MASTERS 2026 LEADERBOARD: LIVE UPDATES, ROUND 1 SCORES, PREDICTIONS
It's finally here. The Masters is back. Take it in for a moment to savor it.
The 90th playing of the iconic event begins Thursday, April 9, and the eyes of the golf world will be keenly focused on Augusta National Golf Club. Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Gary Player got us off and running with the Honorary Starter Ceremony early Thursday morning, and now the action is underway.
There's several TV and streaming options available but we also have you covered right here all throughout the day. Follow along below for live updates, scores, highlights and more from the first round of the 2026 Masters.
2026 Masters Tournament leaderboard updates
Keep tabs on every score turned in at Augusta National with the 2026 Masters live leaderboard. Here's what it looked like at the top as of 6:25 p.m. ET on Thursday:
How did the LIV golfers fare in Thursday's first round?
Underwhelming would be one word. All 10 shot even par or higher with Sergio Garcia posting the best score of the bunch.
Collin Morikawa says 74 was 'toughest round I've ever played'
He’s got one round in the books after a month away from golf to rest his ailing back, which is progress for Collin Morikawa. He just never expected the return to be so nerve-wracking. “Honestly, it's probably the toughest round I've ever played,” the two-time major champion said after a 2-over-par 74 in the first round of the Masters Tournament on Thursday.
— David Westin, Augusta Chronicle
Robert MacIntyre rinses two approach shots on 15
He's not the first to do it but Bobby Mac is just the latest to put two golf balls in the water on the 15th hole. He then hit his next way over the green, making sure he didn't send a third ball into the lake. He was 3 over before the 15th hole and this adventure is going to send him further down the leaderboard.
Rory McIlroy starts title defense strong with 67
Love story. It’s the title of the nine-episode series on John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bissette’s marriage that Rory McIlroy and wife Erica have been watching. But it also is a fairly accurate description of McIlroy’s relationship with Augusta National Golf Club. It’s gone from unrequited love to 2025 Masters champ and McIlroy picked up where he left off on Thursday.
— Adam Schupak, Golfweek
Friday tee times, groupings for second round at the Masters
The groups won't change for Friday but the start times will all flip from Thursday's first round. Check out the second-round tee times here.
Sam Burns signs for his career-best Masters round
Sam Burns has played in four Masters Tournaments. His best finish? A tie for 29th. Yet after his opening round Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club, Burns is tied with defending champion Rory McIlroy for the lead.
— Cameron Jourdan, Golfweek
Fred Couples posts a 9 on the 15h hole
Sitting at 2 under through 14 holes, the 66-year-old Couples was primed to start stealing some headlines. And then he did, but for the wrong reasons.
Couples posted a quintuple-bogey 9 on the par-5 15 hole. He laid up with his second but then rinsed consecutive wedges on his third and fifth shots, his yellow golf ball hitting the front of the green before rolling back into the water both times.
If you were wondering, no, the 9 is not the worst all-time score on that hole. That would be a 13 that Sergio Garcia had.
The troubles didn't end there for Couples. His tee shot on the par-3 16th bounced off the slope left of the green and went splash down. He re-teed and hit his third onto the green and needed two putts to get in the jar. That's a double-bogey 5 and it's a 6-over stretch over two holes for Couples.
Rory McIlroy closes with par on 18 for 5-under 67, tie for lead
McIlroy opens the defense of his Masters title with a 67. His scorecard had just one bogey (on the third hole) and six birdies, including three in a row on Nos. 13, 14 and 15. McIlroy is seeking to become the fourth back-to-back Masters champ in the 90 years of the tournament.
There have been only three back-to-back winners of the green jacket. Will Rory become the fourth?
Adam Scott goes 2, 3 at Nos. 12 and 13
Scott made birdie at Golden Bell with a 2 on the famed par 3, then followed that up with an eagle on the par-5 13th. Only one winner of the Masters has ever done that, and that was Byron Nelson. Not saying Scott is going to win, just saying.
Nicolai Hojgaard chips in for eagle on the 13th
After three straight bogeys, Hojgaard picked a good time to make a 3.
Rory McIlroy makes three straight birdies to tie lead
Defending champion Rory McIlroy birdied 13, 14 and 15 in the opening round to jump into a tie with Sam Burns at Augusta National. On the par-5 13th, the Northern Irishman laid up to 60 yards, pitched to 14 feet behind the pin, then made the putt for birdie. On the par-4 14th, he hit a 106-yard approach to 7 feet and made the putt. On the par-5 15th, he drove left behind the tall pines trees, laid up to 82 yards in the fairway short of the pond, hit a wedge to the back of the green 29 feet from the flag, then canned the birdie putt. The hot streak moved him to 5 under and into a tie with Burns.
