The 2026 Masters: What to know about the first major of the year

The Masters, golf’s most prestigious major, tees off in just over a week, and with a star-studded field of 93 players, the competition promises to be as fierce as ever.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy looks to etch his name into history by joining the elite club of multiple green jacket winners after an impressive 2025 victory that helped him complete the career Grand Slam. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler enters as the heavy favorite, backed by a dominant start to 2026 that includes his victory at the American Express in January.

Also firmly in the conversation is 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm. The LIV Golf standout has played five events this season, posting a top-five finish in each appearance.

Collin Morikawa arrives in strong form, having claimed his seventh PGA Tour title at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and added a top-five finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. He has been equally impressive at Augusta National, finishing T-3rd in 2024, his second top-five result in his last four Masters appearances.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the 2026 Masters.

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Feb. 8: Chris Gotterup raises the trophy after winning the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament at TPC Scottsdale.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Feb. 1: Justin Rose holds the trophy after winning the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course - South Course.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 25: Scottie Scheffler holds up the trophy after winning The American Express tournament at PGA West in La Quinta, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 18: Chris Gotterup holds the championship trophy after winning the Sony Open at the Waialae Country Club in Hawaii.

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Golfers who have won PGA Tour events in 2026 season

Feb. 8: Chris Gotterup raises the trophy afterwinning the WM Phoenix Opengolf tournament at TPC Scottsdale.

More:Gary Woodland wins PGA Tour's Houston Open 2.5 years after brain surgery

When is the 2026 Masters?

The 90th annual Masters Tournament will tee off on Thursday, April 9, with the winner being awarded the green jacket on Sunday, April 12.

How to watch the 2026 Masters?

The 2026 Masters will be broadcast across CBS, Golf Channel, and ESPN, with additional coverage available through the Masters App and Masters.com. Below is the complete viewing schedule, according to themasters.com:

First round on Thursday, April 9:

All times Eastern.

• Masters.com/Masters App: 1-7:30 p.m.

• ESPN, ESPN App, ESPN Deportes: 3-7:30 p.m.

• Prime Video: 1-3 p.m.

• Golf Channel: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. / 7:30-9:30 p.m. (Live From The Masters)

Second round on Friday, April 10:

• Masters.com/Masters App: 1-7:30 p.m.

• ESPN, ESPN App, ESPN Deportes: 3-7:30 p.m.

• Prime Video: 1-3 p.m.

• Golf Channel: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. / 7:30-9:30 p.m. (Live From The Masters)

Third round on Saturday, April 11:

• Masters.com/Masters App: noon-7 p.m.

• Paramount+: noon-2 p.m. and 2-7 p.m.

• CBS: 2-7 p.m.

• ESPN Deportes: 5-6 p.m

• Golf Channel: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. / 7 p.m. -9 p.m. (Live From The Masters)

Final round on Sunday, April 12:

• Masters.com/Masters App: noon-7 p.m.

• Paramount+: noon-2 p.m. and 2-7 p.m.

• CBS: 2-7 p.m.

• ESPN Deportes: 5-6 p.m

• Golf Channel: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. / 7 p.m. -9 p.m. (Live From The Masters)

Who is playing in the Masters?

2026 Masters field

(A) - denotes amateur

• Ludvig Aberg

• Daniel Berger

• Akshay Bhatia

• Keegan Bradley

• Michael Brennan

• Jacob Bridgeman

• Sam Burns

• Angel Cabrera

• Brian Campbell

• Patrick Cantlay

• Wyndham Clark

• Corey Conners

• Fred Couples

• Jason Day

• Bryson DeChambeau

• Nicolas Echavarria

• Harris English

• Ethan Fang (A)

• Matt Fitzpatrick

• Tommy Fleetwood

• Ryan Fox

• Sergio Garcia

• Ryan Gerard

• Chris Gotterup

• Max Greyserman

• Ben Griffin

• Harry Hall

• Brian Harman

• Tyrrell Hatton

• Russell Henley

• Jackson Herrington (A)

• Nicolai Hojgaard

• Rasmus Hojgaard

• Brandon Holtz (A)

• Max Homa

• Viktor Hovland

• Mason Howell (A)

• Sungjae Im

• Casey Jarvis

• Dustin Johnson

• Zach Johnson

• Naoyuki Kataoka

• John Keefer

• Si Woo Kim

• Michael Kim

• Kurt Kitayama

• Jake Knapp

• Brooks Koepka

• Fifa Laopakdee (A)

• Min Woo Lee

• Haotong Li

• Shane Lowry

• Robert MacIntyre

• Hideki Matsuyama

• Matt McCarty

• Rory McIlroy

• Tom McKibbin

• Maverick McNealy

• Phil Mickelson

• Collin Morikawa

• Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen

• Alex Noren

• Andrew Novak

• José María Olazábal

• Carlos Ortiz

• Marco Penge

• Aldrich Potgieter

• Mateo Pulcini (A)

• Jon Rahm

• Aaron Rai

• Patrick Reed

• Kristoffer Reitan

• Davis Riley

• Justin Rose

• Xander Schauffele

• Scottie Scheffler

• Charl Schwartzel

• Adam Scott

• Vijay Singh

• Cameron Smith

• J.J. Spaun

• Jordan Spieth

• Samuel Stevens

• Sepp Straka

• Nick Taylor

• Justin Thomas

• Sami Valimaki

• Bubba Watson

• Mike Weir

• Danny Willett

• Gary Woodland

• Tiger Woods

• Cameron Young

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Masters 2026: What to know, how to watch first major of the year

byLiam Oneel

in

March 31, 2026

The 2026 Masters: What to know about the first major of the year

The Masters, golf’s most prestigious major, tees off in just over a week, and with a star-studded field of 93 players, the competition ...

