Masters 2024: Tiger Woods aside, 10 best pairings at Augusta detailed

As in any tournament he plays in, all eyes will be on Tiger Woods at Augusta National this week.

The five-time Masters champion feels confident that he can add one more Green Jacket to his closet, despite not playing all 72 holes in an official PGA Tour event since the 2022 Masters. He most recently withdrew from the Genesis Invitational in February, citing an illness, and before that, he teed it up at the Hero World Challenge in December.

Nevertheless, Woods will join Jason Day and Max Homa at 1:24 p.m. Thursday in the opening round of The Masters. This trio will begin their second round on Friday at 10:18 a.m.

Since most of the sporting world will focus on that marquee pairing, we want to highlight 10 other groups that will most certainly have our attention.

Here are the top 10 groups for the opening two rounds:

10. Gary Woodland / Thorbjørn Olesen / Bryson DeChambeau

Thursday: 8:48 a.m.

Friday: 11:54 a.m.

If you have not watched Jeff Darlington’s feature on Gary Woodland, you need to do so now. It provides a whole new perspective on the health issues that Woodland has had to overcome over the past year.

The entire golfing world is happy to see Woodland back at Augusta National, and we hope he can re-discover the form that led him to victory at the 2019 U.S. Open.

Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau’s game always draws intrigue. He once called Augusta National a par-67, but his best finish at The Masters came in 2016, when he tied for 21st as an amateur.

Perhaps he changes that narrative this week, but regardless, this pairing has plenty of storylines.

Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images

9. Dustin Johnson / Collin Morikawa / Tommy Fleetwood

Thursday: 2:00 p.m.

Friday: 10:54 a.m.

Dustin Johnson returns to Augusta National hoping to re-discover what he had in the autumn of 2020, when he set all kinds of scoring records. He recently said he could do so and that his game is trending in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood have been in poor form recently. They have each uncharacteristically struggled with their ball striking, which may point to signs of an early Masters exit.

Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images

8. Patrick Cantlay / Min Woo Lee / Rickie Fowler

Thursday: 10:06 a.m.

Friday: 1:12 p.m.

One of the most amusing players in the world, Min Woo Lee, arrives at Augusta full of confidence. But he has struggled with every facet of his game outside of hitting the ball a country mile in 2024

Similarly, Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler have also seen their games crumble this year. All signs point to this group having some trouble, which will undoubtedly entertain.

7. Jon Rahm / Matthew Fitzpatrick / Nick Dunlap

Thursday: 10:30 a.m.

Friday: 1:36 p.m.

Everyone is wondering how Jon Rahm will play as the defending champion this week. But knowing Rahm and his drive to compete, he will likely contend despite playing fewer events this year than in years past.

6. Phil Mickelson / Sepp Straka / Tony Finau

Thursday: 9:36 a.m.

Friday: 12:48 p.m.

Phil Mickelson has won three Green Jackets and fired a final-round 64 a year ago to finish in a tie for second. He loves Augusta National and seems to always play well here. But can the 53-year-old continue the momentum from last year? He has not competed in a major since.

Meanwhile, both Sepp Straka and Tony Finau hope to claim their first major championship, with Finau being one of Playing Through’s staff picks this week.

Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images

5. Hideki Matsuyama / Will Zalatoris / Justin Thomas

Thursday: 10:18 a.m.

Friday: 1:24 p.m.

Hideki Matsuyama has recorded four straight top-10 finishes. Will Zalatoris returns to The Masters one year after having a microdiscectomy, hoping to re-discover his form at Riviera and Bay Hill.

And Justin Thomas, who recently parted ways with Jim “Bones” MacKay, has a new caddie. Thomas missed the cut last year and has not played particularly well since the first month of the season. He needs a good week.

4. Brian Harman / Brooks Koepka / Tom Kim

Thursday: 1:36 p.m.

Friday: 10:30 a.m.

Brooks Koepka grew visibly frustrated with the slow pace of play during the final round of last year’s Masters. So, will he grow agitated with Brian Harman’s pre-shot routine? How many of his waggles can Koepka withstand?

Jokes aside, this group has plenty of storylines, considering Koepka’s collapse last year, Harman’s arrival as the most recent major champion, and Tom Kim’s desire to become South Korea’s first South Korean winner.

Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images

3. Wyndham Clark / Viktor Hovland / Cameron Smith

Thursday: 10:54 a.m.

Friday: 2:00 p.m.

Wyndham Clark is playing in his first Masters, capping off an incredible 12-month stretch of golf. He won the U.S. Open, set a scoring record at Pebble Beach, and recently finished second to Scottie Scheffler in back-to-back weeks.

Meanwhile, Viktor Hovland arrives searching for his game. He recently reunited with his old coach, Dana Dahlquist, and hopes that he will bring him success.

Then there is Cameron Smith of LIV Golf, a ridiculously good putter who withdrew from last week’s event in Miami due to food poisoning. Smith has four top-10 finishes at Augusta dating back to 2018, too.

2. Jordan Spieth / Sahith Theegala / Ludvig Åberg

Thursday: 1:48 p.m.

Friday: 11:54 a.m.

Imagine Jordan Spieth hitting a shot onto the Augusta National clubhouse? I wonder what the ruling would be.

Nevertheless, this has the potential to be the most entertaining pairings in Masters history.

You have Spieth and Sahith Theegala, who play similar and unpredictable styles. On one hole, you could have Spieth play from an opposite fairway while Theegala plays from the pine straw—and both will save par or perhaps even make a birdie.

Then Ludvig Åberg, a rookie, will serve as an equilibrium of sorts, as his stoic, robotic golf swing should suit Augusta National well.

1. Scottie Scheffler / Rory McIlroy / Xander Schauffele

Thursday: 10:42 a.m.

Friday: 1:48 p.m.

This dynamite pairing comprises three of the biggest stars on the PGA Tour, which explains why they will tee off on Friday afternoon—perfect for the second-round television window.

Scottie Scheffler is the overwhelming favorite, with odds so low that they have drawn comparisons to prime Tiger Woods.

Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, hopes to win and secure the Grand Slam, something he has been chasing for nearly a decade.

But Xander Schauffele has been chasing a major championship victory for seven years and clearly has the game to pull it off. He currently is on that dreaded list of “Best Players Never to Win a Major.”

This pairing has all the fireworks, and will not disappoint.

Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.