Jack Nicklaus joins Prime Video studio to discuss Rory McIlroy
Sam Burns shoots 67, leads tight pack tied in second place
A serious logjam of big names was tied for second place at 3 under par midway through Thursday's second round. As Sam Burns closed out a 5-under 67 and held a two-shot lead at the time, there were eight players tied at 3 under: Kurt Kitayama (finished), Shane Lowry through 16, Jason Day through 16, Patrick Reed through 16, Tommy Fleetwood through 15, defending champion Rory McIlroy through 13, Aaron Rai through seven and Scottie Scheffler through three holes.
"I think this golf course is so tricky that you kind of try to get lost in your kind of process out there and just try to execute," Burns said. "I feel like you start thinking, you know, in the past or in the future, this is not really a golf course you want to do that. So I think for me just trying to go out, execute, have a good process, commit to the shot, and just be accepting of whatever happens."
Scottie Scheffler joins leaderboard with eagle
On a day with plenty of eagles at Augusta National Golf Club, Scottie Scheffler added one on the downhill par-5 second hole. The World No. 1 hit a 347-yard drive into the fairway, hit a 250-yard approach to 18 feet, then canned the eagle putt to move to 2 under par. Scheffler won the Masters in 2022 and 2024. He hasn't won since the season-opening The American Express in January, which seems like a lengthy lull after he racked up six PGA Tour wins last year.
Kurt Kitayama has crazy back nine
You're forgiven if you're dizzy after watching Kurt Kitayama's last 10 holes of the opening round. The two-time PGA Tour winner had only two pars in the closing 10 holes en route to an opening 69, good for a tie for third place midway through the round. Kitayama birdied Nos. 9 and 10, then bogeyed No. 11. He missed the green of the par-3 12th long and left and thinned a pitch shot across the green and into the water on his way to a double bogey. He then birdied 13, bogeyed 14 and birdied again on 15. His first par in the 10-hole stretch came on the par-3 16th, then he birdied No. 17. He finished on No. 18 with his second par of the stretch. He finished the round with eight birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey.
Back-nine birdies give Sam Burns lead
Five-time PGA Tour winner Sam Burns, ranked No. 33 in OWGR, birdied Nos. 12 and 13 to grab a share of the first-round lead at the time with Patrick Reed. Burns made a 20-foot putt on No. 12 for the birdie 2, then pitched his 50-yard third shot into the par-5 13th to 11 feet and made his second birdie putt in a row. Burns then birdied the par-5 15th to take the outright lead at 5 under par.
Shane Lowry dunks eagle wedge on No. 13
Shane Lowry climbed into the top three on the leaderboard with a 99-yard wedge shot into the cup on the par-5 13th. The Irishman, ranked No. 32 in the world, had laid up from 241 yards out after his tee shot. No problem: The eagle moved him to 3 under and into a tie for third place midway through the opening round.
"To be honest, it's been a number that I'm not overly comfortable with or I haven't been, and I did work on it a lot over the last two weeks. It was nice to pull it off," he said. "I knew when it was in the air, it was really good, but I knew it was going to go close, but it was nice to see it go in."
Bryson DeChambeau makes triple-bogey 7 on 11
Bryson DeChambeau was even par through the first 10 holes of Thursday's opening round, and the slugger managed to hit a 347-yard drive into the preferred right side of the fairway on the downhill par-4 11th. It all went even further downhill from there, though. He hit his 191-yard approach into the right greenside bunker, then took three shots to escape the sand. His third attempt barely made it onto the green, and he two-putted from there for a triple-bogey 7 to fall to 3 over par for the round.
Fred Couples birdies first two holes in opening round
Fred Couples, age 66 and the 1992 Masters champion, shook off the years again and opened the Masters with birdies on Nos. 1 and 2. He made a 16-foot birdie putt on the par-4 first, then pitched his third shot to within 3 feet on the par-5 second and made the putt. He was the second senior to start hot Thursday after Jose Maria Olazabal was 2 under through three holes earlier in the day before struggling on the back nine and finishing with a 2-over 74.
