Hideki Matsuyama made the most of the rain delay on Saturday.
Credit…Doug Mills/The New York Times

When the 2020 Masters, delayed by coronavirus pandemic, was performed final November, the course was not in its normal springtime form, as Bill Pennington and Alan Blinder reported. The golfers ran amok, and Dustin Johnson gained with a rating of 20 below par, the biggest margin of victory within the historical past of the event, with 43 gamers ending below par.

What a distinction a season makes. Here’s what occurred within the first three rounds this week:

On Thursday, the course had its manner with the sphere, with solely 11 golfers ending below par. Justin Rose was an outlier, capturing a seven-under-par 65, and led after the first round. Only Rose, Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama shot beneath 70.

On Friday, the fan favourite Jordan Spieth, who has been waging a gradual comeback and gained his first event since 2017 the earlier week on the Texas Valero Open, turned in an excellent round, a four-under-par 68. He was simply two strokes behind Rose, the second-round chief. In a little bit of a shock, Johnson, the defending champion, Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy all failed to make the cut.

A 78-minute rain delay arrange a outstanding run up the leaderboard by Matsuyama. The 29-year-old Japanese star shot 65 to enter Sunday’s final round 11 under par. Four golfers had been tied for second: Rose, Xander Schauffele, Marc Leishman and the Masters rookie Will Zalatoris.

Hideki Matsuyama lining up a putt on Saturday. He led after three rounds.
Credit…Doug Mills/The New York Times

Coverage of the Masters Tournament is cut up throughout plenty of tv networks, streaming platforms and web sites, making it complicated to know how you can watch. The excellent news is that there are a selection of viewing choices, a few of them free, for golf followers.

Here is how one can catch Sunday’s remaining spherical.

The conventional tv protection of the event’s remaining spherical, which is able to culminate with any person donning a inexperienced jacket, may be seen on CBS from 2 to 7 p.m. Eastern time. That protection can be simulcast within the CBS Sports app and on the Paramount+ streaming service.

Groups start teeing off within the morning, nonetheless, and you can begin watching the Masters along with your espresso. On the Masters livestream there are 4 completely different “channels” to observe:

These choices all start and finish at completely different occasions, relying on when the primary golfers attain the completely different holes, however the featured teams channel kicks issues off at 10:25 a.m. Eastern. The featured teams are Paul Casey and Billy Horschel (10:30 a.m.), Bryson DeChambeau and Harris English (11 a.m.), Justin Spieth and Brian Harman (2:10 p.m.) and Justin Rose and Marc Leishman (2:30 p.m.).

You can watch the Masters livestream in plenty of completely different locations. ESPN+, Paramount+, the CBS Sports app, CBSSports.com and Masters.com all carry it.

If you might be extra interested by evaluation from speaking heads and photographs of golfers working towards earlier than their tee occasions, the Golf Channel is stay from the Masters each earlier than and after the principle protection on CBS. If you miss the ultimate spherical, encore protection begins nearly instantly, at eight p.m. Eastern on the CBS Sports Network.

A view of the 16th green at August National Golf Club on Thursday.
Credit…Doug Mills/The New York Times

The Masters Tournament is likely one of the South’s grandest spring traditions. Doug Mills, a New York Times employees photographer, has been capturing the ambiance all week:



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