Live leaderboard from Round 1 of the 2026 Masters Thursday: Rory McIlroy on fire
At Augusta National Golf Club, the 90th Masters Tournament gets underway on Thursday morning, April 9. The Augusta Chronicle will guide you through the highs and lows, birdies and bogeys, and the customers' applause and moans.
Following his career Grand Slam victory here a year ago, Rory McIlroy has been the talk of the golf world for a year. Ninety other players are attempting to block him from discussing a title defense.
At 7:20 a.m., the Honorary Starters group should start in the cool mid-40s, while the afternoon groupings should finish in the low 70s.
Follow along for here for everything you need to know from Thursday's first round of the 2026 Masters Tournament.
3:16 p.m.: Masters Thursday live leaderboard: How did early starters fare?
The "morning wave" of golfers is on the last few holes of their round, giving us a full sense of how difficult the course was in cooler, breezier conditions at the start. 19 players are in line to shoot par or better, led by Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns, who are at 5 under. Kurt Kitayama, Patrick Reed and Jason Day are at 3 under. Shane Lowry had the roller-coaster card: An eagle, four birdies, a bogey and a double for 2-under-par 70.
3:01 p.m.: Rory McIlroy creates a tie at the top of the Masters leaderboard
It was a slow start for the defending champion, but it's full sails out for Rory McIlroy now. He's run off three consecutive birdies on 13-14-15 and is now tied with Sam Burns for the lead in the first round of the Masters. The last was a 30-foot curler on the par-5 15th.
1:36 p.m.: Shane Lowry eagles, Sam Burns regains the lead
Shane Lowry eagled the par-5 No. 13, reaching 3-under for the day and a single shot behind Reed and Burns for the lead.
Burns followed with a birdie on No. 15, taking the sole lead at 5-under.
1:24 p.m.: Sam Burns rises to the top
Sam Burns birdied the par-5 No. 13 to reach 4-under for the day and sits tied with Patrick Reed for the lead through 14 holes.
1:12 p.m.: Rory McIlroy figures it out before the turn
Rory McIlroy has found his game, just in time for Amen Corner. The defending Masters champion was even par through seven holes, but a blistering fairway metal got him onto the green at the par-5 8th in two shots, took two putts for a birdie, then made another birdie on No. 9. He turns in 34.
1:05 p.m.: Who's that guy on the Masters Thursday leaderboard?
There have been scores of "Who's that guy?" golfers who have come out of nowhere to put their name in front of everyone at the Masters. Kristoffer Reitan is now the latest, and the first non-marquee name to make a statement on Thursday. The Norwegian has used birdies on Nos. 8 and 12 and an eagle on No. 13 to get to 3 under. Patrick Reed bogeyed 10 but still leads at 4 under.
12:50 p.m.: New Masters TV partner about to officially debut
The Masters won't be on television for another couple of hours, but Amazon Prime's first go at golf coverage officially begins at 1 p.m. ET. It's the first item on Prime's landing page once you launch the app. You have options for "first round coverage," "featured groups," "Holes 15 & 16," and "Inside Amen Corner."
12:45 p.m.: Tommy Fleetwood, Sam Burns up; Kurt Kitayama down
Tommy Fleetwood, in the same grouping as leader Patrick Reed, isn't letting him far out of his sight. Fleetwood birdied No. 9 to turn in 4-under-par 32, one shot behind Reed. Meanwhile Sam Burns, buoyed by an early eagle on No. 2, is at 3 under after a birdie on No. 12. Kurt Kitayama, who had the lead by himself, went into the water on No. 12 to make double bogey. He bounced back with a birdie on No. 13. He's at 2 under.
12:21 p.m.: Rory McIlroy's grouping remains on the struggle bus
The first wave of Thursday's Masters Round 1 featured defending champion Rory McIlroy, Players Championship winner Cam Young, and U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell, but so far it has melted them. Young is +4, Howell is +3, and McIlroy is at even par to lead the group through seven holes. Other approaches and pitches have also been erroneous, and they have seldom ever found the fairway. McIlroy is the only player in the group to make a birdie, so someone needs to calm things down.