Tommy Fleetwood opens in 4-under 32
Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, hunting for his first major championship after winning the Tour Championship in 2025 for his first PGA Tour title, made birdie on No. 9 in the opening round of the Masters to post a 4-under 32 on the front nine. Ranked No. 4 in the world, Fleetwood trailed leader Patrick Reed by a shot at the time of the birdie.
Patrick Reed makes second eagle of first round
Patrick Reed played the first two par 5s of the 2026 Masters in 4 under par. After starting with a birdie on No. 1, Reed rolled in a putt from off the back of the par-5 second hole for a 3. The 2018 Masters champion then parred Nos. 3-7 before making his second eagle at the par-5 eighth. He hit a 286-yard tee shot into the uphill fairway, hit the middle of the green with his second shot from 290 out to the back pin, then rolled in a 56-foot right-to-left breaker for the eagle to reach 5 under and retake the opening-round lead.
Bryson DeChambeau gifts patron a ball after errant tee shot
Bryson DeChambeau sent one flying into the gallery on No. 6 and made it up to a patron with a souvenir.
Kurt Kitayama takes the solo lead
Kurt Kitayama is the first player to get to 4 under with his fifth birdie of the day just before 11:45 a.m. ET, which came at the par-4 10th. The 33-year-old California native is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour but is looking to capture his first major victory this week.
Haotong Li makes birdie from Rae's Creek
Now this is the kind of up-and-down you never forget. China's Haotong Li made birdie from Rae's Creek at No. 13 and then two holes later, made an eagle at the 15th to get to 1 under for the day.
Kurt Kitayama shoots 33, joins tie for the lead
Kurt Kitayama made four birdies to offset a bogey at No. 5 and shot 33 on the first nine Thursday at the Masters to join a tie for the lead with Patrick Reed and Tommy Fleetwood at 3 under as of 11:30 a.m. ET.
Collin Morikawa is playing the Masters
There were lots of questions surrounding Collin Morikawa's status after he tweaked his back and withdrew from the Players Championship last month. He seemed to be taking it easy in practice all week and his status was uncertain. Well, he's giving it a go, and he's even through four holes early Thursday.
Rory McIlroy birdies No. 2
Rory McIlroy got into red numbers with a birdie at the par-5 second. He's 1 under as he gets his title defense underway.
Tommy Fleetwood joins tie at the top with 3 straight birdies
Tommy Fleetwood made three birdies in a row on holes 2-4 to get to 3 under and tie Patrick Reed for the early lead Thursday. It's a dream start to the week for Tommylad, who is still seeking his first major victory after finally breaking into the PGA Tour winner's circle late last season.
Aldrich Potgieter shoots 44 on first nine
As the old saying goes, you can't win a tournament on Thursday, but you can certainly lose it. That seems to be the case with Masters rookie Aldrich Potgieter, who shot 8-over 44 on the first nine Thursday and put himself at the very bottom of the leaderboard. Tough start for the young South African.
Max Homa makes eagle at No. 8, shoots 35 on first nine
Max Homa qualified for the Masters thanks to his T-12 finish last year and he'll look to make the most of it this week at Augusta. So far, so good. He's 1 under through 9 holes after bouncing back from a bogey at the seventh with an eagle at No. 8.
Patrick Reed gets off to perfect start in opening round
Patrick Reed, the 2017 Masters champ, made birdie at No. 1 and eagle at No. 2 to get to 3 under and take the solo lead early Thursday at Augusta National.
Bryson DeChambeau gets his first round underway at the Masters
Bryson DeChambeau has gotten his first round underway at the 2026 Masters. He made par on No. 1 but found the left pine straw off the tee on the second. Click here to tabs on his opening round.
Shane Lowry opens with two birdies
Shane Lowry made back-to-back birdies at Nos. 1 and 2 to tie the lead early Thursday. The Irishman enters the week seeking his first green jacket and his second major title.
Sam Burns eagles No. 2 to tie early lead
Sam Burns got his week off to a hot start Thursday with an eagle at the par-5 second and has tied Jose Maria Olazabal's early lead at 2 under.
Amazon Prime Video debuts 'Inside Amen Corner' stream
If you're a data junkie, this is the stream for you.
Jose Maria Olazabal takes early lead at the Masters
Jose Maria Olazabal is turning back the clock early Thursday at the Masters. He made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 and as of 9:50 a.m. ET, he has yet to make a bogey. The 60-year-old Spaniard has the solo lead (very) early on at the Masters, an event he's won twice before (1994, 1999).
