At the Augusta National Golf Club, the entire golfing elite is once again gathered around superstar Tiger Woods. Starting today, 88 players are chasing the legendary green winner’s jacket at the Masters. For the first time in the history of the traditional tournament, 18 players from the LIV Tour are also at the start and will meet their former colleagues from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

The most important things about the 87th edition of the prestigious major tournament in Augusta:

The Rivals:

18 players from the controversial Saudi Arabia-funded LIV tour are allowed to tee off at the first major tournament of the year at Augusta National Golf Club. PGA Tour pros Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy join former colleagues and current LIV players Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith. The big question is: will the stars approach each other or will the fronts remain entrenched?

The Superstar:

Tiger Woods isn’t among the favorites for the title this year, but fans worship the superstar like no other. The competitors would never write off the 15-time major winner either. “He can achieve incredible things. He has all aspects of the game that you need to be successful on this course,” said Northern Ireland golf star Rory McIlroy. Just like in 2019, when after a long period of suffering with personal low points and injuries, Woods wrote one of the greatest comebacks in sports history with his fifth Masters victory. In February 2021, the 47-year-old had a serious car accident. Since then, the former number one in the world has only teeed off at selected tournaments.

The defending champion and the favourites:

The only way to get the Green Jacket is through the number one in the world. Scottie Scheffler is not only the defending champion, but also the dominant player in the golf scene at the moment. The 26-year-old US star triumphed at the PGA Championship in mid-March. Scheffler’s toughest competitors could be Spaniard Jon Rahm, four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy or Australian LIV professional and British Open champion Cameron Smith.

There Senior:

Germany golf legend Bernhard Langer is again the oldie in the field at the age of 65. It is the 40th start of the Masters for the man from Anhausen. Thanks to his Masters triumphs in 1985 and 1993, the old master enjoys a lifetime right to play in the major tournament in the US state of Georgia. In 2020, Langer even set a record in Augusta: As the oldest player in the history of the tournament, he made the cut.

The Champions Dinner:

It’s a 70-year-old tradition that the previous year’s winner has the Champions Dinner served on the Tuesday before the Masters. All Masters winners in history are invited. Scottie Scheffler treated his guests to cheeseburgers, shrimp, tortilla soup for starters and rip-eye steak or seared fish for mains. For dessert there were warm chocolate cookies.

The history:

The first Masters at Augusta National Golf Club was played in 1934. The tournament takes place annually. It’s the only major that’s always played on the same pitch. The event only paused during the Second World War from 1943 to 1945. The first winner was the American Horton Smith. US idol Jack Nicklaus celebrated the most successes. Nicklaus, known as the “Golden Bear”, won six titles between 1963 and 1986. The winner of the tournament receives the Green Jacket and a lifetime right to compete in the Masters.