RORY MCILROY HAS been paired with Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele for the opening two rounds of the Masters at Augusta, with Shane Lowry drawn with Justin Rose and Matt Kuchar.
Meanwhile, top-ranked defending champion Dustin Johnson will play alongside England’s Lee Westwood.
Pairings released Tuesday afternoon by Augusta National also showed reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau alongside 2013 winner Adam Scott of Australia and second-ranked Justin Thomas with Tony Finau and South African Louis Ooosthuizen for the first two days.
Johnson will tee off at 10:30 a.m. (2.30pm Irish time) Thursday with Westwood, a runner-up at Bay Hill and the Players Championship last month at age 47, and 2020 US Amateur winner Tyler Strafaci.
In the next group off the first tee 12 minutes later will come McIlroy, trying to complete a career Grand Slam by capturing the green jacket, along with Spain’s Rahm, whose wife gave birth to their first child last weekend, and sixth-ranked American Xander Schauffele.
Among the latest starters Thursday will be long-hitting DeChambeau, the world number five, and Scott, the only Aussie ever to capture a Masters title, alongside American Max Homa at 1:36 p.m.
The next group, also the penultimate trio of the day, will be Americans Thomas, the 2017 PGA Championship winner and Finau plus Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion at 1:48 p.m.
The final group teeing off at 2 p.m. features last year’s PGA Championship winner, Collin Morikawa, fellow American Jordan Spieth, who won last week’s Texas Open to snap a win drought dating to his 2017 British Open title, and Aussie Cameron Smith, a Masters runner-up last year after becoming the first player to shoot four rounds in the 60s in the same Masters.
Lowry, winner of the most recent British Open in 2019, will play alongside former US Open champion Justin Rose of England and Matt Kuchar at 12:48 p.m. Thursday.
Five-time major winner Phil Mickelson, England’s Tommy Fleetwood and American Scottie Scheffler will tee off two groups later at 1:12 p.m.
Just behind them are England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick, South Korean Im Sung-jae, a 2020 Masters runner-up, and American Patrick Cantlay.
Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, coming back less than a month after right knee surgery, goes off at 10:06 a.m. alongside US compatriot and two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and Norway’s Viktor Hovland.
Lee Elder, the first Black golfer in Masters history, will hit the first ceremonial tee shot in a one-time tribute moment at 7:45 a.m. followed by Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus.
Masters Tee Times (All times Irish, players American unless stated)
12.45pm: Lee Elder, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus (Honorary starters)
1pm: Michael Thompson, Hudson Swafford.
1.12pm: Sandy Lyle (Scotland), Matt Jones (Australia), Dylan Frittelli (S. Africa).
1.24pm: Ian Woosnam (Wales), Jim Herman, Stewart Cink.
1.36pm: Sebastian Muñoz (Colombia), Henrik Stenson (Sweden), Robert Streb.
1.48pm: Bernhard Langer (Germany), Will Zalatoris, Joe Long (England).
2pm: Brian Harman, Ian Poulter (England), Brendon Todd.
2.12pm: Charl Schwartzel (S. Africa), Si Woo Kim (Korea), Corey Conners (Canada).
2.24pm: Danny Willett (England), Joaquin Niemann (Chile), Kevin Kisner
2.36pm: Jason Day (Australia), Matthew Wolff, Cameron Champ
2.48pm: Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), Harris English, Abraham Ancer (Mexico)
3.06pm: Bubba Watson, Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland (Norway)
3.18pm: Sergio Garcia (Spain), Webb Simpson, Christiaan Bezuidenhout (S. Africa)
3.30pm: Dustin Johnson, Lee Westwood (England), Tyler Strafaci
3.42pm: Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm (Spain), Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland).
3.54pm: Patrick Reed, Daniel Berger, Paul Casey (England).
4.06pm: Vijay Singh (Fiji), Martin Laird (Scotland).
4.18pm: Larry Mize, Jimmy Walker, Brian Gay.
