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00:00The 89th playing of the Masters Tournament, now officially underway at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
00:07The big picture questions for us for the 2025 Masters, we will answer for you here and what it means for the odds board and the leaderboard all week long at Augusta.
00:18Again, about seven groups underway already on the course at Augusta National.
00:23Our leader through three, two under par, that is Zach Johnson, a former Green Jacket winner, and now at the later stages of his career, off to a good start this week at Augusta.
00:37Later on in the early morning hours, the RS, we will see some of those expected contenders, like Colin Morikawa, who enters this week with the fifth best price to win a Green Jacket, the first of his career.
00:49He tees off around 9.47 a.m. Eastern.
00:53And how about the reigning Masters champion?
00:56That would be Scotty Schefter, looking for his third Green Jacket in the last four years.
01:00We'll talk about the history at stake for Scotty in just a matter of moments.
01:05But we start DRS with Rory McIlroy.
01:08Of course, Rory McIlroy trying to win his first major championship since 2014.
01:13And any time Rory pulls up and drives down Magnolia Lane, there is one story above all else.
01:22Will this be the year, finally, the time at Augusta that Rory McIlroy wins his first Masters, dons the Green Jacket for the first time, and completes that career Grand Slam?
01:34What is your outlook for Rory McIlroy this week in the 89th Masters?
01:39We'll know in day number one, Ben.
01:41And the reason I say that, too, is, again, we just talked about Major League Baseball.
01:45You can't win a championship in April, but you can certainly help yourself lose it here.
01:48Nobody in the Masters typically is going to be like, you know what?
01:50I'm seven shots back in day one from the leader.
01:53That's perfect exactly where I want to be.
01:55You know where you want to be?
01:55Right up running in the top five, top 10, top 15, and say, you know, even if I didn't bring my best golf today, I'm still in it at this point.
02:02Rory can't be plus three at the end of today and say, you know what?
02:05I'm rating contention.
02:06That's what I need to see.
02:07If you want to win this tournament, you must be out in the lead here in the first round, in the second round, moving day on Saturday, right in position to put yourself in one of those final two groupings where you can watch, set the stage, see exactly what everybody's playing, and adjust your game accordingly here.
02:22That's what he needs.
02:23But also understand this.
02:24We had that graphic up.
02:25Like, Rory's had a ton of success in golf here.
02:28Multiple-time champion.
02:29But look at the dates, Ben.
02:312011, 2012, 2014, 2011, 2014.
02:34We're in 2025.
02:36Like, there might have been a time where Rory McIlroy, you thought, might be chasing down Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods with as many Masters championships and as many major championships as you have.
02:44He's still in his prime.
02:45But it is shocking that he's won a decade plus without winning a championship.
02:49And maybe that ends because this is the one he wants.
02:52This is the one he's putting all his marbles into.
02:54And we'll see if it pays out.
02:55But I need to see him, and I bet on him, to be strong in round number one to give himself a legitimate chance to win this thing.
03:0311 years ago, that was the last time that Rory McIlroy won a major title.
03:07It was the 2014 PGA Championship.
03:10He won the final two major championships of that year, the PGA and the Open.
03:15Now, of course, the PGA Championship is our second of four majors based on the golf calendar.
03:20But it's been a long time, more than a decade since Rory has won a major, let alone the entirety of his career, having not won a green jacket so far.
03:30His best finish at Augusta, a couple of years ago, finishing second in 2022.
03:37Donnie, to your point about a fast start from Rory, it is a necessity.
03:42He has not been great at Augusta National in the opening round.
03:45The last time he shot in the 60s at Augusta, a 69 to open back in 2019, leading to a top five finish.
03:55He was under par a year ago with a 71 in the opening round, but finished T-22 in the 2024 Masters.
04:04Rory has been very candid.
04:05He has been a spokesperson for the PGA Tour issues in golf.
04:09He has kind of become that figurehead in the last three to four years.
04:13He has also been very transparent about his struggles at the Masters and getting asked year in, year out,
04:19Hey, Rory, is this the year you're going to win a green jacket?
