Masters Featured Groups Announced For Friday's Second Round
Masters Featured Groups Announced For Fridays Second Round...
The Masters Tournament has revealed its featured pairings for Friday's second round, sparking excitement among golf fans as the season's first major heats up. The groupings, released Thursday evening, include marquee names like defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and rising star Ludvig Ã…berg.
Friday's featured groups will tee off between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. ET at Augusta National, with ESPN providing live coverage. The pairings are drawing attention because several top contenders are clustered together, creating must-watch early competition before the weekend cut.
Tournament officials placed world No. 1 Scheffler with 2020 champion Dustin Johnson and rising amateur Nick Dunlap at 10:42 a.m. ET. McIlroy, still chasing his first green jacket, will play alongside Xander Schauffele and reigning U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark at 1:48 p.m. ET.
Other notable groupings include Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick and Will Zalatoris at 10:18 a.m. ET, while Tiger Woods is scheduled for an afternoon start with Jason Day and Max Homa at 1:24 p.m. ET. Woods is attempting to make his record 24th consecutive Masters cut.
The pairings announcement comes after an opening round that saw Bryson DeChambeau fire a 7-under 65 to take the early lead. Several featured groups include players within striking distance, setting up potential moving day drama a round early.
Augusta National's traditional hole locations for Friday typically yield lower scores than Thursday's setup. Tournament chairman Fred Ridley confirmed the course will play at 7,555 yards with greens running approximately 13 on the Stimpmeter.
Fans without ESPN can follow featured group coverage via Masters.com or the official app. The tournament's decision to stack top players together follows recent fan feedback requesting more star-studded early round pairings.
Friday's weather forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with highs near 80°F, though players will contend with increasing winds in the afternoon. The conditions could separate contenders from the field before Saturday's pivotal third round.
