published: Apr 7, 2026

updated: Apr 8, 2026

Masters tee times Thursday 2026: Pairings in the first round revealed

Matt Chivers

The groups and times for the first day of the Masters at Augusta National in 2026 have been revealed

A Masters ball marker | Source: photography Peter Dazeley, Coombe Hill GC, Kingston, Surrey, UK, February 4th 2020

The first day of the Masters is one of the most anticipated days of the golf calendar.

We’ve been to Phoenix, we’ve been to Torrey Pines, we’ve been to TPC Sawgrass. The players are primed by the time they drive down Magnolia Lane in April and they all want to peak by the time they step on to the tee at Augusta National on that magical Thursday morning.

You might remember that Rory McIlroy won the Masters for the first time in 2025, and in the first two rounds, he was paired with Akshay Bhatia and Ludvig Aberg.

It was quite a sensational Masters tournament that saw the Northern Irishman slip on the Green Jacket. In round one last year, he started characteristically slowly with a level par 72.

This year, he is playing with Cameron Young and Mason Howell (a) in each of the first two rounds.

**Rory McIlroy at the Masters | Source: Getty Images**

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Masters Thursday tee times 2026

The honorary starters teeing off is one of the most-loved traditions of the tournament. Many of golf’s biggest icons like Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Gene Sarazen, Fred McLeod and Jock Hutchison, plus the aforementioned trio, have all taken part.

Patrons at Augusta National flock to the first tee first thing in the morning on day one of the Masters to watch the legends of yesteryear entertain the crowd. It truly marks the beginning of the Masters, and it is such an important day. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson will get us underway again in 2026.

Masters tee times Thursday 2026

UK times – minus 5 hours for US times

12.40 pm: John Keefer, Haoting Li

12.50 pm: Naoyuki Kataoka, Max Homa, Carlos Ortiz

1.02 pm: Jose Maria Olazabal, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Aldrich Potgeiter

1.14 pm: Angel Cabrera, Sami Valimaki, Jackson Herringtin (a)

1.26 pm: Charl Schwartzel, Max Greyserman, Ryan Fox

1.38 pm: Vijay Singh, Matt McCarty, Rasmus Hojgaard

1.50 pm: Kurt Kitayama, Kristoffer Reitan, Casey Jarvis

2.02 pm: Bubba Watson, Nico Echavarria, Brandon Holtz (a)

2.19 pm: Cameron Smith, Sam Burns, Jake Knapp

2.31 pm: Keegan Bradley, Ryan Gerard, Nick Taylor

2.43 pm: Dustin Johnson, Shane Lowry, Jason Day

2.55 pm: Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood, Akshay Bhatia

3.07 pm: Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele

3.19 pm: Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa, Russell Henley

3.31 pm: Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, Mason Howell (a)

3.43 pm: Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Alex Noren

4.03 pm: Sam Stevens, Sungjae Im

4.15 pm: Andrew Novak, Tom McKibbin, Brian Campbell

4.27 pm: Mike Weir, Wyndham Clark, Mateo Pulcini (a)

4.39 pm: Zach Johnson, Michael Kim, Nicolai Hojgaard

4.51 pm: Danny Willett, Davis Riley, Ethan Fang (a)

5.03 pm: Adam Scott, Daniel Berger, Brian Harman

5.15 pm: Fred Couples, Min Woo Lee, Fifa Laopakdee (a)

5.27 pm: Sergio Garcia, Aaron Rai, Jacob Bridgeman

5.44 pm: Harry Hall, Corey Conners, Michael Brennan

5.56 pm: J.J. Spaun, Maverick McNealy, Tyrrell Hatton

6.08 pm: Jon Rahm, Chris Gotterup, Ludvig Aberg

6.20 pm: Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka

6.32 pm: Sepp Straka, Ben Griffin, Justin Thomas

6.44 pm: Scottie Scheffler, Bob MacIntyre, Gary Woodland

6.56 pm: Harris English, Marco Penge, Si Woo Kim

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The Masters tee times Thursday are upon us! Who will win the Masters in 2026? Tell us on X!

About the author

Matt Chivers

Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.

Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.

Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.

Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as the Masters, The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spoken to many of the biggest names in the sport.

Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.

What’s in Matt’s bag: Cleveland HiBore XL Driver driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, Benross BR-Pro irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.

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