04:22He understands that pressure, but he does feel as though he is in the best state of mind entering this year's 89th playing.
04:31And it should be shared, DRS.
04:33Our last three Masters champ, Scotty Scheffler, 2022.
04:37Jon Rahm, 2023.
04:39Scheffler last year in 2024.
04:41All had multiple wins on the PGA Tour before donning that green jacket at the Masters.
04:48Rory has already won twice in this 2025 PGA Tour season.
04:52Yeah, coming in with confidence.
04:54And that's a lot of your game in golf.
04:55It's that confidence stepping up to that first team, knowing that, you know what, I'm going to win this tournament,
04:59as opposed to say, well, we'll see how this day goes, because the last few weeks haven't been all that good.
05:03I just got off the practice range where all I kept doing was duck hooking and slicing off of the tee.
05:08You'll know right away.
05:09And we watch it all the time.
05:11There's no pressure is pressure.
05:13Like these guys have teed off multiple times in major championships, 40 and 50 times.
05:16When you get up to hole number one in that tournament, you know the breathtaking spots of, I can win this thing.
05:23And it starts just with a good drive right down the middle of hole number one,
05:26as opposed to starting your tournament off with a bogey and or a birdie is a massive difference in confidence of just getting started.
05:33DRS, there's only been two times in Rory's career at the Masters.
05:37He has started in the 60s in that first round on Thursday.
05:41We mentioned 2018 and then in 2011, early in his career, when he looked as though he was going to take the golf world by storm
05:49and looked like he was going to win the green jacket before a disastrous back nine on Sunday.
05:54Of course, that all started on number 10.
05:57Rory McIlroy, plus 650, second best price to win this year's Masters tournament.
06:03I did bet on it, not because of the narrative, but because of the trends.
06:07And Rory winning twice already this year, AT&T, Pebble Beach Program, and of course, the Players' Championship just about a month ago at TPC Sawgrass.
06:16But entering the week, Rory's not the favorite.
06:19It is Scottie Scheffler at a four-to-one price, trying to win his second consecutive green jacket,
06:25his third Masters in the last four years, becoming the first player since Jack Nicklaus,
06:31if he can pull off this feat DRS.
06:33And Jack did it back in 1963, 65, and 66.
06:37To win three Masters in a four-year window.
06:41Incredible.
06:41And it's the toughest of the toughest golf courses, where if you are a veteran there, you understand how to play this golf course.
06:46Maybe some of the young guys would be a little bit behind the eight ball.
06:49But you talk about shot making, by the way, for the Masters, which is fantastic.
06:52The shots that some of these guys are able to play, the duck hooks around the trees, off the pine needles from 220 to cover, you know, a creek at this point.
06:59I love the Masters because it's beautiful on TV.
07:02And some of the golf shots that these guys are required to hit are absolutely phenomenally amazing.
07:07We'll talk more about the Masters and the Live Guys with some pretty favorable prices up next.
07:13The last few years in golf, with the tumult in this game between two sides, the PGA Tour, the Live Golf Series, we thought they were coming together.
07:23They still seem worlds apart.
07:25Each and every time we head to Augusta National in early April DRS, it is the first time that the best players in the world on either side all come together for the first time in a golf season.
07:37So each and every time we head to the Masters, there are those conversations about the Live Guys back with the PGA Tour players.
07:44I would say the vitriol, maybe some of that hate, has kind of dispersed, but it's just how do you handicap the Live Golf players when they are not playing the usual PGA Tour grind?
07:55Well, a lot of these Live Golfers in good form entering this week at Augusta, and the oddsmakers look at them rather favorably, like Jon Rahm, who enters the tournament with a 14-1 number.
08:07That is the third best price.
08:08Of course, he wore a green jacket as a Masters champion just two years ago in 2023.
08:14Bryson DeChambeau, who last year had his best Masters finish, T6, won the U.S. Open last summer at Pinehurst No. 2, outdueling Rory McIlroy, 18-1 for Bryson, tied for the fifth best price entering this week at Augusta.
08:30We know Brooks Koepka is always a big game hunter, 30-1.
08:33Joaquin Neiman, who tees off in just about 20 minutes, playing great golf right now on Live, a 33-1 number.
