Stay up to date with the latest first-round scores and highlights at the 2021 Masters.
The 85th edition of the Masters kicks off on Thursday as golf's most prestigious tournament returns to its traditional April setting.
The 2020 Masters was held in November as Dustin Johnson secured his first green jacket. Johnson will tee off on Thursday morning as he looks to become the first back-to-back champion since Tiger Woods in 2001-02. Woods will not be present at the 2021 Masters as he recovers from a car crash in February, but there is still plenty of talent on hand at Augusta National.
Will Johnson go back-to-back? Will Bryson DeChambeau bash his way to a victory? Follow along as we capture all the action in a star-studded first round at Augusta on Thursday.
Notable Tee Times
10:06 a.m. – Bubba Watson, Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland
10:30 a.m. – Dustin Johnson, Lee Westwood, Tyler Strafaci
10:42 a.m. – Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy
1:12 p.m. – Phil Mickelson, Tommy Fleetwood, Scottie Scheffler
1:36 p.m. – Adam Scott, Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa
2 p.m. – Jordan Spieth, Cameron Smith, Collin Morikawa
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9:40 a.m. – Conners Struggles Early
Corey Conners entered Augusta as a trendy pick after finishing 10th in the 2020 Masters, but the 29-year-old didn't get off to a hot start on Thursday. Conners found the pine straw on the par-4 first, finishing the hole with a bogey to sit at 1-over. Conners trails leader Hudson Swafford by three strokes for the tournament lead.
9:20 a.m. – Lyle Limping Through Front Nine
Sandy Lyle got off to a hot start on Thursday with a birdie at the par-5 second, but the wheels have begun to fall off for the 1988 Masters champion.
Lyle registered a bogey on the par-4 third, and he ran into some serious trouble with a quadruple bogey on the par-3 fourth. It looks like Lyle won’t be securing his second Masters anytime soon, though he still has time to rally and make the cut at Augusta.
9 a.m. – Cink Birdies the Second
PGA Tour veteran Stewart Cink is off to a strong start on Thursday morning. Cink found the bunker on his approach shot on the par-5 second, but an expert pitch gave him a tap-in birdie as he advanced to 1-under for the tournament. Cink trails Hudson Swafford by one stroke for the tournament lead.
8:45 a.m. – Rough Start for Frittelli
Dylan Frittelli has limped out of the gate at the 2021 Masters. The fifth-place finisher at Augusta in 2020 registered a bogey on each of his first two holes on Thursday, entering the par-4 third at two-over. Frittelli now sits three back of Swafford, 1988 champion Sandy Lyle and Australian Matt Jones.
8:35 a.m. ET – Swafford in the Red
Hudson Swafford is the first player under par on Thursday after a birdie at the par-five second. Swafford missed the fairway right off the tee, but a strong pitch from just off the green allowed for an easy birdie putt to close the hole. Swafford is the lone player in the red as the first groups of the morning begin to tee off.
8:20 a.m. ET – Thompson Struggles Early
Hudson Swafford will head to the second hole at even for the tournament, but morning partner Michael Thompson wasn’t so lucky.
Thompson found the bunker off the tee at the par-4 first, and his approach then missed the green. A nice chip shot allowed Thompson to two-putt to close the hole as he now sits 1-over for the tournament.
8:00 a.m. ET – First Group Tees Off
Michael Thompson and Hudson Swafford began play on the first tee at Augusta National early Thursday morning. Swafford’s tee shot landed just off the fairway in the first cut of rough, while Thompson ran into some trouble off the tee.
7:45 a.m. ET – Lee Elder Celebrated at Honorary Tee Shot
Lee Elder made Masters history in 1975 when he became the first Black man to play at Augusta National, and he was honored before the 2021 Masters began on Thursday.
Elder joined Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player for the honorary tee shot, continuing one of the golf's great traditions. Elder didn’t take a shot on the first tee, though he watched along as Nicklaus and Player knocked their annual drives down the fairway before play began.
This post will be updated throughout the day. Stay tuned to Sports Illustrated for the latest from Augusta.