When is the 2021 Masters Tournament? And who is the favorite?

Spring and golf return to Augusta.

Five months after the November Masters offered sights unseen at the Augusta National Golf Course – autumn leaves and a champion finishing 20-under par – the 85th installment of the Masters is upon us.

A quick primer to catch you up and get you ready: Dustin Johnson is in, the defending champion. Tiger Woods is out, recovering from his car crash. Ian Woosnam is back in. Lee Elder will hit a ceremonial tee shot. (Limited) Fans are back on site. No Par 3 Contest. Mandatory masks.

Johnson, who has only had the green jacket off the course for four months, summed it up

"Yeah, I think it will be back to feeling like a normal Masters. Obviously last year, there was nothing normal about last year, for the whole year, really," Johnson said. "Yeah, I think this year in April, the Masters will feel like it's back, and it will feel the same. I'm definitely looking forward to that."

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When is The Masters 2021?

The 2021 Masters Tournament runs April 8-11 at Augusta National Golf Club. Practice rounds begin Monday, April 5, and continue through Wednesday, April 7.

The first round should start around 8 a.m. Thursday, April 8. 

Who is in the 2021 Masters field?

Three golfers were added to the field Monday, March 29, when the last Official World Golf Ranking before the Masters was released. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre and Americans Will Zalatoris and Brian Harman moved into the top 50 to secure an invitation.

MacIntyre and Zalatoris will be playing in their first Masters, raising the number of first timers in the field to six. 

Harman, a Savannah native, moved into the top 50 with his third-place finish at the Players Championship and his run at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event in Austin. Harman, who increases the number of former University of Georgia golfers in the field to six, last played the Masters in 2018, when he finished 44th.

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Matt Jones earned an invitation with his March win at the Honda Classic. The 40-year-old Australian's only Masters appearance was in 2014, when he also won an event in the weeks before the tournament.

The list of invites is 90, but not all are expected to play.

Jon Rahm's wife is expecting their first child, and Rahm told the Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard that anyone betting on him should have second thoughts as he will leave any tournament he is at for the birth.

“All I can say is if anybody’s thinking of betting on me on the Masters, maybe think about it twice because there’s a chance I have to just turn around and leave that week,” he said at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Four past Masters champions skipped the November Masters: Angel Cabrera, Sergio Garcia, Trevor Immelman and Ian Woosnam. 

Garcia, who missed November due to COVID-19, is expected to play. And 1991 Masters Champion Woosnam, who had announced the 2019 Masters was his last, did an about face this February when he received his invitation.

Got my invitation to play the 2021 Masters, I’m going for it again after saying I wouldn’t play again, but with the back operation which as gone really well, I’m going to playing again can’t wait 👍

— Ian Woosnam (@IWoosnam) February 2, 2021

Who is the favorite?

Oddsmakers like Johnson to defend his title and become the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters. Johnson is the favorite at 8-1, followed by Bryson DeChambeau at 10-1 and Justin Thomas at 11-1, according to BetMGM.

Rahm and 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth are 12-1, while four-time major winners Rory McIlory and Brooks Koepka are listed at 14-1 and 16-1, respectively. Koepka's appearance is still in question after March knee surgery.

Augusta's own Larry Mize, 1987 champion, is the longest shot in the field at 3,000 to 1 to win his second green jacket.

Can I still get a ticket to The Masters?

Tickets are sold out for the 2021 Masters. The galleries will be smaller than in years past, Augusta National announced in January, letting series badge holders and those with practice round tickets know their status earlier this year.

The 2022 Masters ticket application window begins June 1.

What are the COVID-19 restrictions at The Masters?

Safety protocols are in place for the patrons and workers who will be inside the gates at Augusta National.

These include mandatory face coverings, social distancing, hand sanitizing and cashless payments for all concessions and merchandise.