08:40Here, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson, both former Masters champs.
08:46TRS, how do you handicap the Live Golfers entering this week at Augusta National?
08:51Yeah, I don't hold anything against the golfers here, and they're playing on, you know, a major circuit.
08:55They're still grinding on a week-to-week basis, a little bit different than, obviously, the PGA Tour, but they're still getting their action in.
09:00And most of these guys will tell you, it's not the tournaments that, like, you know, put me over the top at this point.
09:05Yeah, it likes to stay sharp, but it's the practice that you put in and the rounds you put in.
09:09Like, Brooks Koepka gets to play, you know, Augusta the same amount of times that anybody on the PGA Tour does.
09:13It's not a day, hey, PGA Tour has three stops at Augusta.
09:16We get to play it two more times than you do.
09:17Like, no, it's one stop a year.
09:19Everybody's been there before.
09:20It has an equal amount to play.
09:21If you want to fly in during the offseason or during a, you know, summer month where you don't have a tournament that week, you can play it the same way the other guys do.
09:29So, I don't take anything against Live Golf where they play in Singapore or Hong Kong as if that's going to be a detriment to them coming back to Augusta at this point.
09:36Or they're not playing competitive golf.
09:37They are playing competitive golf.
09:39It's just a little bit different than what we see on the TV with the PGA Tour itself.
09:42So, for me, just to keep it short, by the way, on that graphic, you know, not betting all the way down the list.
09:47Is Dustin Johnson in the Masters?
09:50Or is he hurt?
09:50Yes.
09:51He can't be.
09:52Is he below 150 to 1?
09:53Or we just had to select guys because we couldn't fit them all in at that point?
09:56Let me find that number for you, DRS.
09:59He can't be below Mickelson, right?
10:01He's 110 to 1, is Dustin Johnson.
10:03I think we included Phil because of the notoriety of Phil Mickelson.
10:08There also are probably some Live Golfers that have shorter prices than even the 50 to 1 number on Sergio.
10:14With that being said, though, of course, Phil Mickelson, always noteworthy for what he says and what he does, of course, in the world of golf.
10:23And a couple of years ago, Phil Mickelson, despite being near 50, had a great finish at Augusta.
10:29Listen, I have a bet on Jon Rahm, not at 14 to 1, but a plus 150 number to finish top 10.
10:36To Donnie's point, they're still playing good golf, even on Live.
10:39It might not be the 72 holes of the PGA Tour, only a 54-hole event, but there's still some great golfers out there, and they're still playing frequently enough.
10:49And with a focus, Donnie, I think maybe more so than even PGA Tour players, everybody looks forward to Augusta all year long.
10:57It feels like the true start of a golf season.
10:59But for the guys on Live, because they get to compete against the best in the world for the first time at Augusta National, it does seem to me like a good opportunity.
11:10I've got a bet on Jon Rahm to finish top 10 at plus 150.
11:1412 total Live Golf players in this field, and our first to tee off in just a little bit, who has that favorable outlook, Joaquin Neiman at 947.
11:23Again, about 20 minutes away.
11:26By the way, we need factions in golf here at this point.
11:28Like, if you want to be like the bad boys of golf, like Live Golf comes back, say, like, if we win this, one of our guys, we'll double the paycheck there in the Masters here.
11:36Like, really make it and play it up would be fun to watch, because that would build the rivalry.
11:40The only thing I do get a kick out of, though, is some of the, like, you're a professional golfer.
11:44You're going to make as much money as you can.
11:45Like, going to Live Golf, I would have went each and every time.
11:48Like, oh, you can't, you know, just the PGA Tour at that point.
11:50Nonsense.
11:50You were stupid if you didn't go to Live Golf and take that extra $300, $400, $500 million, knowing that in a couple years, you'll probably be back on the PGA Tour as well.
11:58But that's where I like that faction coming in, where, like, it's the Rory McElroy.
12:01I didn't do it and buy it out.
12:03And John Rahm's like, yeah, what?
12:05Am I any worse for the wear with a couple hundred million dollars in my pocket?