Jason Day breaks out the wild bird look for the first round
We all knew it was coming. Now it's here. Jason Day is wearing Malbon's "Birds of Georgia" jacket for the opening round of the Masters and, well, it's certain to draw some eyes. Check out Day's scripting and scripting for 20 other players from Golfweek's Nick Stavas.
Aldrich Potgieter skims chip into gallery on No. 1
Aldrich Potgieter is back at the Masters for the first time since 2023 and the nerves were clearly a little heavy for the South African as he skulled a chip across the green on the opening hole into the gallery. He posted a double-bogey on the first.
LIV Golf's Carlos Ortiz opens bogey, double, bogey
Carlos Ortiz has a pair of top-10 finishes on LIV Golf this year, and he missed the cut in his only appearance at the Masters in 2021. Ortiz had a rough start on Thursday, opening the round with a bogey on the first hole, a double on No. 2 and then another bogey on the third. We rank the LIV Golf players here.
Honorary starters off: Gary Player, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson kicked off the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club with the opening tee shots at 7:25 a.m. ET Thursday. This is the fifth year the trio has hit the opening tee shots at the Masters. Nicklaus has been an Honorary Starter since 2010, with Player joining him in 2012 and Watson in 2022.
Who won the Par 3 Contest?
Never in the history of the event, it's been repeated time and again, has the Par 3 winner gone on to win the Masters later in that same week. Perhaps Aaron Rai will break that trend. Wearing his trademark two gloves, Rai shot 6-under 21 to win the Par 3 Contest by a shot over Jacob Bridgeman and Johnny Keefer. Rai almost had a hole-in-one during the contest, a day that saw four aces in all. Rai will make his second Masters start in 2026. He tied for 27th a year ago after making the cut. His best score was 70.
Phone policy got Mark Calcavecchia booted from Augusta National
Mark Calcavecchia, the 1989 British Open champion, was removed from Augusta National Golf Club by security for using his phone at the 90th Masters. When the 13-time PGA Tour winner was reached by phone and asked to explain what led to his dismissal, he didn’t offer any details, but he also didn’t deny that it happened.
Where to watch the first round of the 2026 Masters
The first round is also special as the honorary starters kick off the proceedings live on Masters.com at 7:30 a.m. ET. Featured groups and featured holes coverage starts at 8:45 a.m. ET on Masters.com, the ESPN app, Paramount+ and Prime Video, which also then takes over as the main TV feed for two hours before kicking it over to ESPN.
- Prime Video: 1-3 p.m. ET
- ESPN/ESPN App: 3-7:30 p.m. ET
Watch the Masters on Prime Video
Who's playing in the Masters?
We should first remind you that for the first time since 1994, both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are not playing. The duo has a combined eight green jackets and they are among 17 past champs who are not playing. The field consists of a field has 91 players, including six amateurs, 22 first-timers, 17 past champions and 10 LIV golfers.
Hole locations for the first round of the Masters
Here are the hole locations at Augusta National Golf Club today:
Who's going to win the Masters?
Well, we won't know that until Sunday, but here's a look at some expert picks for 2026.
90th Masters deserves 90 facts
Here in 2026, it's the 90th playing of the Masters Tournament. First played in 1934 and then known as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament, the Masters has had many memorable moments, and perhaps more than a few things most fans didn't know about the event. Our Adam Schupak runs down 90 fun ones.
Par or better in first round is key for recent Masters winners
According to Augusta National:
Each of the last 20 Masters were won by a player who shot par or better in the first round, including Rory McIlroy last year (72). The last eventual winner to shoot 73 or higher in the first round was Tiger Woods in 2005 (74).
What's the weather forecast for Augusta on Thursday?
It should be a pretty great weather day at Day 1 of the Masters. It'll be the coolest of the four tournament days with a high expected of 74 degrees and just about a 10 percent chance of rain, according to AccuWeather. What happens to the golf course if it doesn't rain this week?
What is everyone saying about Tiger Woods at the Masters?
Even in his absence, Woods has dominated a good part of the discussion, especially early in the week. Read what many of the top pros are saying about him.
Masters key number
30. That’s how many of the last 31 Masters winners played Amen Corner (Nos. 11-13) at even par or better over four rounds.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Masters 2026 leaderboard: Live updates, round 1 scores, predictions
2026-04-09T10:06:24Z