4.30pm: Carlos Ortiz (Mexico), Mackenzie Hughes (Canada), Bernd Wiesberger (Austria)
4.42pm: Mike Weir (Canada), C. T. Pan (Chinese Taipei), Robert MacIntyre (Scotland).
4.54pm: Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain), Matt Wallace (England), Lanto Griffin
5.12pm: Victor Perez (France), Jason Kokrak, Marc Leishman (Australia).
5.24pm: Fred Couples, Francesco Molinari (Italy), Charles Osborne.
5.36pm: Zach Johnson, Kevin Na, Gary Woodland.
5.48pm: Shane Lowry (Ireland), Justin Rose (England), Matt Kuchar.
6pm: Billy Horschel, Tyrrell Hatton (England), Ryan Palmer.
6.12pm: Phil Mickelson, Tommy Fleetwood (England), Scottie Scheffler.
6.24pm: Patrick Cantlay, Sungjae Im (Korea), Matthew Fitzpatrick (England)
6.36pm: Adam Scott (Australia), Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa.
6.48pm: Tony Finau, Louis Oosthuizan (S. Africa), Justin Thomas.
7pm: Jordan Spieth, Cameron Smith (Australia), Collin Morikawa.
Friday
1pm: Vijay Singh (Fiji), Martin Laird (Scotland).
1.12pm: Larry Mize, Jimmy Walker, Brian Gay
1.24pm: Carlos Ortiz (Mexico), Mackenzie Hughes (Canada), Bernd Wiesberger (Austria)
1.36pm: Mike Weir (Canada), C. T. Pan (Chinese Taipei), Robert MacIntyre (Scotland).
1.48pm: Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain), Matt Wallace (England), Lanto Griffin
2pm: Victor Perez (France), Jason Kokrak, Marc Leishman (Australia).
2.12pm: Fred Couples, Francesco Molinari (Italy), Charles Osborne
2.24pm: Zach Johnson, Kevin Na, Gary Woodland.
2.36pm: Shane Lowry (Ireland), Justin Rose (England), Matt Kuchar
2.48pm: Billy Horschel, Tyrrell Hatton (England), Ryan Palmer
3.06pm: Phil Mickelson, Tommy Fleetwood (England), Scottie Scheffler.
3.18pm: Patrick Cantlay, Sungjae Im (Korea), Matthew Fitzpatrick (England).
3.30pm: Adam Scott (Australia), Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa.
3.42pm: Tony Finau, Louis Oosthuizan (S. Africa), Justin Thomas.
3.54pm: Jordan Spieth, Cameron Smith (Australia), Collin Morikawa.
4.06pm: Michael Thompson, Hudson Swafford.
4.18pm: Sandy Lyle (Scotland), Matt Jones (Australia), Dylan Frittelli (S. Africa).
4.30pm: Ian Woosnam (Wales), Jim Herman, Stewart Cink.
4.42pm: Sebastian Muñoz (Colombia), Henrik Stenson (Sweden), Robert Streb.
4.54pm: Bernhard Langer (Germany), Will Zalatoris, Joe Long (England).
5.12pm: Brian Harman, Ian Poulter (England), Brendon Todd.
5.24pm: Charl Schwartzel (S. Africa), Si Woo Kim (Korea), Corey Conners (Canada).
5.36pm: Danny Willett (England), Joaquin Niemann (Chile), Kevin Kisner
5.48pm: Jason Day (Australia), Matthew Wolff, Cameron Champ.
6pm: Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), Harris English, Abraham Ancer (Mexico)
6.12pm: Bubba Watson, Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland (Norway)
6.24pm: Sergio Garcia (Spain), Webb Simpson, Christiaan Bezuidenhout (S. Africa)
6.36pm: Dustin Johnson, Lee Westwood (England), Tyler Strafaci
6.48pm: Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm (Spain), Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
7pm: Patrick Reed, Daniel Berger, Paul Casey (England)
© – AFP, 2021, with reporting by Gavin Cooney