12:08Oh, yeah, Rory.
12:08I'm still playing in the Masters just like you.
12:11Play it up, man.
12:11Make it like wrestling.
12:13Well, yeah, it is the major championships, right?
12:15And we do expect these two sides to merge at some point.
12:19And I remember being with you, DRS, now like two years ago, year and a half ago when we got that bombshell breaking news on the show.
12:26And still nothing to show for it as of this moment.
12:30The 89th playing of the Masters Tournament now officially underway in a round number one in 2025.
12:38Joining us live from the grounds at Augusta National Golf Club for a second consecutive day here on TEL, it is Keith Stewart.
12:45Keith, as always, we appreciate the time.
12:48Opening round now officially has begun in the 2025 Masters.
12:53What are you seeing so far early on on this Thursday at Augusta?
12:57Well, one thing's for sure, Ben.
12:59The last couple of years, and good morning to you guys here and good morning to everyone watching on TEL,
13:04we have seen weather kind of plague this event.
13:07You remember just a year ago, we were delayed in the start because it was pouring rain.
13:11But we have four spectacular days set up for tournament competition.
13:15The weather right now, it's about 55 degrees.
13:17It was a little crisper than that when the old guys got out there this morning.
13:20The honorary starters, Jack Nicholas, Gary Player, Tom Watson.
13:23They hit their tee shots at 740 a.m.
13:26And then from there, they let the boys out to play.
13:29And this golf course is set up spectacular.
13:31It's going to reach 75 degrees today.
13:33And the wind is going to stay kind of calm in the afternoon.
13:37So the guys are pumped right now on the practice facility.
13:42Keith, I heard a lot about, and again, weather conditions always are going to be important this week at the Masters.
13:46But a washout day of practice, who might that have affected?
13:49Because they're saying, like, if you were a veteran of the golf course, played their multiple rounds, you will be okay.
13:53Is that truly talked about where that washout day might affect some of the younger players in the tournament?
13:58Well, a lot of the guys that are your debutantes, right?
14:00And everyone talks about no one's won as a rookie since 1979.
14:03So it's been a long, long time.
14:05Wow.
14:05And you're definitely at a disadvantage.
14:07But those guys have the opportunity to come in and get some work done on Saturday and Sunday as well.
14:12So it's not like they're just excluded to all your, you know, they can only come Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
14:17So some of those rookie guys come in a little bit early.
14:19Or maybe once they are invited, they've already made a trip in the weeks previous, right?
14:24Now, it really all had affected with the patrons.
14:26Because if you had a bucket list day on Monday and you were, you know, asked to leave because of dangerous weather, then that's a big bummer.
14:32But for the guys, they basically play at this point.
14:35They train with about nine holes a day of practice.
14:37And then, you know, their time there on the range and the other practice facilities.
14:42So not as much of an effect other than the fact that, you know, just being here for an extra day would be a lot of fun if it was your rookie trip.
14:49So, Keith, there's a bunch of trends, of course, each and every year we get to Augusta National.
14:54As we watch this early wave here to begin play at the 89th Masters in this early portion of the opening round.
15:02Each of the last six winners, when the Masters has been contested in its usual time of year in early spring,
15:08have started in the early window and played in the late window on Friday, the early late designation of their opening two rounds.
15:16Is that a trend you expect to continue in 2025?
15:20And if so, which of these golfers that we see on the course at the moment might have benefit most?
15:26Well, just a couple of minutes before we came on, Colin Morikawa, who's definitely one of the people that we're talking about, plus 1600 on the board.
15:33He's out there, right?
15:35As we just come on the air, Scotty, JT, and the amateur champion, they have just teed off.
15:40But I'm going to go against that trend, Ben.
15:43And I know at Augusta National, you know, that might be a little bit of heresy, but here's the thing.
15:47What we know about the weather is that we're going to get a little shower this evening, right?
15:51And the guys that tee off in the PM-AM wave, they're going to get very little wind this afternoon.
15:56Tomorrow morning, they're going to get the softest conditions that they're going to get all week to score.
16:01And tomorrow afternoon, we expect wind in the 15 to 18 mile an hour zone.
