Masters 2020 featured pairings load up on heavy favorites for first two rounds

As expected, the pairings for the first two rounds of the 2020 Masters Tournament are stacked for its best players.

This year’s event will begin with split tees, meaning a number of players will do something they have not done at Augusta – start on No. 10.

Tee Times and Pairings: Round 1 | Round 2

The morning wave of strong threesomes starts at 7:33 a.m. Thursday, with Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Louis Oosthuizen going off 10th tee. DeChambeau is coming off a win at the U.S. Open and began last year’s Masters with a first-round 66. Rahm owns top-10 finishes in the past two Masters, and Oosthuizen was the runner-up in 2012.

A pair of Masters champions will follow that group. Patrick Reed (7:44) will be joined by Paul Casey and Tony Finau. Directly behind them is Tiger Woods (7:55), reigning British Open champion Shane Lowry and U.S. Amateur champion Andy Ogletree.

Woods shot 70 in his first round a year ago, his best first-round score at Augusta since 2013. Three of his five green jackets have been won with Thursday 70s.

The second wave of tee times feature more groups with firepower, including victories in 10 major championships.

Justin Thomas (2017 PGA Championship) and four-time major winner Brooks Koepka are set to tee off from No. 1 at 11:49 a.m., along with England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick. The noon pairing features Dustin Johnson (2016 U.S. Open) and Patrick Cantlay alongside four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, who again aims for a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam.

In Masters tradition, each amateur is paired with a former champion, starting with the defending champion (Woods) and reigning U.S. Amateur champion (Ogletree). Other pairings include: Yuxin Lin with Sandy Lyle (1988), Lukas Michel with Larry Mize (1987), Abel Gallegos with Charl Schwartzel (2011), John Augenstein with Danny Willett (2016) and James Sugrue with Jose Maria Olazabal (1994, 1999).