News All Articles
The Masters 2024: Tournament guide
News

The Masters 2024: Tournament guide

Find out all you need to know ahead of the eagerly-anticipated 2024 Masters Tournament, the first of this year's four men's major golf championships.

The Masters-1479501528

When does this year's tournament commence?

This year’s tournament runs from Thursday, April 11 to Sunday, April 14.

There are three official practice days in the lead up, including the Par 3 Contest, the traditional curtain-raiser on the eve of the tournament.

As ever with the Masters, Augusta National Golf Club, a private club in Augusta, Georgia is the host venue. It’s the only one of the four men’s major championships that is played every year on the same course.

Fun fact:

No winner of the Par 3 Contest has gone on to win the Masters in the same year.

What is the format of the Masters?

The Masters is a 72-hole individual strokeplay tournament contested over four rounds.

How many players are in the field?

The Masters has the smallest field of the four men's majors, with 89 players set to tee it up at this year's edition.

How many players make the cut at the Masters?

Players must be in the top 50 places, counting ties, to make the 36-hole cut.

What is the Masters play-off format?

Unlike the other three Majors, the Masters features a sudden-death playoff.

The first play-off hole is the 18th and should that not determine a winner, players move to the 10th. Both holes run parallel to each other. This sequence is repeated until someone emerges victorious.

The last play-off was in 2017, when Sergio Garcia overcame Justin Rose.

Who is the defending champion?

Jon Rahm claimed his first Green Jacket with a four-shot victory last year as the Spaniard won his second Major Championship, following his first at the 2021 U.S. Open.

Who is in action?

Click here for a full list of everyone who is listed as expected to play and how they earned their spot.

What are some of the key storylines heading into the event?

Rahm is seeking to become the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters, following Jack Nicklaus (1965-1966), Nick Faldo (1989-1990) and Tiger Woods (2001-2002)

World Number Two Rory McIlroy will become the sixth player to win all four men's majors if he wins, emulating Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods

World Number One Scottie Scheffler, champion at Augusta National in 2022, has finished no worse than a tie for 17th in his eight starts so far this year, claiming two titles in that time

Four DP World Tour members, Ludvig Åberg, Matthieu Pavon, Nicolai Højgaard and Ryo Hisatsune, are making their Masters debuts

15-time Major champion Woods is set to make just his second appearance of 2024, five years on from winning his fifth Masters

How many Race to Dubai points does the Masters winner receive?

There are a total of 10,000 Race to Dubai ranking points to be played for, with 1,665 going to the winner assuming they are a DP World Tour member.

What is Amen Corner?

Amen Corner is the name for a three-hole stretch of the course beginning with the par four 11th hole, and including the par three 12th and par five 13th.

The holes are named White Dogwood (No. 11), Golden Bell (No. 12) and Azalea (No. 13).

The phrase, Amen Corner, was first used by Herbert Warren Wind in the 1958 edition of Sports Illustrated.

When is the Champions Dinner?

The Champions Dinner, held on the Tuesday of Masters week, began in 1952 when defending champion Ben Hogan gave a dinner for all previous winners.

Hogan proposed the formation of a Masters Club, limited to only Masters Champions.

Honorary memberships were extended to founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts and subsequently Bill Lane, Hord Hardin, Jack Stephens, Hootie Johnson, Billy Payne and Fred Riley have been added as honorary members of this most exclusive of clubs.

This year’s meal, chosen by defending champion Rahm, will give past winners a taste of his home Basque region, as part of variety of dishes hailing from Spanish cuisine.

See below for his Champions Dinner menu.

How can I watch it?

Sky Sports has broadcasting coverage of the Masters in the UK.

For specific broadcast timings of all territories please check your local listings.

Free-to-air coverage is also broadcast on the Masters website, where viewers can watch every individual shot a few minutes after it happens and also catch coverage of select groups and holes.

Read next