12:10 p.m.: Patrick Reed is not messing around
It's a second eagle on the first nine for the 2018 champion to vault him to 5 under. What a start by Reed, who has been in the top 12 at Augusta in five of the last six years.
12:06 p.m.: First under-par round recorded in Masters first round
Haotong Li's second-nine 34 leaves him with a 71 and in the clubhouse. The Chinese made birdie on 13 and an eagle on 15, after making the turn in 37. Brian Campbell started with three consecutive birdies, while Kurt Kitayama made birdie on 10 and has the outright lead at 4 under.
11:35 a.m.: The stat that might help Kurt Kitayama at the Masters
Kurt Kitayama has four birdies and a bogey to make the turn in 3-under-par 33 to tie for the lead. As one of the top 15 players on the PGA Tour in "distance to apex" (AKA how high you hit the ball), he could have an advantage at the Masters. Augusta National Golf Club's undulations and hills come more into play on lower-hit shots. But if Kitayama's throwing darts ― and it appears that way so far ― he'll have an advantage on a dry golf course.
11:20 a.m.: Masters Thursday leaderboard update, 3 under leads
Tommy Fleetwood has birdied 2-3-4 to reach 3 under, and Patrick Reed has been making pars since his strong start to remain at 3 under. Akshay Bhatia, who is 2 under with birdies on 2 and 4, is in the same group as them. As they say, "one person's great golf can be contagious," and these three are undoubtedly exhibiting it early on.
11:14 a.m.: Rory McIlroy gets under par through two holes
After making a terrible drive on the opening two holes, Rory McIlroy made a birdie on the second hole to begin his tournament at one under. He drove to the right into the pine straw on the second, and his shot from there went far to the left, close to the little scoreboard at the foot of the hill. However, he made a birdie by getting up and down. Mason Howell, his playing companion, has scraped his way to two pars despite spraying the ball around on the first two holes.
10:48 a.m.: Patrick Reed enters history book with hot start
Patrick Reed has been playing excellent golf on the DP World Tour so far in 2026 and he's contended several times at the Masters beyond his victory here. He's now the sixth person to ever start birdie-eagle at Augusta National, and the third since 2023.
10:31 a.m.: Rory McIlroy's Masters title defense is underway
Defending Masters champion Rory McIlroy has begun his 2026 tournament by being the first to hit in his group. That opening tee ball ended up left of the fairway near where the patrons sit. Cameron Young followed with a ball right down the middle, and U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell ― the high school student from South Georgia ― went way left, and also had his hat fall off his head.
Meanwhile, former champion Patrick Reed has started birdie-eagle for the outright lead at 3 under.
10:20 a.m.: Max Homa makes the turn under par
Max Homa, the American golfer who has tumbled in the world golf rankings over the past two years, only got into the field for the 2026 Masters thanks to his high finish here a year ago. He's trying to find the same avenue, off to a 1-under-par 35 on the first nine behind an eagle on No. 8.
9:58 a.m.: Sam Burns gets first Masters low number
The first glassware of the 2026 Masters Tournament has been claimed, as Sam Burns has made eagle on No. 2. The Louisiana native receives two crystal glasses etched with the Masters logo for his feat, as does any eagle made during the tournament. That vaults him into a tie for the lead with Jose Maria Olazabal, who's still 2 under through seven holes.
9:41 a.m.: Masters Thursday Morning Featured Groupings about to tee off
The top players of the morning wave will shortly begin their competition on the No. 1 tee, and the driving range grandstand is nearly full. The parade will begin with tee times of 9:43 for Dustin Johnson, Shane Lowry, and Jason Day. It will then move on to the group of defending champion Rory McIlroy at 10:31 and Viktor Hovland at 10:43.
