Jim Bones McKay looks back on Masters history with Phil Mickelson
Jim Bones Mackay shares his favorite Masters stories, insights for the 2026 tournament, and the Masters app.
The field has narrowed and the race for the green jacket at the 2026 Masters has begun.
However, Rory McIlroy quickly turned it into a historic one-man race.
McIlroy, who shot 7 under par in Friday’s second round, is still aiming for his second consecutive win at Augusta National. McIlroy is 12 under for the tournament, six strokes behind Patrick Reed and Sam Barnes. This is the largest 36-hole difference in Masters history.
USA TODAY has live coverage of the Masters leaderboard with the latest updates, biggest moments and highest stakes. Do the following throughout the day:
Here are the top contenders as the third round begins:
- 1. Rory McIlroy -12
- T2. Sam Barnes -6
- T2. Patrick Reed -6
- T4. Justin Rose -5
- T4. Shane Lowry -5
- T4. Tommy Fleetwood -5
Check out the complete leaderboard here.
The third round pairing of Kurt Kitayama and Alex Noren has officially begun, and Saturday’s action is in full swing!
How to watch the Masters: TV channels, streaming on Saturday
Key feed content for all four days is also available on Masters.com and the Masters app.
Watch the 2026 Masters from Augusta with Fubo
Today’s Masters tea time
always east
- 9:31am: Kurt Kitayama and Alex Nolen
- 9:42am: Charles Schwartzel and Rasmus Højgaard
- 9:53am: Jon Rahm and Kim Si Woo
- 10:04am: Brian Harman and Corey Connors
- 10:15am: Sergio Garcia and Maverick McNeely
- 10:26am: Keegan Bradley and Viktor Hovland
- 10:37am: Justin Thomas and Gary Woodland
- 10:48am: Samuel Stevens and Adam Scott
- 11:10am: Marco Penge and Matt McCarty
- 11:21am: Jordan Spieth and Sepp Straka
- 11:32am: Aaron Rye and Jacob Bridgman
- 11:43am: Patrick Cantlay and Im Sung Jae
- 11:54am: dustin johnson and russell henry
- 12:05pm: Harris English and Ryan Gerard
- 12:16pm: Ludwig Aberg and Scotty Scheffler
- 12:38pm: Collin Morikawa and Brian Campbell
- 12:49pm: Nick Taylor and Matt Fitzpatrick
- 1pm: Hideki Matsuyama and Michael Brennan
- 1:11pm: Jake Knapp and Xander Schauffele
- 1:22pm: Ben Griffin and Max Homa
- 1:33pm: Chris Gotterup and Brooks Koepka
- 1:55pm: Jason Day and Cameron Young
- 2:06pm: Haotong Li and Christopher Reitan
- 2:17pm: Wyndham Clark and Tyrrell Hutton
- 2:28pm: Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood
- 2:39pm: Patrick Reed and Justin Rose
- 2:50pm: Rory McIlroy and Sam Barnes
All odds will be provided via BetMGM on Thursday night, April 9th.
favorite
- 1. Rory McIlroy (+280)
- 2. Scotty Scheffler (+400)
- 3. Xander Schauffele (+1000)
- 4. Sam Burns (+1200)
Here are some predictions made ahead of the Masters:
Will Chaney, Augusta Chronicle: Justin Rose’s experience will help him
Cheney wrote, “[Rose]has lost in the Masters playoffs twice (to Sergio Garcia in 2017 and to Rory McIlroy in 2025). Experience comes into play here and this will be his 21st start at Augusta. Playoffs or no playoffs, it would be no surprise to see McIlroy put on the green jacket for Rose early Sunday evening.”
Ross Kelly, CBS Sports: Ludwig Aberg will struggle
Kelly pointed out that the model used by CBS Sports predicts a surprisingly poor result for Ludvig Aberg, even though he was the pre-tournament favorite to win.
Kelly writes: “The 26-year-old has already won five worlds in his career, finishing second and seventh in his two career starts at Augusta National. However, the Official World Golf Rankings place him in the lowest position last year due to a series of poor starts from late last season to early 2026. He has also missed the cut in four of his eight career major championships, and will play in better, faster conditions Thursday and Friday.
Matt Barry, ESPN: Jon Rahm wins
Barry wrote, “He has quietly been playing some of the best golf in the world this season. He is in great shape both personally and professionally, and his recent form will cause a roar at Augusta National this week.”
Rahm didn’t have a good start at Augusta. After 6 holes, he was already 3 over. Rahm certainly has the ability to bounce back, but it’s been a tough start for the 2023 Green Jacket winner.
