An April Masters. With a full complement of patrons. And the return of the Par-3 Contest. And (maybe) Tiger Woods competing. If the first men’s major of the year wasn’t always a buzzworthy event, this year’s version is overflowing with anticipation.
Of course, that anticipation is fueled by many of the traditions in place at Augusta National, including those associated the early round pairings. This year marks the debut of Tom Watson as an honorary starter. The two-time Masters champion and eight-time major winner will join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player on Thursday morning to kick off the 86th playing of the event.
Meanwhile, other traditional Masters pairings seem to be lining up, most notable the defending champion (Hideki Matsuyama) playing in the same threesome as the reigning U.S. Amateur champion (James Piot). The question though is might Augusta National officials add a second amateur to the group, bringing in World No. 1 Keita Nakajima to play with his Japanese countryman. If he’s not in that threesome, expect Nakajima to be paired with another former green jacket winners.
Below is the complete 91-player field. Tee times have yet to be set, but check back here and we’ll have them posted as soon as they go live.
* First-time participants
Past champions not playing: Tommy Aaron, Jack Burke Jr., Angel Cabrera, Charles Coody, Ben Crenshaw, Nick Faldo, Raymond Floyd, Trevor Immelman, Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus, Mark O’Meara, Gary Player, Craig Stadler, Tom Watson, Fuzzy Zoeller