Golf fans hoping to tune in to the Masters will again have to wait for full television coverage to begin as organisers stick with their traditional broadcasting model.
Established in 1934, the first men’s major of the year is held at Augusta in Georgia, with about 90 of the world’s best golfers battling to pull on the famous green jacket.
Sky Sports continues to be the exclusive live broadcast partner of the event in the United Kingdom, but while the first golfers will tee off at 12.40pm BST in the opening two rounds, it is not until 7.30pm that viewers will be able to watch every group live. In fact, that is after the final group of the day have teed off at 6.45pm BST.
There is ‘featured group’ coverage beforehand where players from a select number of three-balls cane be shown but full live coverage won’t be shown until after, for example, defending champion and world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, who tees off at 3.15pm BST on Thursday, has almost finished his round. This is due to the organisers of the Masters limiting the amount of live coverage it allows broadcasters to show.
The Augusta National Golf Club has a number of seemingly antiquated rules, including a ban on mobile phones, and likes to maintain strict control over the event to preserve its prestige and unique feel.
Substantial domestic TV deals are eschewed in favour of maintaining a long-running partnership with CBS in the United States to show the event. New technology has, however, been utilised to improve the offering to viewers. Golf fans can now watch every shot from every player via The Masters app or website, as well as featured groups and holes before the full coverage begins.
How can I watch the Masters?
Sky Sports has the rights for the Masters in the UK and will be broadcasting all four rounds from Augusta on Sky Sports Golf or Sky Sports Main Event. If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
On Thursday and Friday, coverage of featured groups begins from 2pm BST, with full coverage getting underway from 7:30pm.
On the weekend, full coverage starts at 5pm until close of play – with the Masters champion crowned on Sunday evening.
Full timings are as follows
Round One, Thursday 10 April: featured groups from 2pm, full coverage from 7.30pm
Round Two, Friday 11 April: featured groups from 2pm, full coverage from 7.30pm
Round Three, Saturday 12 April: build-up from 3pm, full coverage from 7.30pm
Round Four, Sunday 13 April: build-up from 3pm, full coverage from 5:00pm
The Masters prize money: How much will players earn at Augusta in 2025?
Last year, Scottie Scheffler won $3.6m for winning the Masters as part of a record $20m prize purse. The total prize money for the 2025 edition is still to be confirmed and is usually announced later in the week, but last year’s breakdown was as follows with the $20m total purse offering an increase from $18m in 2023.
Last year’s top-10 (via the PGA Tour)
1st – $3,600,000
2nd – $2,160,000
3rd – $1,360,000
4th – $960,000
5th – $800,000
6th – $720,000
7th – $670,000
8th – $620,000
9th – $580,000
10th – $540,000
