Why first Masters tee times are earlier than normal this year

For what it’s worth — and it’s worth plenty — Augusta National Golf Club throws its support behind distance restrictions of golf balls and improving the pace of play.

The former, a hot-button item opposed by both the PGA of America and the PGA Tour, is closer to becoming part of the rules. The latter, long an unaddressed problem, has come into sharper focus after dawdling play in televised tournaments.

Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National and the Masters, reaffirmed Wednesday the club’s “support of the governing bodies and their efforts to address the issue of distance.” He also called for “all stakeholders to work together as this issue evolves.”

In his annual pre-Masters press conference, Ridley pointed out that the R&A and USGA have been working on the distance issue for two years.

“Implementation is the next challenge, as we all knew it would be,” he said. “It is critical for the good of the game that all stakeholders work together as this issue evolves. I’m encouraged by the constructive and positive discussions that are aimed at successfully implementing this important change.”

Tee times at the Masters on Thursday begin about a half-hour earlier than usual, with the ceremonial first shots at 7:25 a.m. The first grouping begins at 7:40 and the last at 1:45 p.m.

A larger-than-usual field, 95 players with all beginning on No. 1 rather than a split-tee start, dictated the earlier times, but slow play overall has Ridley’s attention.

“Playing without undue delay, as the rules and the game’s traditions dictate, is an essential skill of golf at all levels,” he said. “Recognizing the challenges professionals face each week, I also believe pace of play is an important element of the examination of the world’s best players.

“Golf is a special game because it requires us to be considerate while also being competitive. Respecting other people’s time, including, importantly, the fans who support the game, is a fundamental courtesy. I want to encourage continued dialogue on this topic, especially at the professional levels, which serve as the most visible representation of our sport.”

If he needed a reminder of how the professionals can influence the game, he received it during Sunday’s Drive, Chip and Putt competition that features youngsters age 7-15.

Asked about a competitor who used the AimPoint technique popular among some pros and overall took two minutes to putt, he said he saw the scenario unfold.

“That example really illustrates the problem, and unfortunately, these young people are looking to their heroes who play the game each week for a living as to how they’re going to approach competitively playing the game,” Ridley said.

“It’s been a good thing that knowledgeable people such as (CBS television analyst) Dottie Pepper have commented on this recently, and she made the point, which I alluded to in my comments, about respect for others, including most particularly the people who watch the game, the fans.”

A call to action?

“We will be dealing with that issue this week,” he said. “I’m not going to tell you that I’m going to be happy with the results, but I think I am encouraged that the PGA Tour is doing some things, experimenting with some timing procedures that might be a little bit more aggressive than we’ve seen in the past.

“As it relates to the Drive, Chip & Putt ... every phase of the competition has the same length chip and the same length putt, so it’s really not necessary to pace that off. They know how many yards that is. But nevertheless that’s what they were doing. It’s safe to assume that next year at the Drive, Chip & Putt you will see some sort of time limitations placed on the competition.”

Under the oak tree

Workers climbing among the upper limbs of the famed oak tree outside the Augusta National clubhouse and a fleet of Toro Workman carts laden with rope ladders and assorted gear parked alongside the ropes created a potential flash-mob scene at mid-afternoon Wednesday.

The universal question: What’s going on?

The idea of trimming the tree during Masters week with so many people nearby did not seem logical.

A security guard provided the answer: stringing some lights for after-dark activities.

Waiting for souvenirs

Headed for the golf shop for souvenirs? Be prepared the wait.

The access line to the main shop snaked back to the practice range and a sign indicated a 40-minute wait. The trek, reminding of lines to popular rides like Space Mountain or It’s a Small World at Disney World, in reality, took closer to 20 minutes.

Final practice rounds

With most players either participating in the Par 3 competition or taking the afternoon off, a few continued the search to unravel the mysteries of Augusta National.

Bryson DeChambeau had last-man-out honors on the front nine Wednesday. Over on the main putting green, Sungjae Im and Joaquin Niemann focused on those 5- and 6-footers often required to save par. Justin Thomas did his final putting preparation on the green adjacent to the practice range.

About those cell phones

Question for the day: Could any other organization other than Augusta National ban cell phones and never hear a complaint?

Is the Masters on TV?

• Thursday: Round one, 3-7 p.m., ESPN
• Friday: Round two, 3-7 p.m., ESPN
• Saturday: Round three, noon to 2 p.m., Paramount Plus; 2-7 p.m., CBS
• Sunday: Round four, noon to 2 p.m., Paramount Plus; 2-7 p.m., CBS

Thursday, Round 1 tee times and pairings

• 7:40 AM Davis Riley, Patton Kizzire
• 7:51 AM Kevin Yu, Jhonattan Vegas, Nicolai Hojgaard
• 8:02 AM Mike Weir, Michael Kim, Cameron Young
• 8:13 AM Zach Johnson, Joe Highsmith, Chris Kirk
• 8:24 AM Danny Willett, Nicolas Echavarria, Davis Thompson
• 8:35 AM Bernhard Langer, Will Zalatoris, Noah Kent (a)
• 8:52 AM Cameron Smith, J.T. Poston, Aaron Rai
• 9:03 AM Fred Couples, Harris English, Taylor Pendrith
• 9:14 AM Corey Conners, Brian Harman, Stephan Jaeger
• 9:25 AM Patrick Reed, Max Greyserman, Byeong Hun An
• 9:36 AM Robert MacIntyre, Billy Horschel, Nick Dunlap
• 9:47 AM Collin Morikawa, Joaquin Niemann, Min Woo Lee
• 9:58 AM Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Keegan Bradley
• 10:15 AM Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jose Luis Ballester (a)
• 10:26 AM Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, Tyrrell Hatton
• 10:37 AM Tony Finau, Maverick McNealy, Thomas Detry
• 10:48 AM Cameron Davis, Rafael Campos, Austin Eckroat
• 10:59 AM Angel Cabrera, Laurie Canter, Adam Schenk
• 11:10 AM Jose Maria Olazabal, Thriston Lawrence, Brian Campbell
• 11:21 AM Bubba Watson, Matthieu Pavon, Evan Beck (a)
• 11:38 AM Tom Hoge, Matt McCarty, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
• 11:49 AM Charl Schwartzel, Denny McCarthy, Hiroshi Tai (a)
• 12:00 PM Max Homa, Justin Rose, J.J. Spaun
• 12:11 PM Dustin Johnson, Nick Taylor, Justin Hastings (a)
• 12:22 PM Sergio Garcia, Lucas Glover, Daniel Berger
• 12:33 PM Patrick Cantlay, Rasmus Hojgaard, Matt Fitzpatrick
• 12:50 PM Brooks Koepka, Russell Henley, Sungjae Im
• 1:01 PM Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland
• 1:12 PM Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg, Akshay Bhatia
• 1:23 PM Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau, Shane Lowry
• 1:34 PM Jon Rahm, Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood
• 1:45 PM Sahith Theegala, Sepp Straka, Sam Burns

This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 2:27 PM.