Joel Dahmen, who has led the field since the first round, shot a 1-under-par 71 on a windy Saturday and will bring a three-shot lead into the final round of the Corales Puntacana Championship in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

• Dahmen bogeyed two of his first five holes and added another bogey in his toughest round of the weekend, but finished with four birdies and sits at 17-under 199.

  "It was a challenge, for sure," Dahmen said. "It's always tough teeing off with a bigger lead. I feel like I hit some good shots early that didn't end up in a good spot. Then I screwed up all the easy stuff early, so really frustrating."

  Chan Kim (69 on Saturday), Michael Thorbjornsen (70) and South Africa's Garrick Higgo (70) sit three shots back at 14-under 202.

  Kim bogeyed the par-5 third hole, but bounced right back to pick up an eagle on the par-5 fourth hole and added a pair of birdies to stay within striking distance.

  "On 4, hit a really good drive down there and hit a 7-iron that, you know, at that point because it's so far downwind, we're just thinking back edge is a great shot, then the chip will be back into the wind," Kim said. "Somehow I got it to stop pretty nicely and read the putt really well. Yeah, so it was a pleasant surprise when we got up there."

  Thorbjornsen opened his round with three birdies on his first four holes, but stumbled with double bogeys on the par-4 fifth hole and par-4 eighth hole. He turned it around on the back nine, notching a trio of birdies.

  "It was very tough," Thorbjornsen said. "Got off to a really hot start, 3 under through four. Nothing's guaranteed or given out here. I made two doubles from there on, but I know even though I was 3 under through four, it's going to be tough throughout the whole day."

  With the low round of the day at 66, Vince Whaley moved up 17 spots into a tie for fifth with Ben Martin (67) and Germany's Jeremy Paul (67). Whaley overcame a bogey on the par-5 fourth hole with seven birdies, including three out of four holes on the front nine as he seeks his first PGA Tour victory.

  "I think guys are so good," Whaley said. "I know this is opposite field event or whatever, but everyone's so good, you've got to go out there and still attack. It's going to be even windier tomorrow but there's no slowing down, you've got to keep going and just see how low you can go."

  --Field Level Media

Justin Thomas missed a new Harbour Town Golf Links record by inches but still bagged the early lead at the RBC Heritage on Thursday at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

• Thomas rolled in 11 birdies and tied the single-round course record with a 10-under-par 61, narrowly missing a 6-foot putt right of the hole for a record-setting 60 after dropping in a series of shots with the short stick from substantial distance. Thomas took par at 18.

  He got himself within striking distance of the record with a birdie putt from 38 feet on the 17th before his miss at the last, which was still good for the lowest opening-round score in RBC Heritage history. David Frost (second round, 1994) and Troy Merritt (second round, 2015) share the record for 18 holes in the 57-year history of the tournament.

  "I just played really solid," Thomas said. "I feel like I didn't do anything crazy. I just drove the ball well, which is very, very important out here, and I felt like it was just one of those days I put the ball in a spot that I had a lot of good numbers."

  Thomas was three shots clear of Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley, who ended the morning wave tied for second place at 7-under (64) in the $20 million PGA Tour signature event.

  Thomas made the turn with a share of the lead at 6-under (30), comprised of six birdies and three pars, but opened the back with bogey on No. 10 before settling back in by taking birdie on five of seven holes.

  Defending champion Scheffler made the turn trailing by one shot but quickly pulled even at 6-under with a 21-foot birdie putt. He had seven birdies and played bogey-free Thursday. Henley, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month for his first Tour win since 2022, kept pace with birdies on four of his final fiver to close out a round of 64.

  It was Thomas' 14th career round of 62 or better, most on the PGA Tour in the past 40 years. Kevin Na (11) is next in line with Tiger Woods and Zach Johnson among a group with nine rounds of 62 or below. Thomas tied the course record at TPC Sawgrass with a 62 in March that he secured with 11 birdies one day after he shot 78.

  Matt Fitzpatrick, winner of the 2023 RBC Heritage, shot 66 and was part of a logjam five off the lead. England's Fitzpatrick chipped in from 65 feet for eagle on the par-5 second and birdied two other par-5s (Nos. 5, 15) in a bogey-free round.

  Thomas finished tied for fifth in 2024 with a 72-hole score of 14 under and a single-round best of 6-under in the final round. Scheffler won the event at 19 under, three clear of runner-up Sahith Theegala.

  --Field Level Media

The PGA Tour has suspended Wesley Bryan for playing in a LIV Golf-backed event two weeks ago.

• The tour has not commented, though Bryan told the website Monday Q, which first reported the suspension, that he doesn't know how long it will last and indicated that he would follow the tour's appeals process.

  Bryan, 35, is attending but not competing this week in the Corales Puntacana Championship in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where he finished second last year to Billy Horschel. It is on the schedule opposite the RBC Heritage, which Bryan won in 2017 in his native South Carolina for his lone PGA Tour victory.

  He no longer has full tour status and has played in three events in 2025 as recently as March, missing two cuts -- the exception a tie for 25th at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. Bryan is 169th in the FedExCup standings (31 points) with $75,068 in official earnings.

  He and his brother, George, have become popular for creating content on a YouTube channel, with videos featuring trick shots. Wesley Bryan participated in two PGA Tour influencer events in the past year, including in March, Golf Digest reported.

  The Bryan brothers competed in a similar event run by LIV Golf -- a rival to the PGA Tour -- the week before the Masters at Doral called "The Duels: Miami." George Bryan and partner Sergio Garcia of the LIV tour won the nine-hole scramble on the first playoff hole.

  The event, featuring six LIV golfers and six YouTube creators, had a $250,000 purse and was streamed on Grant Horvat's YouTube channel.

  All of the creators were informed through a third party there could be disciplinary action from the PGA Tour, according to the Monday Q report. Only Wesley Bryan was suspended, per the report, on the day after The Duels went live on Horvat's channel.

  Bryan told Monday Q that he doesn't regret playing in The Duels.

  "That video is one of the most powerful videos in YouTube golf." Bryan said. "We are going to continue to support Grant and grow the game through YouTube."

  He also showed gratitude for his career on the PGA Tour.

  "For the last eight or nine years, the opportunities have been amazing," Bryan said. "I'm extremely grateful to the Tour for that. I don't want this to be the end of my professional golf career."

  Bryan has made 68 cuts in 134 career PGA Tour events, with five top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes.

  A native of Columbia, S.C., who played at the University of South Carolina, Bryan turned professional in 2012, joined the tour in 2017 and has earned $5,247,630 in official money, per the tour.

  --Field Level Media

Justin Rose's phone was filled with text messages Sunday after The Masters.

• While he was pleased to see the "outpouring from people with a lot of positive comments," he nevertheless wishes their tone was more congratulatory. Losing a major in a playoff will do that.

  But it was his incredible comeback to force the playoff with eventual champion Rory McIlroy -- he started the day seven strokes back of the leader -- that makes him keep competing, even the week following his somewhat disheartening defeat.

  That's why Rose, who turns 45 on July 30, is at this week's RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C.: For those memories that will last a lifetime.

  Among the recent moments added to Rose's personal highlight reel: Burying the match-tying putt during Friday's Four-Ball competition at the 2023 Ryder Cup -- "with all the team around me" -- and seeing the patrons erupt when he flushed his long birdie putt to close out his final-round 66 Sunday at Augusta.

  "Yeah, I want it to be accompanied with the requisite trophy as well; don't get me wrong," Rose said. "But the reason I'm playing is to sort of feel those moments that really matter in your career and in your life.

