Masters Tee Times and Pairings

The Masters tee times and pairings are some of the most-anticipated tournament groupings every year — when they show up, we know it's time for The Masters Tournament.

Here's a look at the current Masters tee times and pairings plus, below that, some general information about how the tournament sets those groupings.

2024 Masters Tee Times and Groups

The 2024 Masters Tournament will be played April 11-14. Augusta National typically announces the pairings and tee times for Thursday's first round two days earlier, on the Tuesday of tournament week.

Masters Tee Times: How They Work

For The Masters Tournament's first two rounds, golfers are grouped in threes. For the third and fourth rounds, they play two golfers per grouping. (Unless weather delays prevent rounds from finishing on their scheduled day. In that case, the tournament might stick with threesomes for one or both of the final rounds.)

The Masters doesn't use a split-tee start (some groups beginning play on No. 1, others on No. 10) unless, again, weather is playing havoc with the schedule. At The Masters, all groups begin on the No. 1 tee and follow each other until the final pairing tees off.

To get the tournament started on Thursday, the honorary starters hit ceremonial tee balls at or close to 7:45 a.m. (all times Eastern). The first pairing of the tournament tees off around 8 Thursday morning. Round 2 begins at the same time on Friday.

The threesome pairings of Rounds 1 and 2 tee off in 12-minute intervals. That is, the groups are spaced 12 minutes apart. After every 10th group the next tee time is delayed a few extra minutes, which builds several 18-minute gaps into the round to help with the flow of golfers around Augusta National.

Following the cut, the twosome pairings in Round 3 (Saturday) and Round 4 (Sunday) tee off in 10-minute intervals. A tee time is skipped after the 11th group and after the 22nd group, creating 20-minute gaps at those points.

Each of the final two rounds (unless weather gets in the way) usually tees off around 9:05 a.m.

How the Masters Pairings Are Determined

A committee of Augusta National Golf Club members meets to decide on the pairings for Round 1 and 2. The only pre-set pairing is that the reigning U.S. Amateur champ (so long as he is still an amateur) plays with the reigning Masters champ. Otherwise, committee members consult and sort through the players, exercising full authority over who plays with who.

The third- and fourth-round pairings are determined the same as they are at regular, non-major professional golf tournaments: based on score. Those golfers at the bottom of the field after two rounds tee off first in Round 3; those at the bottom after Round 3 tee off first in Round 4. The leaders after 36 holes tee off last in Round 3; the leaders after Round 3 tee off last in Round 4.

In the case of tie scores, the golfer who posted that score the earliest in the preceding round gets the later tee time in the next round.

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Photo credit: "Augusta Masters 2018" by twosheffs is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

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