Read More

Sugar, the Viral Surfing Dog, Dies Aged 16 Just Weeks After Cancer Diagnosis

Sugar, the viral surfing dog, died from cancer in her "daddy's arms" on Monday, March 30

NEED TO KNOW

• Sugar made history as the first animal inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame and held 19 surfing titles throughout her life

• Her owner, Ryan Rustan, rescued her from the streets of Oakland, California, when she was a seven-month-old pup

Sugar, the viral surfing dog, has died aged 16 from cancer, her owner has revealed.

Ryan Rustan, owner of the rescue dog based in Huntington Beach, California, announcedon his Instagramon Monday, March 30, that Sugar had “passed away last night at 3:20 a.m in her daddy’s arms."

Sugar was best known for her impressive surfing skills, holding 19 titles throughout her life; she was also a five-time World Dog Surf Champion. The canine also made history by becoming the first ever animal inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame.

Rustan shared that his talented pooch hadbeen diagnosed with cancer on March 2,riding her last ever wave later that week, on March 7.

He wrote: “She lived to put smiles on faces [and] to change dog surfing forever !!!"

“Thank you for loving Sugar, Goodbye, my Sugar., I can’t believe [I’m] writing this. I’m going to miss you so much 🙏 😩😩😩😩💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔.”

He shared the emotional update alongside a picture of Sugar enjoying her time in the water for the final time.

Sugar’s 33,000 followers rushed to pay their respects in the comments section, with one writing: “So sorry Ryan. You gave her the best life. I could see in her eyes she was holding on for you. Rest in Love sweet Sugar🐾❤️.”

Another said: “I’m sorry brother😢 she will be missed.. she made history 🏆,” while a third added: “You're a good papa! ❤️ Sugar rest in peace!”

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Another commented: “The best to ever do it! Rest in paradise to a legend! 💕💕💕.”

Rustan rescued Sugar from the streets of Oakland, California, when she a seven-month-old pup.

In addition to surfing, Sugar also served as a therapy dog at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Long Beach.

Rustan spoke with the local outletFox 11on March 4 after announcing her diagnosis and tearfully said, “She has only maybe a very short time.”

He described her as the “most decorated surfing dog on the planet.”

“She’s been on the forefront of showing other dogs how to ride a shortboard properly,” he said.

“I love her so much. I’m not ready for her to go. But she taught me a lot. She taught me that life’s cool."

Read the original article onPeople

byLiam Oneel

in

March 31, 2026

Sugar, the Viral Surfing Dog, Dies Aged 16 Just Weeks After Cancer Diagnosis

Sugar, the viral surfing dog, died from cancer in her "daddy's arms" on Monday, March 30 NEED TO KNOW ...

Read More

Hoda Kotb’s Absence From ‘Today’ Show Raises Eyebrows

Hoda Kotb’s absence on the “Today” show after recordingSavannah Guthrie’s episode has caught attention. The senior TV host came back on the set in place of Nancy Guthrie’s daughter after the 84-year-old went missing. While Kotb has reportedly been present on the show every day, her absence on the March 30 episode raised eyebrows. Furthermore, the topic was not addressed during the broadcast.

Hoda Kotb’s absence on the ‘Today’ show was not addressed

Hoda Kotb’s absence on the “Today” show was reportedly not acknowledged in the latest episode. On the March 30 broadcast, the Saturday host, Laura Jarrett, accompanied Craig Melvin. Meanwhile, Kotb allegedly ended her time on the set, where she was filling in for Savannah Guthrie.

Moreover, Kotb’s absence was not addressed when Melvin welcomed Jarret on the morning show. “A very good morning to you. Thank you for starting your Monday with us. Thank you for starting your week with us as well. Laura Jarrett in for Savannah – who is back a week today,” he said.

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While it raised eyebrows,Hello! Magazinementioned that Kotb had “prior commitments.” Earlier, she came back to help with the broadcast, and Savannah, while the latter has been dealing with a tough time. Reportedly, Kotb had to balance her work and personal commitments. For those unversed, she runs her own wellness brand, Joy 101. Additionally, she is the mother of two daughters, Haley, 9, and Hope, 6.

Although her absence was not addressed on the Monday episode, Kotb was praised on Friday’s broadcast. Melvin and Jenna Bush Hager thanked the senior journalist for coming to their rescue for the last couple of months.

Furthermore, the 61-year-old also made headlines for interviewing Savannah. The latter opened up about her mother’s disappearance, which has reportedly been suspected as a kidnapping case. In the three-part interview, she told Kotb why she assumed that Nancy was allegedly taken because of Savannah’s celebrity status.

The postHoda Kotb’s Absence From ‘Today’ Show Raises Eyebrowsappeared first onReality Tea.

byLiam Oneel

in

March 31, 2026

Hoda Kotb’s Absence From ‘Today’ Show Raises Eyebrows

Hoda Kotb’s absence on the “Today” show after recordingSavannah Guthrie’s episode has caught attention. The senior TV host came back on the...

Read More