  "I believe the point is the reason I'm working hard enough to do it is because I still have that belief that it's possible. I think that that's why these weeks are important for me still is that it's just reaffirming that it's still possible."

  Rose has won 11 tournaments in his PGA career with his last coming at the 2023 Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which was his first win in four years.

  The win that allowed him to be more comfortable mentally was the 2013 U.S. Open. He also has barely missed winning multiple other majors. He tied for second at the British Open in 2018 and 2024. And, as Sunday's CBS broadcast mentioned several times, Rose had been in the Masters' previous playoff -- when Sergio Garcia beat him on the first playoff hole in 2017.

  "You can use this to free yourself up and hopefully be the catalyst to winning more and winning them more easily once that monkey is off the back," Rose said to himself after winning the U.S. Open. "Yeah, even in my situation now, I take that (Masters) loss pretty badly. (Tuesday) was tough. But had I not won a major, it would have been even more brutal, no doubt about it.

  "But listen, I was a stone's throw away from winning the Open, winning the Masters. I would have been going for a Grand Slam at the PGA. It's like, it can be that close. I've got to believe that. I'm close to kind of some seriously good stuff, yeah."

  So, at 43, Rose will be back on the course in South Carolina this weekend vying for another title. Then there will be time for a couple of weeks off back in his native England.

  For now, though, Rose feels he's in a great place, even having come up just short in Augusta.

  "I'm happy to be here, to be honest with you," he said. "I'm very motivated just generally this year, and I would say that's been the difference this year; I'm creating these better opportunities, these better weeks, because I feel like I'm doing the work away from golf tournaments, as well. There's just a bit more energy and motivation and belief in what I'm doing and what I'm trying to achieve."

  --Field Level Media

Scottie Scheffler woke up Sunday with a realistic chance to come from behind and win another Masters. Once that was out of the picture, he had no issue taking a supporting role in Rory McIlroy's big day.

• As last year's champion at Augusta National, Scheffler did the honors of helping McIlroy into the long-awaited green jacket in Butler Cabin.

  "In that moment, like it was such an emotional day for him, I kind of just tried to stay out of the way and basically get the jacket on without embarrassing him or myself," Scheffler told reporters Tuesday ahead of this week's RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island, S.C.

  Scheffler described McIlroy as "a good friend," and the duo has combined to rule the PGA Tour in recent years. Scheffler remains the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking, a perch that once belonged to McIlroy, who won four majors between 2011 and 2014 before a nearly 11-year drought.

  So the two have perspectives in common that few others could relate to.

  "It was really cool for me to be able to see because I have -- I don't have the understanding of what it's like to be asked about the career grand slam, but I have a small understanding of what it's like to be asked, ‘Hey, you accomplished this, but you haven't accomplished that,'" Scheffler said. "It can be very taxing on people sometimes.

  "It was cool to be able to see Rory get the job done. Definitely from the outside it looked a lot more like relief than anything. Rory has accomplished everything in the game of golf, and that was really the last thing for him to accomplish. The guy has won FedEx Cup, The Players, all four majors. Maybe the only other thing would be the Olympics is what he would want to win."

  Scheffler's final-round 69 brought him from 5 under to 8 under for the week to finish in fourth place. He recounted how he and caddie Ted Scott felt they were in the mix until the 18th hole, with McIlroy struggling behind them and Englishman Justin Rose just two shots ahead.

  "I'm sitting there on 18 fairway last week, and Rosie was at 10 under. I'm thinking to myself, ‘I'm going at this pin. I'm going to try to hole this,'" Scheffler said. "And then he makes (birdie at 18), and you're like, ‘Well, tournament's over. I lost.' Didn't win, lost, whatever."

  "I was looking at Teddy, and I'm like, ‘All right, Teddy, I guess I'm going to aim at the middle of the green now.' He's like, ‘Yeah, aim at the middle of the green. Let's get out of here.'"

  Scheffler, 28, gave his usual answer when asked whether McIlroy's win was inspiring to him.

  "Was it pretty awesome watching Rory win the grand slam? Of course it was," he said. "But as far as my life goes, I try to stay in the present. So right now I'm focused on this week, and when I get home next week, I'm going to be preparing for my next tournament.

  "At the end of the day, my motivation is all internal. Was it really cool getting to see him accomplish that? Yes, of course. Winning the career grand slam, I think that's something that any golfer would dream of, but at the end of the day, I'm just trying to get the most out of myself."

  Scheffler's present list of accomplishments includes a dominant 2024 season with wins at the Masters, The Players Championship, the Tour Championship and four other signature events, including the RBC Heritage.

  Weary from his Masters win, and with his first child due any day, Scheffler came to South Carolina and shot 19 under par -- buoyed by a second-round 63 -- to win the tournament by three strokes over Sahith Theegala.

  Now, though, Scheffler is winless in 2025 more than three months into the season.

  "Last year, I came here pretty tired from the last week, and I did a good job of managing myself and how I got around the golf course," Scheffler said. "Definitely will reflect on how I played and struck the ball last year here in terms of getting ready for this week's event."

  --Field Level Media

Rory McIlroy took viewers on a wild ride this past weekend at the Masters, with the end result being the completion of a career Grand Slam for the Northern Irishman and big ratings for CBS Sports.

• Per the network, Sunday's final round averaged 12.707 million viewers -- which is up 33 percent from 2024. Scottie Scheffler mastered the tournament at Augusta National for the second time in three years last April with a four-stroke win over Sweden's Ludvig Aberg.

  CBS also reported that viewership Sunday reached its peak from 7-7:15 p.m. ET at 19.543 million. It also marked the most watched final round of the tournament since Patrick Reed defeated Rickie Fowler by one stroke in 2018, with that round pulling in 13.03 million viewers.

  McIlroy birdied the first playoff hole with a short putt after missing a chance to win in regulation, capturing the Masters on Sunday in Augusta, Ga.

  McIlroy's 1-over-par 73 left him tied with England's Justin Rose, who posted 66 and waited for McIlroy to finish. They both shot 11-under 277 for the week.

  It marked the fifth major championship for McIlroy, and his first since capturing the PGA Championship for the second time in 2014.

  --Field Level Media

Now that Rory McIlroy's major championship drought of nearly 11 years is behind him, it seems to sportsbooks that anything's possible.

• While Scottie Scheffler has been the de facto betting favorite to win any given major over the past few years, McIlroy's stock has risen to the point that he's a co-favorite with Scheffler to win the PGA Championship next month.

  At BetMGM, Scheffler opened as the +450 favorite to win the second major of the season, while McIlroy was not too far behind at +900. As of Monday -- one day after McIlroy's historic victory at the Masters -- McIlroy moved to co-favorite status with Scheffler at +500.

  It was a similar story at DraftKings, where both players were listed at +500. The Canadian platform theScore Bet went a step further, posting McIlroy as the overall favorite at +450, with Scheffler at +475.

  FanDuel Sportsbook didn't go quite that far, keeping Scheffler as the +500 favorite while moving McIlroy to +550. But the consensus works out to a two-man race.

  The Masters victory, which made McIlroy the sixth golfer to complete the modern career Grand Slam, is only part of the equation.

  The PGA Championship will be held at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., where McIlroy has won the PGA Tour event formerly known as the Wells Fargo Championship a whopping four times in his career.

  There's also the matter of form. The Masters was McIlroy's third victory of the season, following wins against tough fields at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship.

  Scheffler, meanwhile, isn't winning at the same torrid pace he did in 2024 (seven official tour events, plus the Olympics). He has three top-fives and hasn't finished worse than T25, but the World No. 1 has yet to break through for a victory this season.