16:04So, Scotty, JT, Colin, the guys that are going off this morning, they're going to get that wind tomorrow afternoon, and they're going to get the firmest test for all 36 of their holes before the cut.
16:14Now, your Rory's, your Bryson's, your Rahm's, your Zander's, right?
16:19They're going off this afternoon.
16:21They're going to catch tomorrow morning.
16:23They're going to have 36 contiguous holes.
16:25I think that trend gets upended this year.
16:27By the way, Keith, like, I love nostalgia.
16:30And no more nostalgic places in this country is Augusta, Georgia.
16:33They're playing at the Masters.
16:35Tell me about the vibe just walking around the golf course.
16:37And is it as great as it looks there that we see live on TV?
16:41Like, what happens on a normal day, specifically a Thursday at the tournament, and what's to look forward to?
16:47Well, you know, Donnie, if you travel or you go to any busy place, if you're in New York City, right, everyone is always so anxious.
16:54Everyone is in such a rush all of the time.
16:56Everyone's got their head down in their phone.
16:58The culture here is a step back in time.
17:00And I know that that sounds like kind of hokey to say that and everything, but it's so true.
17:04With no phones inside, everyone walks around in an orderly manner.
17:07People actually talk to one another.
17:10And believe it or not, they watch the golf because that's the only thing to do.
17:14They can't look at their phone.
17:16You know, they're talking to one another.
17:17You come in, you stay in large groups because if you get separated, how do I go find Ben and Donnie?
17:22I don't know where they are.
17:23I don't have any way to, you know, there's acreage here.
17:26So the most unique thing about this place is it is a total step back in time.
17:31If the three of us walked in and we were here to enjoy the golf tournament, we would put chairs down in one place where we want to sit later in the day.
17:36Nobody would touch those chairs.
17:38They would just leave them empty until we got there.
17:40Say we wanted to watch 16, the par three, the famous par three later in the day.
17:44But, and then all morning we could walk around, take an amen corner.
17:47We could go to the concession stands, go to the merch tent.
17:50Everything is just so calm and orderly and people are happy.
17:54And for so many people, like I mentioned earlier, it's a bucket list to be here, especially during the practice round days.
17:59It's, it's, it's just actually, it's, it's so refreshing that everyone has a smile on their face and they're just so grateful to be here.
18:06Ludwig Oberg talked about that before the tournament got started in his pre-tournament media availability, saying that because the patrons are not allowed to have phones, you feel a connection.
18:16You feel them really supporting when you are playing good golf.
18:19It's what leads to those famous roars around Augusta National.
18:24Ludwig will be in a group later this afternoon in a marquee spot, 1.12 p.m. Eastern time, alongside Akshay Batia and Rory McIlroy.
18:34Of course, Keith, any time that Rory takes the stroll down Magnolia Lane, he is asked one thing first and foremost.
18:41Is this the year you finally don the green jacket?
18:44So Keith Stewart, tell us, is this the week that Rory McIlroy completes the career grand slam at Augusta?
18:50It's the most popular question we continue to get all week.
18:53The pundits here down in the media center.
18:56We've got to come up with a theory why Rory will or will not win.
19:00This is a 17th term.
19:02And I don't know, Ben.
19:05Honestly, I don't feel very good about his candidacy this year for a green jacket.
19:10I think that Rory is doing a lot of self-talk.
19:12I think there's a lot of, you know, I'm treating this week like any other.
19:15It's not like any other week.
19:16It's not for you and I.
19:18It is not for anyone that gets the special opportunity to be here.
19:22So I'm not high on Rory.
19:24You know, the group before him this afternoon has Xander.
19:26I think X marks the spot.
19:28But we'll know more tomorrow when I see you guys.
19:30Pleasure to come to you from Augusta National.
19:33We will have you live tomorrow morning as well, Keith.
19:36We look forward to Friday after the opening round is done.
19:39Round one leader.
19:40Who is that going to be?
19:41What it means for the rest of the week at Augusta?
19:44Keith Stewart will tell you tomorrow.
19:45Enjoy opening round Thursday.
19:47More on the early line next.