9:43 a.m. Dustin Johnson, Shane Lowry, Jason Day
9:55 a.m. Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood, Akshay Bhatia
10:07 a.m. Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele
10:19 a.m. Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa, Russell Henley
10:31 a.m. Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, *Mason Howell
10:43 a.m. Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Alex Noren
9:34 a.m.: Carlos Ortiz going the wrong way at Masters
A year ago, Nick Dunlap was in the Masters spotlight, but for all the wrong reasons. His opening-round 90 was the talk of the course, unfortunately. In 2026, there's more struggles, as Carlos Ortiz started his round with two double bogeys and three bogeys on his first five holes. He's righted the ship with a par on No. 6, but he's still 7 over for his round. The first-nine mark for worst score is 49, so he doesn't look to be threatening it, but still a tough start for the Mexican.
9:22 a.m.: Masters kicks off, a past champ starts strong
After the honorary starters got us going on a brisk Thursday morning in Augusta, we're eight groups into the 90th Masters Tournament. With so few holes played, there's not a lot of movement, but the early name atop the leaderboard is a familiar one: 60-year-old former champion Jose Maria Olazabal birdied Nos. 2 and 3 to get to 2 under through four holes. Three other players are at 1 under, with 23 players on the course (7 groups of 3, 1 pairing of 2).
2026 Masters Tee Times for Thursday's First Round
(First Time is Thursday Tee Time, second time is Friday tee time)* Amateur participant7:25 a.m. Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson (honorary starters)
7:40 a.m. John Keefer, Haotong Li
7:50 a.m. Naoyuki Kataoka, Max Homa, Carlos Ortiz
8:02 a.m. Jose Maria Olazabal, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Aldrich Potgieter
8:14 a.m. Angel Cabrera, Sami Valimaki, *Jackson Herrington
8:26 a.m. Charl Schwartzel, Max Greyserman, Ryan Fox
8:38 a.m. Vijay Singh, Matt McCarty, Rasmus Hojgaard
8:50 a.m. Kurt Kitayama, Kristoffer Reitan, Casey Jarvis
9:02 a.m. Bubba Watson, Nicolas Echavarria, *Brandon Holtz
9:19 a.m. Cameron Smith, Sam Burns, Jake Knapp
9:31 a.m. Keegan Bradley, Ryan Gerard, Nick Taylor
9:43 a.m. Dustin Johnson, Shane Lowry, Jason Day
9:55 a.m. Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood, Akshay Bhatia
10:07 a.m. Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele
10:19 a.m. Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa, Russell Henley
10:31 a.m. Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, *Mason Howell
10:43 a.m. Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Alex Noren
11:03 a.m. Samuel Stevens, Sungjae Im
11:15 a.m. Andrew Novak, Tom McKibbin, Brian Campbell
11:27 a.m. Mike Weir, Wyndham Clark, *Mateo Pulcini
11:39 a.m. Zach Johnson, Michael Kim, Nicolai Hojgaard
11:51 a.m. Danny Willett, Davis Riley, *Ethan Fang
12:03 p.m. Adam Scott, Daniel Berger, Brian Harman
12:15 p.m. Fred Couples, Min Woo Lee, *Fifa Laopakdee
12:27 p.m. Sergio Garcia, Aaron Rai, Jacob Bridgeman
12:44 p.m. Harry Hall, Corey Conners, Michael Brennan
12:56 p.m. J.J. Spaun, Maverick McNealy, Tyrrell Hatton
1:08 p.m. Jon Rahm, Chris Gotterup, Ludvig Aberg
1:20 p.m. Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka
1:32 p.m. Sepp Straka, Ben Griffin, Justin Thomas
1:44 p.m. Scottie Scheffler, Robert MacIntyre, Gary Woodland
1:56 p.m. Harris English, Marco Penge, Si Woo Kim
When is Rory McIlroy's Masters tee time?
Defending Masters champion Rory McIlroy will be teeing off at 10:31 a.m. on Thursday, April 9, in the first round of the tournament. He'll be joined by U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell and Players Championship winner Cameron Young.