  BetMGM also reported that McIlroy is its biggest liability at the PGA Championship (May 15-18). The Northern Irishman has accrued the greatest percentage of the handle (23.2 percent) and total tickets (16.6 percent) of any golfer in the field.

  --Field Level Media

When the winner of the Masters Tournament slips on the green jacket Sunday, he might find an extra $600,000 in the pocket.

• Tournament officials announced Saturday that the total purse will be $21 million this year, with the winner receiving $4.2 million. That's up from the $3.6 million Scottie Scheffler earned in 2024 when he captured a four-shot victory over Ludvig Aberg of Sweden.

  The purse last year was $20 million, which was a record amount. The winner's share has doubled since 2021, when Hideki Matsuyama of Japan won $2.07 million.

  The runner-up will win $2.268 million, an increase from the $2.16 million paid to Aberg.

  The golfer finishing in 50th place will earn $52,920, with all who didn't make the cut receiving $25,000.

  --Field Level Media

This week marked the final Masters Tournament for Bernhard Langer, but Fred Couples feels he has at least one more in him.

• Both Langer and Couples were on track to make the cut late in the second round Friday before missteps down the stretch drove them to 3-over 147 and 4-over 148, respectively. The cut line landed at 2 over par.

  It was Langer's 41st start at the Masters and Couples' 40th. Couples, who bogeyed three of his final five holes, was disappointed with his result but already has designs on returning to Augusta National Golf Club next year, when he'll be 66.

  "Well, sure, I'm playing next year for sure, yeah," Couples said. "I made that -- they made that clear they wanted me to come back, so I'm coming back next year.

  "Again, as soon as I get in that car and drive out Magnolia Lane and come back tomorrow and have a nice lunch, I'll be fine. But I'm not out there to -- the goal is to make the cut at my age. I didn't, and I'm kind of spinning my wheels thinking just why it was so mediocre."

  The 1992 champion's week got off to a stellar start Thursday when he shot a 1-under 71, becoming the second-oldest player to shoot a round under par at the Masters. Only Tom Watson was older when he did so in 2015.

  Couples' first round included a hole-out eagle at the par-4 14th from nearly 200 yards. But he shot a 5-over 77 on Friday with six bogeys against just one birdie.

  At the par-5 15th, he pulled his drive far left into the trees.

  "Obviously on 15 I hit the worst drive I've hit in 20 years," he quipped afterward.

  "This place is hard when (the wind) blows," he added. "I mean, it wasn't -- it was not good. It was not awful. I could have shot 73 and I could have shot 80. How about that? And I kind of shot right in between because I made a couple putts.

  "But I'm not upset about anything. I tried as hard as I could, and let me tell you, it's a hard course."

  Couples said he appreciates the things that have remained the same at Augusta National over his four decades.

  "You know what stays the same is the patrons, the people who come out and watch. There's 30,000 of them every day we play," he said. "The egg salad sandwiches I think are still $2. That's my favorite sandwich. The greens are still lightning fast and they're going to get them rock hard (Saturday)."

  The Masters is not just any tournament to Couples. It's underselling it to call it his favorite of the four majors.

  "... Other people can say, ‘Hey, I'm from Scotland, the British Open is the greatest.' The Masters is the greatest tournament of all time. It's just so unique."

  --Field Level Media

Bernhard Langer's fairy tale swan song at Augusta National all but ended when his par putt on the 18th hole slid just right of the cup to close his second round on Friday.

• In position to make the cut in his 41st and final Masters appearance just an hour before, Langer was even par for the tournament when the 63-year-old's approach shot on the par-5 15th spun back off the green and into the water.

  When his bogey putt stopped short of the hole, Langer fell to the projected cut line at 2 over for the tournament. After a par on the 17th hole, Langer's approach from the 18th fairway missed the green left. Unable to get up-and-down, he dropped to 3 over.

  "It was very different than a normal tournament for me because I'm usually pretty focused when I'm inside the ropes," Langer told ESPN after the round. "It was even worse in a sense that I didn't know if this is the last (Masters) or am I going to play the weekend."

  The 1985 and 1993 champion previously announced this would be his final Masters as a competitor, and he made a valiant run at playing the weekend. After posting a 2-over 74 on Thursday, Langer rallied for three birdies against a lone bogey through 14 holes of his second round.

  In ideal position after a layup on 15, the storybook ending began to unravel as his ball zipped back off the green to a watery end.

  "I was playing pretty well today, I just had a horrible finish. Which knocked me out of the cut, otherwise I would be here on the weekend," he said. "I wasn't sure walking up 18, is it the last time or am I going to be here tomorrow."

  Langer made his debut at Augusta National in 1982 as the Masters' first competitor from Germany. He won the event for the first time three years later, at the time joining South Africa's Gary Player and Spain's Seve Ballesteros as international Masters champions.

  A second green jacket in 1993 would prove to be Langer's final major title. But he has racked up numerous accolades while assembling a World Golf Hall of Fame career that includes playing in 10 Ryder Cups, 42 victories on the DP World Tour and a record 47 more on the Champions tour.

  Langer has played in the Masters every year since 1984 except 2011, when he was recovering from thumb surgery, and 2024 when he was dealing with an Achilles tendon tear.

  On Friday, he fell just short of becoming the oldest player to make the Masters cut, a record Fred Couples set in 2023 at 63 years and 78 days old. Couples was also in position to make this year's cut before a 77 on Friday dropped him to 4 over.

  Langer does conclude his Masters playing career with 136 rounds and nine top-10 finishes under his belt.

  "A lot of gratitude," he said. "It has been tremendous to be here 41 times, playing this tournament and this golf course.

  "Boris Becker once said Wimbledon is his living room. And I felt like this feels like my living room. I feel very much at home here Always have. Even the very first time I set foot at this place, I just felt like, 'wow, this is fantastic.'"

  --Field Level Media

A report by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations accused the Saudi Public Investment Fund of entering negotiations with the PGA Tour only due to the threat of discovery in their antitrust lawsuit.

• The report, released Friday, outlined the subcommittee's findings from an inquiry into the June 2023 "framework agreement" for a merger between the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF's golf assets, namely LIV Golf.

  Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), chair of the PSI, was among those concerned about "the Saudi government's role in influencing this effort and the risks posed by a foreign government entity assuming control over a cherished American institution."

  But the subcommittee's investigation goes further back to before that shocking announcement, when LIV Golf was pursuing antitrust litigation against the PGA Tour for denying golfers the opportunity to play on both tours.

  "The Subcommittee's inquiry revealed that the first significant back and forth about a potential agreement between the PIF and the PGA Tour began with a renewed push from a representative of the PIF to broker a deal on April 14, 2023," the report said, "and that a key term of the initial Framework Agreement entered into by the PIF and the PGA Tour involved the dismissal, with prejudice, of pending litigation between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.

  "On April 7, 2023, a judge in the Northern District of California had ruled in that litigation that the PIF and its Governor, Yasir al-Rumayyan, were subject to discovery and depositions by lawyers for the PGA Tour. This deposition would likely have revealed details of the PIF's operations and Governor al-Rumayyan's control over its commercial investments."

  Blumenthal went on to write that "U.S. defenses are inadequate to protect against increasingly sophisticated foreign influence efforts by Saudi Arabia and other malign actors and exposed loopholes within the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) that allow foreign governments to escape accountability."