Golfweek: Brooks Koepka (misses the cut at +220)
Nick Stavas said ahead of the Masters, “I like Brooks Koepka and think his whole game is going in the right direction, but his putting has been terrible this season and that doesn’t bode well for Augusta. Puka’s performance has been a mixed bag, with three top-10 finishes and three outside the cut in his past seven starts, and I’m worried he’ll be sent packing on Friday unless he seriously turns things around with a flat stick.
John Hoefling of USA TODAY Sports offered three sleepers, one talented sleeper who could defy the odds and take the green jacket if things break down ahead of the first round, and one interesting long shot.
Tommy Fleetwood (+2200)
Fleetwood is often glossed over when discussing the world’s best golfers, but he has consistently performed well at Augusta over the past eight years, finishing in the top 25 in five of those events and tied for third in 2024. He tends to play at Augusta and just won the Tour Championship in 2025.
Patrick Reed (+3300)
Patrick Reed won the Masters in 2018, so he knows what it takes to win the green jacket. Of course, his presence on the LIV tour in recent years has certainly not helped his chances. At this point, he may be a little too used to playing in three-day tournaments. But Reed is different.
He has finished in the top 12 or better in five of his seven Masters Tournament appearances since winning, including top-10 finishes in three of his last five Masters Tournament appearances. Betting that Reed will be in the top 20 can result in huge profits.
Jordan Spieth (+3300)
It’s been more than a decade since Spieth won the Green Jacket at Augusta, but his form has been inconsistent since then. Five years ago, he tied for third place. Four years ago, he missed the cut. Three years ago, he tied for fourth place. Two years ago, he missed the cut. Last year, he tied for 14th place.
Sure, this pattern would point to some regression for him in 2026, but the streak is one to break, and Spieth has played well enough this tournament to have some confidence that he can still do well. After all, he’s finished in the top 25 in more than half of the events he’s competed in this year.
Where is the Masters: Where is Augusta National?
The 90th Masters Tournament begins this week and will be held at the same Georgia golf course for the 90th consecutive time.
Augusta National Golf Club has hosted every Masters Tournament since the first in 1934. That makes Augusta National (and the Masters) unique among golf majors. No other major tournament, such as the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, or British Open, has ever been held exclusively at the same golf club. — jack mckesy
Augusta National Golf Club only has two courses (or 1.5 depending on how you look at it). The Masters will be held over the club’s iconic 18 holes. On Wednesday, we will have a short departure for the Par 3 Competition, which will be held on a 9 hole Par 3 course.
There is no green fee for this course, but there is a big caveat to this. Augusta National is a private club. This means the only way to play is to become a member (or guest) of the club, become an employee of the club, or qualify for the Masters. Choose which one is more feasible.
If you want to earn a membership at Augusta National Golf Club, you might want to start networking. There is no application process; membership is by invitation only. The club has a long history of privacy, and many reports put the total number of members at around 300, although no exact number has been confirmed by Augusta National.
If you get a very special invitation, you’ll want to make sure you can actually afford it. Various reports over the past 15 years have estimated the initiation fee to be between $40,000 and $300,000, and the annual membership fee to be between $4,000 and $30,000. — USA TODAY has more
This year, the prices of three items have increased slightly. Blueberry muffins and Southern cheese straws are both now $2.50, up from $2 a year ago, and cookies are now $2, up 25 cents from last year.
However, all other traditional Augusta National staples will remain priced the same in 2025. In fact, the price of egg salad and pimento cheese sandwiches hasn’t increased since 2002.
- Egg salad: $1.50
- Pimento cheese: $1.50
- Masters Club: 3 dollars
- Pork BBQ: 3 dollars
- Honey Wheat Chicken Salad: 3 dollars
- Ham & Cheese on Rye: 3 dollars
- Georgia Peach Ice Cream Sandwich: 3 dollars
Drinks are also the same as last year.
- Soft drinks: 2 dollars
- Iced tea/bottled water: 2 dollars
- Beer/Wine: 6 dollars
Prime Video will debut as the Masters broadcaster this year, and for the first time ever will stream the first and second rounds of the event for two hours. ESPN will provide linear cable coverage for those two days, picking up where Amazon Prime left off.
Over the weekend, CBS will again be the main feed for the Masters. The first two hours on Saturday and Sunday will air exclusively on Paramount+, after which the network will take over for the remainder of each round.
Key feed content for all four days is also available on Masters.com and the Masters app. Here’s a breakdown of the main broadcast schedule for the 2026 Masters:
Watch “The Masters” on Prime Video
Always east.
