5 things to know for Thursday’s first round at the Masters

For golf fans, Thursday morning’s opening tee shots are perhaps the most anticipated of the entire year. The Masters is here! And there are so many storylines to follow as we head into the first round at Augusta National.

Here are five things to know for Thursday’s opening round of the 2023 Masters.

What can we expect from Tiger?

Tiger Woods is teeing it up for the first time since the Genesis Invitational in February, where he made the cut and finished T45.

Though his presence alone indicates that he feels he can compete at Augusta, what we can expect to see from him is still unknown. Can his body hold up for 72 holes of competition and strenuous walking? Time will tell. And it all starts on Thursday. He tees off at 10:18 a.m.

Can Scottie go back-to-back?

Scottie Scheffler is the top-ranked player in the world, and he’s playing like it.

The defending champ is hoping to become only the fourth player ever to defend a title at Augusta National. The others? Tiger, Jack and Sir Nick Faldo — illustrious company, indeed!

But as tough as it is to contend yet again, the greater aberration would be for Scheffler to not find himself in the mix on the weekend. He hasn’t finished outside the top 12 since last October. It’s hard to imagine that trend breaking down this week.

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Rory’s career grand slam hopes

Rory McIlroy needs only a Masters win to complete the career grand slam. Though he’s proven he’s capable of going low at Augusta, his past attempts have been dogged by at least one blow-up round that essentially takes him out of the running on Sunday.

With rain expected this weekend, the soft conditions should suit McIlroy, whose previous major wins shared such circumstances. If he can get off to a good start, the weekend will be interesting, indeed.

Will LIV golfers get in the mix?

LIV golfers have a lot to prove this weekend. With several of their biggest names plummeting down the Official World Golf Ranking, high finishes at Augusta would not only bolster their standing but also make a statement to silence the criticism that LIV players aren’t engaging in real competition against real competitive fields.

After this week, we’ll have a timely gauge of where everyone stands in golf’s hierarchy.

How will the newly lengthened 13th play?

There’s been plenty of chatter about the newly lengthened 13th hole and how it will be received by players this week. Will the famous risk-reward hole be as exciting as ever, or dole out ho-hum pars? We can’t wait to find out.