  The PGA Tour and the PIF have supposedly been in negotiations for some time now, though the PGA Tour has since acquired additional funding for its new for-profit endeavor, PGA Tour Enterprises, from a coalition of sports owners and investors called Strategic Sports Group.

  The PGA Tour and LIV have held meetings with President Donald Trump in recent weeks, which have not produced any material progress in the talks.

  --Field Level Media

Count Tom Watson among those who don't envision the PGA Tour and LIV Golf being able to come together as a means to unify the professional game.

• Watson, 75, said Thursday that there are too many issues to overcome for the PGA Tour to come to terms with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which has financed the upstart circuit since its inception in 2022.

  "They made their choice to play their own tour, and that's where they are right now," the eight-time major champion said during a news conference at Augusta National Golf Club. "I don't see a real working mechanism for the two tours to get back together. I think that's one of the reasons you haven't seen an agreement since June two years ago."

  As it stands, 12 LIV Golf members will compete at the Masters. More than half of that number have lifetime exemptions due to past wins at Augusta National, while Joaquin Niemann received a special exemption to earn his place in the field.

  Watson, however, referenced Scottie Scheffler's speech at the champions dinner as reason for optimism.

  "The one thing I do know is that Scottie Scheffler in his speech at the past champions dinner on Tuesday night said, 'I'm glad we're all together again.' So the players would like to get together," said Watson, a two-time Masters champion.

  "But it's really up to the powers that be to see if there's a framework in which the two tours can cooperate. I don't see that framework happening.

  "Maybe they're smarter people than I am, but the key element of the PGA Tour, the one thing that is required of you is to get permission to play in a competing tournament, conflicting event rule. That's there to protect the sponsors of our PGA Tour so that the fields are not depleted of all the good players as they go and play other tournaments. That's the main requirement."

  --Field Level Media

After trying not to "kill anybody" with his ceremonial tee shot Thursday, honorary Masters starter Jack Nicklaus shared his thoughts on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and some of the sport's biggest names.

• The six-time Masters champion was joined by Gary Player (three green jackets) and Tom Watson (two) on the first tee and later in the interview room at Augusta National Golf Club.

  "When I walk up, make sure I don't trip," Nicklaus, 85, said when asked about his plan for the No. 1 tee. "Second one is make sure I get the tee in the ground without falling over, and the third one is just don't kill anybody. Don't laugh too much about that; that's actually the thoughts that I have.

  "As a matter of fact, from that point on, I just stand up and try to make as short a swing as I can make, and I didn't have to work on that, and just make sure I make contact and hit it somewhere I won't hurt somebody."

  All three gentlemen named Rory McIlroy as the player to beat this week in Augusta, Ga., as the Northern Irishman tries to complete a career grand slam.

  "I sat down with Rory last week and we had lunch, and we were talking, and I said, 'Rory, I know you prepared for Augusta; tell me how you're going to play the golf course,'" Nicklaus said. "We went through it shot for shot. And he got done with the round, and I didn't open my mouth. And I said, 'Well, I wouldn't change a thing. That's exactly the way I would try to play the golf course.'"

  On the subject of the potential merger of the PGA Tour and breakaway LIV Golf circuit, Nicklaus said he "would love to see them all come together," but that he strongly believes the PGA Tour is "doing fine."

  "They've changed their structure," he said. "The players now own a piece of what's going on. I think their plan of ... elevated events and their plan of bringing young players along in the other tournaments has been very successful. We're making new stars for the game.

  "... I think the PGA Tour is the tour, and that's where most of your good players are, and I think it's very healthy no matter which way it goes, but obviously we'd all like to see everybody together."

  In addition to talking about McIlroy and defending Masters champion Scottie Scheffler ("there's nobody playing any better in the game than Scottie"), Nicklaus was asked his opinion of an older rivalry: Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson.

  "I don't know what level Phil is competing at. I guess he's still playing. He's playing the LIV Tour, is he? I don't know if he's playing or not. I don't know, you never see that anymore," Nicklaus said.

  "But Tiger is hurt. I think Tiger will get well and Tiger will be back and play -- Tiger will be 50 next year. I believe he'll probably play the Senior Tour (Champions) and I believe he'll probably dominate the Senior Tour. Tiger is too much of a competitor to not play."

  Nicklaus closed with some advice about bouncing back from disappointments.

  "You try not to have them," the "Golden Bear" said, eliciting laughter. "That's part of life. Part of life. You're going to have them, so you try not to (let it) dominate what your thoughts are. You try to keep yourself positive and moving forward."

  --Field Level Media

The dozen LIV Golf players in the 2025 Masters field represents the fewest yet for the breakaway league -- down from 18 in 2023 and 13 last year.

• LIV players can punch their tickets to Augusta National in four ways: by being a previous Masters champion, by having won any major within the past five years, by being within the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, or by special invite.

  Among this year's dozen are seven previous Masters champions, along with a few others who could be serious factors this week.

  A breakdown of all 12 LIV players in the field, how they earned an invite to Augusta this year, and their prospects of being a factor come Sunday.

  JOHN RAHM

  Road to Augusta: 2023 Masters Champion

  LIV Golf Season Rank: 3rd

  Masters Outlook (+1300 at DraftKings): Rahm is the only LIV player to post top-10 finishes in each of the league's first five events of the year. That includes a tie for ninth in Miami last week.

  The Spaniard still enters the tournament with plenty of questions about the true state of his game against an elite field. Rahm missed the cut at the Dubai Desert Classic in his only non-LIV start of the year, and scuffled to a T45 at last year's Masters before missing the cut at the PGA Championship.

  BRYSON DECHAMBEAU

  Road to Augusta: 2024 U.S. Open Champion

  LIV Golf Season Rank: 15th

  Masters Outlook (+1900): Bryson tied for sixth at Augusta last year before going on to win the U.S. Open. He has the distance and short game to be a massive threat at any major venue.

  DeChambeau has three top-10s with LIV this year and was in contention last week before closing with a 75 at Doral. He also finished second at the International Series India earlier this year.

  BROOKS KOEPKA

  Road to Augusta: 2023 PGA Champion

  LIV Golf Season Rank: 10th

  Masters Outlook (+3000): Koepka held the 54-hole lead before settling for a tied for second behind Rahm two years go. He didn't fare nearly as well in last year's majors, with his best results being T26 at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.

  Koepka arrived at Augusta this week amid speculation that he may be angling for a return to the PGA Tour once his LIV contract expires. Another former No. 1-ranked player in the world, Koepka now sits at 249th but has long been a player who rises to the major stage.

  JOAQUIN NIEMANN

  Road to Augusta: Special Invite

  LIV Golf Season Rank: 1st

  Masters Outlook (+3500): Niemann received a special invite for a second consecutive season, and deservedly so. In addition to the Chilean's two victories through five LIV events, Niemann won the PIF Saudi International in December as part of three consecutive top-10s worldwide to close out 2024.

  TYRRELL HATTON

  Road to Augusta: 18th in OWGR

  LIV Golf Season Rank: 26th

  Masters Outlook (+5000): The Englishman is the only LIV player this year to get into the Masters solely based on his OWGR. The 33-year-old's best previous finish at Augusta was a tie for ninth last year, but he has only one career top-five finish at a major (2016 Open Championship).

  Hatton has maintained his solid OWGR by winning this year's Dubai Desert Classic and last year's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship while also finishing second at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. But his LIV results this year have been modest at best, with Hatton's only top-10 a T6 in the season opener.

  CAM SMITH

  Road to Augusta: 2022 PGA Champion

  LIV Golf Season Rank (+6000): 29th

  Masters Outlook: The Aussie nearly claimed a green jacket when he tied for second in 2020. Once ranked No. 1 in the world, Smith arrived at Augusta this week far from that form.

