The first thing I always look for when I see the pairings for the first time is what time Tiger Woods is teeing off. If it’s early, the broadcast will usually do an extensive highlight reel of his round at the beginning of their coverage and I need to be sure I turn it on promptly. If it’s late, then he’ll be live on TV.
There is, however, pretty substantial online coverage of the play this year. Additional live coverage before the TV broadcast and live coverage online of Amen Corner and Holes 15 and 16 will ensure that you can at least catch a glimpse of your favorite picks.
Tiger’s teeing off at 10:45am on Thursday. Assuming a 4.5 hour round, that means he should be finished before the ESPN broadcast begins at 4pm. However, there is an hour of live coverage online at Masters.org from 3pm to 4pm.
Amen corner will be shown live online from 10:45am to 5:45pm on Thursday and Friday and starting an hour later on the weekend.
Holes 15 and 16 will be shown live online from 10:45am to 6:45pm.
So, if your favorite player is teeing off too early for TV, there’s always the internet. The online video works beautifully and gives you the option to create a customized leaderboard.