EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

The Masters is April 9-12, keeping its traditional spot on the calendar the first full week in April. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson again are scheduled to hit the ceremonial tee shots about 7:30 a.m. before Thursday’s opening round. There’s not much change from last year except Rory McIlroy won’t be hounded by questions about whether he’ll ever win a green jacket. He won last year in a playoff. Scottie Scheffler remains the betting favorite. Fans will notice one change. Prime Video has been added to the broadcast, with two hours on Thursday and Friday and a stats-based stream from Amen Corner.

Tiger Woods said last week he is stepping away to seek treatment after his vehicle crashed in Florida and he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. He will miss the Masters for the second straight year.

Participating players have ties to numerous states and countries.

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SOME OF AP’S LATEST COVERAGE

AP Newsroom: Golf

Masters starting times for the weekdays

Will a Masters debut turn into a win? History suggests not, but there are a few newcomers to watch

It’s a boy! Scottie Scheffler arrives at Masters with 9-day-old son and a game he hopes is ready

Tiger Woods is not at the Masters. Jason Day wonders why he was behind the wheel in DUI arrest

MASTERS ’26: A trivia quiz covering 90 years at Augusta National

MASTERS ’26: Augusta’s ‘beautiful little hole’ at No. 7 has turned much nastier

MASTERS ’26: Key anniversaries over the years at Augusta National

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HOW TO WATCH THE MASTERS

Thursday and Friday rounds start at 1 p.m. ET on Prime Video, the latest broadcast partner for Augusta National. ESPN will take over at 3 p.m. on the weekday rounds through 7:30 p.m. Then on the weekend, Paramount+ will get started at noon, and CBS will carry live tournament coverage from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Masters is also offering live video channels on https://www.masters.com/en_US/index.html with a menu that includes featured pairings; live action from the 4th, 5th and 6th holes; Amen Corner (Nos. 11-13); the 15th and 16th holes. Prime Video will have a stats-enhanced stream on Amen Corner.

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FIND YOUR CITY AND STATE: MASTERS GOLFERS WITH TIES AROUND US AND THE WORLD

Use this spreadsheet which includes each player’s birth place, residence and college where relevant. Find players with connections to your city or state to localize this event. Source: The Masters.

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NATIONS REPRESENTED

Players with ties from around the globe play in the Masters each year. Many reside in the U.S. or attended an American school. In addition to the United States, the following countries and territories are represented in the spreadsheet above:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Columbia, Denmark, England, Fiji, Finland, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand.

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HIGHLIGHTS

— Scheffler is the betting favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, which lists the world’s No. 1 player at +500. He is followed by Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau (+1000), former Masters champion Jon Rahm (+1200), and then Ludvig Aberg and Xander Schauffele (+1400). Scheffler already has won the Masters twice and he has been No. 1 in the world for nearly three straight years. He won in his season debut and has gone quiet by his standards the last month.

— DeChambeau has won his last two tournaments on Saudi-funded LIV Golf, with a 57-man field and limited supply of stars in their prime. The two-time U.S. Open champion played in the final group with McIlroy last year.

— Tiger Woods will not be in Augusta where he was to appear with Masters chairman Fred Ridley to celebrate the opening of a refurbished municipal course that involved Woods, or for the prestigious Masters Club dinner for champions. Woods already was struggling to get his legs in shape for the tournament when he was arrested March 27 in Florida on a driving while intoxicated charge. No alcohol was found in his system, but drug experts determined he was impaired and Woods was jailed for eight hours by Florida law enforcement for refusing a urine test. Woods said last week he is stepping away to seek treatment. A Florida judge granted a motion for Woods to seek inpatient care outside the country.

— The most interesting of the 22 newcomers is Chris Gotterup. He’s only the third player since World War II to win four times before he plays in his first Masters. Gotterup first qualified by winning the Scottish Open. He won the Sony Open and Phoenix Open earlier this year.

— Three players from the top 20 in the world are making their debut — Gotterup, Ben Griffin, who played in his first Ryder Cup last September, and Riviera winner Jacob Bridgeman, who went to nearby Clemson. Also playing are Kristoffer Reitan of Norway and Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson of Denmark, part of a record eight players from Nordic countries.

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PREVIOUS AP COVERAGE

Tiger Woods says he’ll seek treatment after pleading not guilty to DUI

Tiger Woods is a big topic again for the wrong reason as the Masters nears

Masters will have no shortage of options for television viewers

Texas Open the final stop before the Masters. LPGA has Saudi sponsor for Las Vegas

The Masters: When it starts, how to watch, betting odds for golf’s first major of 2026

Masters field all but set for Augusta National

Masters offers a locker room unlike any other with first photos of new Player Services Building

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