masters is officially underway.

Nicklaus, Player and Watson combined are the winners of 11 Masters Tournaments and have made 140 tournament appearances.

9:37 a.m.: Patron gates have opened

Despite a little bit of concern earlier about lightning, the patron gates have officially opened at Augusta National Golf Club.

Amid light rain, poncho-clad patrons are pouring through the gates carrying umbrellas.

They were led at a safe pace by security staff.

9:11 a.m.: Here’s who’s set to start this morning

Erik van Rooyen and Jake Knapp are the first group due off, while the featured groups will tee off in the afternoon.

Defending champion Jon Rahm, former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and Nick Dunlap are due off at 1 p.m., right after Hideki Matsuyama, Will Zalatoris and Justin Thomas in another star-studded group. Those two groups will be followed by a power trio of 2022 Masters champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy.

Tiger Woods is scheduled to tee off with Jason Day, Max Homa at 3:45 p.m. Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg and Sahith Theegala are two groups later; Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood are last off at 4:30 p.m.

The delay means those players starting late are unlikely to finish their opening rounds before sundown. If they don’t finish, they would complete their opening rounds Friday morning.

All those times depend are contingent on weather conditions, with the first round set to start at 10:30 if there are no further delays.

8:43 a.m.: Patrons sent back to cars

Patron gates were to open at 9:30 a.m., but patrons tell us they were sent back to their cars with a warning that there is a storm on the way with lightning.

The horns went off on the course.

7:39 a.m.: First round will begin at 10:30 a.m.

The first round will begin at 10:30 a.m. off the No. 1 tee.

Updated tee times are available here.

The honorary starters ceremony will begin at 10:10 a.m.

Patron gates will open at 9:30 a.m.

7:37 a.m.: Key things to know for April 11, 2024

7:31 a.m.: Golf legends to serve as honorary starters

Today, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson will serve as the honorary starters for the 2024 Masters Tournament.

The ceremony was originally will begin at 10:10 a.m. on the No. 1 tee.

Nicklaus, Player and Watson combined are the winners of 11 Masters Tournaments and have made 140 tournament appearances.

The custom of having honorary starters began in 1963 with Jock Hutchison (1963-1973) and Fred McLeod (1963-1976) performing the duties. Byron Nelson (1981-2001, non-consecutive), Gene Sarazen (1981-1999), Ken Venturi (1983), Sam Snead (1984-2002), Arnold Palmer (2007-2016), Nicklaus (2010-present), Player (2012-present), Lee Elder (2021) and Watson (2022-present) have continued the tradition.

7:27 a.m.: What’s the weather outlook for today?

It’s wet outside and not raining at the moment, but it’s been raining, so the pavement is wet.

But rain is still possible until about 10 a.m.

Very windy conditions are in the forecast through Friday.

Luckily, the weekend looks beautiful with sunny skies and calmer winds.

5:08 a.m.: First round delayed until at least 9 a.m.

Augusta National says it continues to monitor the weather situation and that the first round won’t start before 9 a.m.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.