  He's languishing 29th in the LIV standings, which would put Smith in the range of trade or release if he wasn't the captain of the Rippers GC. He is coming off a T9 in Miami, Smith's only finish of better than T19 this season.

  SERGIO GARCIA

  Road to Augusta: 2017 Masters Champion

  LIV Golf Season Rank: 2nd

  Masters Outlook (+6000): Garcia is enjoying a resurgence as the 45-year-old attempts to play his way onto the European Ryder Cup team. The Spaniard missed the cut at the 2024 Masters, but has been in excellent form on the LIV circuit to start 2025, following up a win in Hong Kong with a solo third in Miami.

  PATRICK REED

  Road to Augusta: 2018 Masters Champion

  LIV Golf Season Rank: 21st

  Masters Outlook (+9000): Reed has always been a grinder on the world stage, and he already has played four events outside of LIV this year. That includes a solo second in Macau on the Asian Tour and a pair of top-10s on the DP World Tour.

  Can he translate that into more success at Augusta? Reed tied for 12th in last year's Masters, and is coming off a T7 in Miami last week.

  PHIL MICKELSON

  Road to Augusta: 2004, 2006, 2010 champion

  LIV Golf Season Rank: 12th

  Masters Outlook (+10000): Mickelson has fallen out of the top 1,000 in the world, but never count Lefty out around Augusta. The three-time winner struggled to a T43 last year - his only made cut in a major - but Mickelson has been playing well for LIV to start 2025. Along with a solo third in Hong Kong, the 54-year-old hasn't finished worse than T23 through four events.

  DUSTIN JOHNSON

  Road to Augusta: 2020 Masters Champion

  LIV Golf Season Rank: 28th

  Masters Outlook (+13000): D.J. is the poster child for those who claim several former stars have gone soft since accepting generational wealth from the Saudi's. Johnson, who has always said he doesn't envision playing competitive golf for the rest of his life, has one top-25 LIV finish this year. He has missed the cut in three of his past five majors, with a best result being a T31 at The Open last year.

  CHARL SCHWARTZEL

  Road to Augusta: 2011 Masters Champion

  LIV Golf Season Rank: 14th

  Masters Outlook (+25000): The 40-year-old South African claimed his lone masters victory at Augusta 14 years ago. Other than a solo second in Miami last week, there's little to suggest he'll be a major factor in this Masters. Schwartzel's only non-LIV start of 2025 was a T46 in South Africa, and he missed the cut at Augusta last year.

  BUBBA WATSON

  Road to Augusta: 2012, 2014 champion

  LIV Golf Season Rank: 36th

  Masters Outlook (+50000): Now 46 and more than a decade removed from his most recent Masters victory, Watson has indicated he may ween off competitive golf in the not-too-distant future and focus on his role as the RangeGoats GC captain. After a T12 to open the LIV season, Watson hasn't posted a top-20 in the past four events. He also missed the Augusta cut last year and has rarely played outside of LIV since joining the league.

  --Derek Harper, Field Level Media

Jordan Spieth is eager to get himself back in contention with the best players in the world but admits he still has a ways to go in his return from wrist surgery as he prepares for this week's Masters Tournament.

• "I set a goal that I was open about at Pebble Beach, which was to try and have a chance to win an event prior to the Masters," Spieth told reporters Wednesday at Augusta National Golf Club. "I've had a couple Sundays where I definitely could have done it. So I think (I'm) pretty good, all things considered. Still felt like I've been playing catch up, obviously."

  Spieth underwent surgery in August on his left wrist, which had bothered him since at least May 2023.

  He returned to action at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in early February and has been up and down since, tying for fourth at the WM Phoenix Open before missing the cut at The Genesis Invitational.

  In four events since, he's finished as high as tied for ninth at the Cognizant Classic and as low as 59th the following week at The Players Championship. He finished tied for 12th at last week's Valero Texas Open.

  Spieth said his recovery has come at a time in his life when he is trying to "work smarter and not work harder," especially as he faces the reality of having player in fewer events than most of his competitors.

  "Trying not to waste any shots during the day and stay committed to the process," said Spieth, 31. "I just got to where I was bouncing around. Swing feels sometimes three times in a round for last year just trying to figure out how to get wrists in the right places and stuff like that."

  Spieth, who won the Masters in 2015, said he still doesn't feel like he's back to the top of his game but looks at this week as an opportunity to get there.

  "It's close, but it's not quite there yet. That doesn't mean that you don't find it through this week. I mean, when I started back up, it was a 10-year outlook, not an April of '25 outlook. It's a little too much to ask to feel I'm the best I've ever been coming off surgery," Spieth said.

  "So I try to hit the fairway on No. 1 tomorrow and then I try to hit the middle of the green, and I go from there."

  A 13-time winner on the PGA Tour, Spieth has slipped to No. 65 in the Official World Golf Ranking. His last title came at the RBC Heritage in April 2022.

  --Field Level Media

Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley says there are no immediate plans to create an exemption for LIV Golf members for the Masters.

• Ridley touched on that topic Wednesday and also praised the "spirit of our entire Augusta National family" for the recovery efforts since Hurricane Helene damaged the iconic course in September.

  Ridley was asked whether the Masters would consider following the examples of the U.S. Golf Association and the R&A, which are both offering spots in their majors via exemptions to the top LIV Golf players based on the circuit's season-long standings.

  "As it relates to the USGA and the R&A, they certainly act independently," Ridley said. "We respect their decisions. We are an invitational tournament. We have historically considered special cases for invitations for international players, which is how Joaquin Niemann was invited, or why he was invited, the last couple years.

  "We feel we can deal with that issue, whether it's a LIV player or a player on some other tour that might not otherwise be eligible for an invitation, that we can handle that with a special invitation."

  As potential merger talks continue between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, Ridley said he will continue to encourage the leaders to find a solution.

  "I think we all agree that four times a year is not enough to have the great players of the game together," he said.

  There are 12 LIV golfers in the field for this week's tournament in Augusta, Ga., including seven past champions.

  Another past champion, Miguel Angel Cabrera, is in the field for the first time since 2019 after spending more than two years in prison in Argentina for domestic violence charges.

  "Well, we certainly abhor domestic violence of any type," Ridley said. "As it relates to Angel, Angel has served the sentence that was prescribed by the Argentine courts, and he is the past champion, and so he was invited."

  The golf course is in pristine condition, with Ridley crediting a colder-than-normal January to the "near-perfect early spring bloom" of the signature azaleas.

  He discussed the post-hurricane challenges and obstacles overcome to get everything ready in time for the 89th Masters Tournament.

  "For weeks, water, power, food, fuel and other basic necessities were either difficult or impossible to access. Nevertheless, our employees were out in the community distributing food, cleaning up debris and donating food and money to help others in their time of need," Ridley said.

  "I thank each and every one of them, and to everyone in Augusta who made sacrifices to assist others, even when you were impacted yourself, we are deeply appreciative, and we will continue to do our best to support you and our community."

  --Field Level Media

LIV Golf's first event in the United States of 2025 brought record viewership for the league, with 484,000 people tuning in to watch Marc Leishman's triumph in Miami on Sunday.

• Unfortunately for the breakaway league, that was still less than a third of the amount of people who opted to watch a standard PGA Tour event the same day.

  Despite Brian Harman holding a multiple-shot lead to begin the day and leading by as many as four strokes during the final round, NBC had 1.746 million viewers tune into the Valero Texas Open, according to the Sports Business Journal.

