By Torleif Sorenson on 4/8/15

Masters Tournament officials have released the groupings and start times for the first and second rounds of the 79th Masters, which begins at 7:40 a.m. EDT Thursday morning, with the ceremonial tee-shots.

The grouping sheet does not reflect Marc Leishman's absence due to his wife's illness.

Prohibitive favorite Rory McIlroy will go off at 10:41 a.m. with three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson and Ryan Moore, who is ranked 29th in the OWGR and won the CIMB Classic in Malaysia last November.

Last year's winner, Bubba Watson is grouped with 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose and 2014 U.S. Amateur champion Gunn Yang of South Korea. They are scheduled to begin at 9:24 a.m. EDT.

The next grouping at 9:35 a.m. features 2013 champion Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson, and Australian amateur Antonio "Anthony" Murdaca, who won the 2014 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship — a tournament co-founded by Augusta National Golf Club.

Last week's winner in Houston, J.B. Holmes will go at 10:52 a.m. with reigning U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer and Brandt Snedeker, the 2012 FedEx Cup champion.

An marquee grouping of Jordan Spieth, world number-two Henrik Stenson, and Billy Horschel starts out at 1:15 p.m. Horschel was last year's FedEx Cup champion, on the obvious strength of his runner-up finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston and his two consecutive victories at the BMW Championship at Cherry Hills and the Tour Championship at East Lake.

At 1:37 p.m., another group worth watching hits the first tee. Englishman Luke Donald will go with emerging French star Victor Dubuisson and talented Australian John Senden.

In the very next group at 1:48 p.m., four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods heads out with 2014 Ryder Cup hero Jamie Donaldson of Scotland and red-hot PGA Tour star (and noted astrophotographer) Jimmy Walker.

In the final group of the day, they will be followed at 1:59 p.m. by another marquee trio: Australian-born Jason Day, Spainard Sergio García, and California-born Rickie Fowler.


  Groupings (PDF)

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