Rory McIlroy has been grouped alongside Ludvig Åberg and Akshay Bhatia for the first two rounds of his latest bid to complete the career Grand Slam at The Masters.
McIlroy, who needs victory at Augusta National to become just the sixth player in the modern era to win all four majors, has been given a late-early draw as he searches for a first major success in 11 years.
The world No 2 – already a two-time winner on the PGA Tour in 2025 – will play alongside left-handed debutant Bhatia and Ryder Cup team-mate Åberg, who finished joint-second to Scottie Scheffler in last year’s contest, teeing off on Thursday at 1.12pm (6.12pm UK time).
McIlroy explains his recent work with renowned golf psychologist Dr Bob Rotella and suggests that he treats The Masters like any other tournament
Scheffler is in the other half of the draw as he begins his bid to become the first back-to-back winner since Tiger Woods, with the two-time Masters champion starting his title defence alongside former world No 1 Justin Thomas and US Amateur champion Jose Luis Ballester.
The world No 1 goes out in the morning wave on Thursday at 10.15am local time (3.15pm BST), with Collin Morikawa also out early alongside LIV Golf League player Joaquin Niemann and last month’s Texas Children’s Houston Open champion Min Woo Lee.
Brandel Chamblee analyses the nine shots Scottie Scheffler has in his skillset that make him such a huge threat at Augusta
Xander Schauffele – searching for a third major win in four starts – is paired with Viktor Hovland and 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott, while reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau is grouped with past major winners Hideki Matsuyama and Shane Lowry.
Other notable threeballs include 2023 major winners Jon Rahm and Wyndham Clark going out alongside Tommy Fleetwood – a popular pick to claim a breakthrough victory this week, with 2015 champion Jordan Spieth alongside Tom Kim and Tyrrell Hatton.
Thursday’s selected tee times
All UK times; USA unless stated; (x) denotes amateurs
1447 Collin Morikawa, Joaquin Niemann (Chl), Min Woo Lee (Aus)
1458 Phil Mickelson, Jason Day (Aus), Keegan Bradley
Ahead of the 2025 Masters, Sky Sports’ Jamie Weir talks you through the A-Z of Augusta
1515 Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jose Luis Ballester (Esp) (x)
1526 Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim (Kor), Tyrrell Hatton (Eng)
1801 Adam Scott (Aus), Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland (Nor)
1812 Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Ludvig Åberg (Swe), Akshay Bhatia
Weir explains how this could be McIlroy’s best chance to complete his career Grand Slam
1823 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Bryson DeChambeau, Shane Lowry (Irl)
1834 Jon Rahm (Esp), Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng)
McGinley: Fast start needed by McIlroy
“I don’t think who he [McIlroy] plays with is a problem or an issue, he’ll be more concerned whether it’s morning or afternoon,” former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley told Sky Sports News. “Him playing afternoon is not ideal, I’d prefer to see him early.
“What he’s struggled with over the years is really poor first- and second-round scoring around Augusta. Getting out the blocks is something he needs to do. It will be difficult with playing afternoon, it’s not a mega thing but it’s not ideal.
“Distraction is the big thing for Rory. He’s coming in here for the first time with a huge amount of form. The big challenge is trying to win a major for the first time in 11 years, they are big things that weigh heavily on him.
Weir looks back on golf’s small list of five career Grand Slam winners and discusses whether McIlroy can join that list
“Scheffler is the guy to beat. If Rory can finish ahead of him or anybody finish ahead of him they’ll have a good chance of winning that green jacket.”
When is The Masters live on Sky Sports?
Sky Sports Golf will be showing record hours of live coverage from the 2025 contest, including more action over the final two rounds than previous years. Wall-to-wall coverage from the tournament begins at 2pm on Thursday, with Featured Group action and regular updates until the global broadcast window begins at 8pm.
Sky Sports is bringing you more Masters coverage than ever before, as Scheffler attempts to defend his title and claim a third green jacket
The same timings will apply on Friday, while a new addition to this year’s coverage sees a Masters build-up show live from 3pm over the weekend ahead of full coverage starting at 5pm, covering all the action until after the close of play.
Sky+, Sky Q and Sky Glass will provide plenty of bonus feeds and allow you to follow players’ progress through various parts of Augusta’s famous layout, including Amen Corner and more.
Who will win The Masters? Watch throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the opening round begins with Featured Groups on Thursday from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