  The previous high for a LIV event in the U.S. had been 432,000 for the 2024 season opener in Mexico, which was broadcast on the CW. The league struck a deal with Fox Sports before the 2025 season, and the first round of the event Friday did bring 389,000 viewers to outdraw the PGA event's 327,000 on Golf Channel. By Saturday, the Valero was drawing 1.583 million on NBC compared to only 137,000 for LIV on FS1.

  The Valero had more viewers for the week despite lacking an elite field, with Harman holding off the likes of Ryan Gerard and Andrew Novak. Meanwhile, Sunday in Miami saw Leishman out-duel household names including Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, with Jon Rahm also finishing in the top 10.

  Viewership numbers from last week were widely seen as an important litmus test for LIV Golf as it went head-to-head against the PGA Tour for the first time on Fox Sports. While Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund was long considered to have the upper hand in merger discussions with the PGA Tour due to its vast monetary resources, the creation of PGA Tour Enterprises backed by a $3 billion investment from the Strategic Sports Group appears to have changed the tide.

  The tour reportedly rejected the PIF's recent offer to invest $1.5 billion into PGA Tour Enterprises. The investment offer came with the provision that LIV would remain intact, which reportedly does not work for the PGA Tour. The tour wants to have the world's top golfers all competing on one circuit.

  Viewership numbers for the Valero still represented a 20 percent drop from last year, but the tour has enjoyed strong ratings overall to begin 2025. After an overall drop last year, the SBJ reported last week that weekend coverage on CBS and NBC has been up 10 percent compared to the same point last season.

  In addition to six consecutive weekends of viewership gains across NBC and Peacock leading into the Valero, CBS' average of 2.3 million viewers was up 17 percent year-over-year.

  "While the numbers are good and strong and positive, pretty much across the board, we've got a lot of golf left," Norb Gambuzza, EVP/media at the PGA Tour, told the SBJ. "We want to be humble. We want to continue to focus on our product (and) giving fans what they want."

  --Field Level Media

Everyone who has played Augusta National previously can see the stark difference when walking the course this week, with numerous trees lost among the damage it suffered during Hurricane Helene last September.

• What they don't all agree on is how much it will impact the 2025 Masters -- or if at all.

  Xander Schauffele, who is making his eighth Masters start this week, said after a practice round that "it almost felt like I was playing the back nine for the first time."

  "Off (No.) 10, for example, if you are feeling extremely dangerous, there's a little gap on the left side of the trees where you can kind of hit it through," he said. "I think it's a little risky, but in the past your ball would hit a tree there and fall 90 feet from the tee box.

  "There's a few spots where you can get a little risky if you're feeling dangerous. But for the most part, I think the course is going to play the exact same as before."

  Second-ranked Rory McIlroy agreed that while a couple tee shots "are maybe a little less visually intimidating," he doesn't think the course "plays any differently."

  "You've got the four new greens on 1, 8, 15 and 16," he said, "which I think everyone saw the ladies playing here on Saturday that those greens always are a little bit firmer, especially 15, for example, watching the balls shoot through that green."

  McIlroy also referenced the trees now missing down the left side of the 10th hole. Visually, it has changed his aiming point and perspective of how much he needs to move the ball.

  Collin Morikawa took notice of the second hole, where he believes his options off the tee have opened up along with the lack of trees down the left side.

  "You can play a few different tee shots out there now, just with what happened with the storms," he said after playing 13 holes on Tuesday. "But for the most part the straight ball for me is how I play this golf course."

  Cameron Smith said Augusta "looks a lot more airy," but doesn't believe it will change the way he plays the course.

  Few people know -- or love -- Augusta National more than Fred Couples, who will make his 40th Masters start this week. The 1992 champion said he actually thinks the course visually looks better.

  "I don't know why I say that," he admitted. "The other day we played No. 1 and we were standing on the green and you just look right down and you see a lot more room on the ninth tee. I think that's kind of cool. You can watch people hit.

  "I know a lot of trees went down. I know this town was devastated, but the golf course is unbelievable. But the trees, I couldn't tell you if they lost 10 important areas where trees were. I don't think so. But there's still a lot of trees. My God."

  World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is attempting to make history this week as he seeks to join Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win three Masters in a four-year stretch. Like the others, he sees the clear visual difference around Augusta National.

  But Scheffler believes it's just that -- visually different. While players can see much more of the golf course from different holes, the amount of trees gone that will impact individual shots is minimal.

  "I think when you're hitting into the trees you're still going to be in a good amount of trouble," he said. "There's only a few trees that are gone that are really noticeable, ones that are in play.

  "But overall the golf course is in great shape. The greens are really good. I think we're in store for another great tournament."

  --Field Level Media

While life around Scottie Scheffler has changed since he sank the final putt to win last year's Masters, he'll keep the same approach and be open to adjustments as he heads out to defend the championship this week.

• Besides adding an Olympic gold medal and a FedEx Cup to his mantle, the biggest change for Scheffler is that he became a father for the first time last spring.

  "When you get home at the end of the day, Bennett is still going to do pretty much the exact same thing he always does when I get home," he said Tuesday of his young son. "My work is definitely not going to affect him and definitely going to give a bit of perspective."

  That said, Scheffler has maintained his focus to win a third green jacket after prevailing in two of the past three Masters.

  "I think we're in store for another great tournament," he said.

  How that transpires across the next few days could come with unexpected twists. Scheffler said weather conditions dictate various strategies for Augusta National.

  Monday's practice rounds were cut short due to heavy rain, and there are showers in the forecast for Friday's second round.

  "A lot of the strategy for this place I think changes with the conditions of the course," he said.

  The World No. 1 had seven victories in 2024 but hasn't won this year. He suffered a hand cut at home in December, requiring minor surgery and resulting in a delay to the beginning of his season.

  By now, he's comfortable with how he has reached this point.

  "When I step on the first tee on Thursday, I'm going to remind myself that I've done what I needed to do to play well, and it's all about going out and competing now," Scheffler said. "I really try not to look too much into the past."

  Scheffler's past in the Masters has come with great highs. He wasn't able to pinpoint his most significant shot of his Masters career Tuesday, though he suggested there would be several contenders on such a list.

  "It's really hard to figure out what would be my best shot because I feel like I've hit a lot of really important shots, especially on Sunday, in the couple that I've won," he said.

  Yet those titles don't translate into any specific advantage in 2025, Scheffler said.

  "Last year doesn't have a lot to do with this year," he said, "outside of I can go back on some of the experience that I've had playing well on this golf course and reflect on that."

  Scheffler played the front nine Tuesday and planned to tour the back nine Wednesday in advance of the tournament.

  The past couple of months have provided good tune-ups for Scheffler. He said there have been encouraging starts in tournaments, but none that he considers a great beginning.

  He said he's trained himself to trust how he feels about his game rather than dwell on specific results. That's why there's a confident mindset this week.

  "I feel very prepared for this golf tournament," he said. "This is definitely the most prepared that I've felt all year."

  Scheffler tees off in the opening round at 10:15 a.m. Thursday with Justin Thomas and reigning U.S. Amateur champion Jose Luis Ballester of Spain in his group.

  --Field Level Media

Bryson DeChambeau first played in The Masters as an amateur in 2016, and if there's one thing he's learned about playing at Augusta, it's that there's always something to learn playing at Augusta.

• "I haven't learned enough, obviously," joked DeChambeau, who tied for sixth in last year's event. "I can tell you that it's definitely grown over the course of time. Each year I learn a little bit more about winds and how it affects the golf ball on a certain hole or a certain slope around a pin location, just little things that continue to improve my knowledge around the golf course."

