What North Texans should know about the Masters: How to watch, odds and more

The golf world converges on Augusta National this week for one of the most anticipated events of the year.

Dallas’ Scottie Scheffler is the favorite to win another Masters green jacket at the 89th edition of the event which starts on Thursday. The defending and two-time Masters champion remains the No. 1 player in the world heading into Augusta.

The Masters will also be the first time all the top players from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf play together this calendar year.

There are 95 players in the field, the largest in a decade, even without five-time champion Tiger Woods, who underwent surgery in March to repair a torn Achilles tendon. Last year, Woods set the record by making the cut for the 24th time in a row.

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Here’s everything fans in North Texas need to know about this year’s event:

How to watch

The first round begins at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, when honorary starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson tee off on Tea Olive, the first hole at Augusta National.

The rest of the field tees off in groups of three, which will be announced Tuesday. After the second round, the top 50 players and ties make the cut for the weekend and are paired according to score for the final two rounds.

The Masters stream on its website begins Thursday at 6:30 a.m. and runs throughout the day, and cameras highlight holes and featured groups. The first two rounds are broadcast on ESPN beginning at 2 p.m. Thursday and Friday. CBS takes over Saturday and Sunday with coverage on its Paramount+ platform at 11 a.m. and on the network beginning at 1 p.m. SiriusXM will handle radio coverage for all four rounds.

ESPN+ will also broadcast practice round coverage on Tuesday (9-11 a.m.) and Wednesday (11 a.m.-12 p.m.), as well as the Masters Par 3 Contest starting at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

(Full Masters viewing options can be seen here.)

Ludvig Aberg, of Sweden, lines up his putt on the first green during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill golf tournament, Friday, March 7, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP)

Local golfers

Scottie Scheffler: Dallas’ Scheffler, who along with his green jacket and Olympic gold medal won seven times on the PGA Tour last year, got a late start to this season after cutting himself on a wine glass in December. But the world No. 1 comes into the Masters with momentum after a final-round 63 left him one shot back of winner Min Woo Lee in his last start at the Houston Open.

Jordan Spieth: Dallas’ Spieth is returning to Augusta National, which suits him and his putting, for the 12th time. He won the 2015 Masters by four strokes over Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose at the age of 21. He has top-four finishes in six of his 11 previous starts at Augusta National, including runner-ups in 2014 and 2016.

Will Zalatoris: Plano’s Zalatoris is making his fourth Masters appearance. In his first two starts at Augusta National, he finished runner-up and one stroke behind Hideki Matsuyama in 2021, T-6 in 2022 and T-9 in 2024. After withdrawing prior to the event in 2023, he underwent back surgery and missed the rest of that PGA Tour season. He has seven top-10 finishes in major championships, including runner-ups in both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open in 2022.

Ludvig Aberg: Aberg is making his second Masters start. In 2024, he finished runner-up in his major debut. In February, he won at Torrey Pines for his second career PGA Tour win. Other highlights of last year include finishing runner-up in Pebble Beach and Colorado, competing in his first Tour Championship and representing Sweden in the Olympics in Paris. He turned professional in June 2023 after concluding his collegiate career at Texas Tech as the top-ranked amateur in the world.

Bryson Dechambeau: An SMU product playing on the LIV tour, DeChambeau is making his ninth Masters start. In 2024, he led after 18 holes with an opening-round 65 and was tied for the lead after 36 holes before finishing T-6. DeChambeau won the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in June. It was his second major championship win and first since his victory in the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Tom Kim: Kim, a Dallas resident, is making his third Masters appearance. He finished tied for 30th in 2024, but his final-round 66 in last year’s tournament was the low score of the day by two strokes. He earned his first two PGA Tour wins in 2022.

Tom Hoge: Hoge is making his third Masters start and first since 2023. He finished T-3 in the Players Championship in March and T-5 in San Antonio in April. Last October, he joined 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody and World Golf Hall of Fame writer Dan Jenkins as members of the TCU Athletics Hall of Fame.

Odds to win Masters

Scheffler, who has yet to win this season, is the 9-2 favorite, according to BetMGM.

Rory McIlory is the second pick at 13-2 following his wins at Pebble Beach and The Players Championship.

Collin Morikawa is 14-1, while Jon Rahm and SMU product Bryson DeChambeau are 16-1.

2024 Masters result

Scheffler shot a 4-under 68 on Sunday in 2024, keeping preternatural poise while his closest competitors faltered around Amen Corner, and finished with a four-shot victory over Masters newcomer Ludvig Aberg for his second green jacket in three years.

Aberg was among four players who had a share of the lead on Sunday; he lost ground when his approach went into the pond left of the 11th hole and he made double bogey. Morikawa had two double bogeys to fall out of the hunt, tying for third with Tommy Fleetwood and Max Homa, whose own double bogey from the bushes at the par-3 12th ruined his chances.

Woods closed with a 77 and finished at 16-over 304, the highest 72-hole score of his career.

The Associated Press contributed to this post.