  In last week's LIV event in Miami, DeChambeau finished fifth. While he didn't win, DeChambeau feels that course -- or at least the elements -- might help him this week in Augusta.

  "Well, considering I felt pretty good last week in the wind, I hope the wind blows a little bit this week, and hopefully I can take what I learned from last week into this week," said DeChambeau, who is playing in his ninth Masters.

  "I think that's what's so cool about this place. You get different gusts of wind, and that's what presents the most challenges for me out here is trying to control that wind to the best of my ability.

  "Last week the winds were blowing 20 miles an hour at the Blue Monster, and I told myself to be patient, it's great prep work for this week. So I felt like I was really patient last week and gave myself a good run. Hopefully that pays off this week."

  But it isn't just the gusts that can affect DeChambeau. There's also swirling butterflies in his stomach.

  Being nervous isn't just something which occurs to him at The Masters. He felt them in Miami heading into the final day as well.

  However, there is something a little special about this weekend.

  "I think as an amateur, I felt like I knew the golf course pretty well, but I didn't know how to control a lot of the nerves that flowed through my body, and that was something that I still work on today," DeChambeau admitted.

  Augusta presents numerous challenges on every hole and when asked which was the toughest, DeChambeau joked, "All of them."

  But one thing he's serious about is winning. Getting to put on the green jacket would fulfill an ambition for the 31-year-old.

  "A lifelong dream come true," DeChambeau said when asked what winning The Masters would mean to him. "Something I dreamt about as a kid."

  --Field Level Media

Collin Morikawa went through most of last season "guessing" whether he could execute any given golf shot and decided the only way forward was to return to the starting line. He's fairly confident LIV Golf and the PGA Tour could benefit from doing the same.

• "It's really hard to do that, really hard to take two steps back. I don't think a lot of guys could admit they've taken two steps backwards," Morikawa said at Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday. "And that's what I had to do. Start from the very basics of my golf game into college and say, 'What are the pieces we're going to, not rebuild, but just fit back together. Piece together and layer one on top of the other.' The only way to do that is to take two steps back."

  Morikawa, the World No. 4, said he's excited to share the course with one-time Tour peers and top-ranked players who've jumped to LIV Golf for the first time since the Ryder Cup in Paris, and wondering if his peers took the harmony of professional golf for granted.

  "I enjoy it. I think everyone enjoys it. All those guys were amazing to me. They still are. Look, I think the golf world enjoys seeing everyone playing together. I don't think anyone would say no to that," Morikawa said of sharing the Masters' field with Jon Rahm and others who've defected from the traditional circuit.

  "It's amazing how much we take for granted ... in life, I think."

  Asked what he meant by the ending statement, Morikawa continued: "You look back at whenever LIV started, this whole debacle started, back then when I first turned pro, no one really complained. Right? You just, we enjoyed it. But then this all happened.

  "You take things for granted -- you get my point? You look back and you're like, man, we had it pretty good. Everyone always talks about money. I think the money things needs to get pushed aside. It's just being golfers, being professional golfers. Playing. These weeks are special now. You don't take them lightly."

  Morikawa said he welcomes any solution that's best for the PGA Tour.

  "I haven't sat in those meetings and I know guys have sat countless hours. I thank them for that. That's up to the whole board and stuff. They'll figure something out one way or the other," he said.

  After playing 13 holes on the course Tuesday in a practice-round loop, Morikawa said he's learned in a peek at the course and in five previous starts and three consecutive top-10 finishes in the major that preparation can only carry a player so far.

  "We're always searching for new answers, searching for a new way to hear it," Morikawa said. "Life moves on. Your body moves on. ... It's all just kind of feels and guesses. It's a never-ending search. You are going to continue to do it because you want to get better. What I realized through the process was, I could have all the answers but I've got to go play golf. Playing golf is the most important part."

  --Field Level Media

Scottie Scheffler will begin the defense of his second Masters title paired with good friend and two-time major champion Justin Thomas.

• The two American Ryder Cup stars will play alongside amateur Jose Luis Ballester as the first- and second-round pairings and tee times were announced for the 89th playing of the Masters Tournament on Tuesday.

  The trio will tee off at 10:15 a.m. ET on Thursday, just behind a group headlined by Phil Mickelson and ahead of one including Jordan Spieth. Scheffler, the world's top-ranked player, is seeking his third green jacket this week but has yet to win this year.

  World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who has won twice already in 2025 as he attempts to complete the career Grand Slam this week, is paired for the first two rounds with young stars Ludvig Aberg and Akshay Bhatia. McIlroy's threesome has the fourth-latest tee time on Thursday at 1:12 p.m., and will turn around for a 9:58 a.m. start on Friday.

  They are playing two groups ahead of 2023 champion Jon Rahm, who is paired with Wyndham Clark and Tommy Fleetwood in another marquee group.

  Playing just ahead of McIlroy is another pre-tournament favorite in Xander Schauffele. Schauffele is seeking to regain the form that saw him claim his first two majors last year. He is paired with former Masters champion Adam Scott and Viktor Hovland, who is still in search of his first major title.

  THURSDAY/FRIDAY: PLAYERS

  7:40 a.m./10:48 a.m.: Davis Riley, Patton Kizzire

  7:51 a.m./10:59 a.m.: Kevin Yu, Jhonattan Vegas, Nicolai Hojgaard

  8:02 a.m./11:10 a.m.: Mike Weir, Michael Kim, Cameron Young

  8:13 a.m./11:21 a.m.: Zach Johnson, Joe Highsmith, Chris Kirk

  8:24 a.m./11:38 a.m.: Danny Willett, Nico Echavarria, Davis Thompson

  8:35 a.m./11:49 a.m.: Bernhard Langer, Will Zalatoris, *Noah Kent

  8:52 a.m./Noon.: Cameron Smith, J.T. Poston, Aaron Rai

  9:03 a.m./12:11 p.m.: Fred Couples, Harris English, Taylor Pendrith

  9:14 a.m./12:22 p.m.: Corey Conners, Brian Harman, Stephan Jaeger

  9:25 a.m./12:33 p.m.: Patrick Reed, Max Greyserman, Byeong Hun An

  9:36 a.m./12:50 p.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Billy Horschel, Nick Dunlap

  9:47 a.m./1:01 p.m.: Collin Morikawa, Joaquin Niemann, Min Woo Lee

  9:58 a.m./1:12 p.m.: Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Keegan Bradley

  10:15 a.m./1:23 p.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, *Jose Luis Ballester

  10:26 a.m./1:34 p.m.: Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, Tyrrell Hatton

  10:37 a.m./1:45 p.m.: Tony Finau, Maverick McNealy, Thomas Detry

  10:48 a.m./7:40 a.m.: Cam Davis, Rafael Campos, Austin Eckroat

  10:59 a.m./7:51 a.m.: Angel Cabrera, Laurie Canter, Adam Schenk

  11:10 a.m./8:02 a.m.: Jose Maria Olazabal, Thriston Lawrence, Brian Campbell

  11:21 a.m./8:13 a.m.: Bubba Watson, Matthieu Pavon, *Evan Beck

  11:38 a.m./8:24 a.m.: Tom Hoge, Matt McCarty, Christiaan Bezuidenhout

  11:49 a.m./8:35 a.m.: Charl Schwartzel, Denny McCarthy, *Hiroshi Tai

  Noon/8:52 a.m.: Max Homa, Justin Rose, J.J. Spaun

  12:11 p.m./9:03 a.m.: Dustin Johnson, Nick Taylor, *Justin Hastings

  12:22 p.m./9:14 a.m.: Sergio Garcia, Lucas Glover, Daniel Berger

  12:33 p.m./9:25 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Rasmus Hojgaard, Matt Fitzpatrick

  12:50 p.m./9:36 a.m.: Brooks Koepka, Russell Henley, Sungjae Im

  1:01 p.m./9:47 a.m.: Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland

  1:12 p.m./9:58 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg, Akshay Bhatia

  1:23 p.m./10:15 a.m.: Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau, Shane Lowry

  1:34 p.m./10:26 a.m.: Jon Rahm, Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood

  1:45 p.m./10:37 a.m.: Sahith Theegala, Sepp Straka, Sam Burns

  *Denotes amateur

  --Field Level Media

Just in time for the constant short-game challenge at Augusta National, Viktor Hovland regained his confidence over the ball by going back to his tried and trusted putter.

• After trying three different models, Hovland said he realized the answer wasn't the equipment. He rebounded from missing the cut at three consecutive events to win the Valspar Championship with 7.4 strokes gained with the short stick.

  "I went back to the old gamer I've always had," Hovland said, confessing he was fighting "noise" in his mind more than technique. "It's nice to experiment a little bit. I realized it definitely wasn't the putters' fault. I hadn't put too much time on the putting green. I got more confidence over the ball. I think that was the issue in-tournament. I hadn't put in the work."

  Equipment has been a shrug-and-smirk topic for Hovland in the past, no surprise given one of his seven career wins -- a defense of his 2020 victory in the Word Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba in 2021 -- with a shorter driver borrowed from James Hahn.

  Hovland switched coaches and was fully transparent with adjusting movements in his swing -- "wrist flex" and what he referred to Tuesday as reverse engineering. On Tuesday, he said chipping, pitching and putting with the renewed trust in his Ping PLD DS72 putter is vital this week.

  "For me, it's definitely the short game. It seems like this whole place, the way it's set up, it doesn't allow you to get away with poor technique," Hovland said. "Around the greens, because it's a longer grass, it's always mowed into you, if you have a subpar technique it's really going to punish you. ... It truly tests the best players."

  Hovland, who missed the cut here last year, prepared in Orlando with Grant Waite, who replaced previous swing coach Denny Lucas.

  The 27-year-old Norwegian said he is looking forward to testing his renewed self-belief over the next two days to prepare for Thursday's first round and another crack at winning his first major.

  Waite worked with Ping to help fit Hovland for a new driver he's been testing with a revised swing. A stiffer shaft on the G440 Ventus Black proved to be a match, increasing ball speed and erasing some of his concern about mishit tee shots.

  His results in Augusta since he turned pro over 18 total rounds include a tie for seventh in 2023. He made the cut four of five previous Masters with a high round of 81 and a best of 65.

  "Feeling a lot better (than this time last year)," Hovland said. "Whether we can get that out on the course and equate to a good score, that's a different story."

  Admittedly emotional and reactive, Hovland said he doesn't see a problem admitting when his game isn't where he wants it to be because he always intends to persevere.

  "It's just being honest. I know how good it could truly be. It sucks when you are there and not seeing progress. It can seem a little bit futile," he said. "As long as you are getting up every day, reevaluating what you are doing and trying to get there -- I think that's the most important thing. ... There is always a solution, there is always an answer. You've just got to find it."

  --Field Level Media

Jon Rahm doesn't have time to stop and smell the azaleas as he heads into the first major of the season this week at the Masters.

• The 2023 champion and two-time major winner was asked Tuesday about whether he appreciates the beauty of the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club.

  "Definitely not caught up on the flowers or the beauty of the golf course or anything like that. It's just focus ahead, and hopefully you can enjoy the walk up 18," the 30-year-old Spaniard said. "The time to think about all of that is today and tomorrow. That's when you're thinking, OK, look at the flowers, look at this, look at that, the atmosphere and everything, and you see how special this property truly is."

  Rahm had a rough year in the majors in 2024, following up his green jacket with a T45 in Augusta, Ga. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship, withdrew from the U.S. Open with a foot infection and salvaged a T7 at the Open Championship with a Sunday round of 68.

  "Not my favorite major season last year, that's true," Rahm said. "... I was very happy to finish up there at The Open on a very challenging week. At least set the tone hopefully for this year, and I feel like I'm playing much better golf coming into this week."

  He is enjoying a strong second season on the LIV Golf circuit, posting top-10 finishes in each of the first five events with a T9 last week at Trump National Doral in Miami.

  "Playing at Doral last week was extremely challenging," Rahm said. "It was definitely one of the hardest setups I've played. And besides one bad score on 17 on Sunday, which was actually one of the better swings of the week that led to a very bad number, I feel really good.

  "I feel like I played better than obviously the score reflects, but at the end of the day, it's golf. Feeling really, really good about this year in general."

  Rahm is not feeling quite as optimistic about the ongoing merger discussions between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

  "I mean, I think we all would like to see that. But as far as I can tell and you guys can tell, it's not happening anytime soon," he said. "I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about that, especially having a week like this one. I think all of our concerns should be on this week, and things outside of that we can let ourselves think about outside this week."

  --Field Level Media

Sunday finally could be reckoning day for the red-hot Rory McIlroy as he chases an elusive green jacket.

• The World No. 2 arrived in peak condition this week at Augusta National Golf Club, where he finished second at the Masters in 2022 but also missed the cut in 2023 and 2021. McIlroy already has two wins under his belt this season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in January and The Players Championship last month.

  "It's been a nice way to start the year with the two victories at Pebble Beach and Sawgrass," he told reporters on Tuesday in Augusta, Ga. "Had a decent showing last time out when I played in Houston a couple weeks ago, had a good weekend ... so yeah, it's been a really good sort of lead-in to it."

  The Masters is McIlroy's white whale. The 35-year-old Northern Irishman has fallen short of completing his career grand slam for more than a decade now, having won two PGA Championships (2012, 2014), the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014.

  After his T5 at the Texas Children's Houston Open, McIlroy took last week off to rest a sore elbow ("It's all good," he said Tuesday) and practiced with his coach, Michael Bannon.

  When he wasn't out playing "quite a bit of golf," he said he has spent time binge-watching episodes of "Bridgerton" and reading the John Grisham novel "The Reckoning."

  "Yeah, I've gotten into 'Bridgerton' the last -- I didn't think I would," McIlroy said. "I was very against watching it, but [wife] Erica convinced me. So, we're on a bit of a 'Bridgerton' kick this week, yeah."

  McIlroy, who also cracked the top 10 at the Masters in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020, finished T22 last year with four rounds in the 70s.

  He's grown accustomed to the annual April talk that "this could be his year" at Augusta.

  "I understand the narrative and the noise, and there's a lot of anticipation and buildup coming into this tournament each and every year, but I just have to keep my head down and focus on my job," he said.

  McIlroy has fallen painfully short of ending his major drought several times over the years, including runner-up finishes at the past two U.S. Opens and his second-place finish to Scottie Scheffler at the 2022 Masters.

  "I think once you go through that, once you go through those heartbreaks, as I call them, or disappointments, you get to a place where you remember how it feels and you wake up the next day and you're like, yeah, life goes on, it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be," he said.

  "And I think that's the -- it's going through those times, especially in recent memory, where the last few years I've had chances to win some of the biggest golf tournaments in the world and it hasn't quite happened. But life moves on. You dust yourself off and you go again."

  --Field Level Media