The 2026 Masters is officially underway, and like every April at Augusta, the stakes feel massive from the very first tee shot.
The 90th edition of the tournament teed off Thursday morning at Augusta National, with honorary starters striking the opening shots just before 8 a.m. ET, and the first competitive groups rolling out shortly after.
From there, it’s a full-day sprint, featuring group coverage that begins as early as 8:30 a.m., while broadcast windows stretch into the evening, with ESPN and streaming platforms carrying the action.
This year’s field sits at 91 players, one of the smallest and most exclusive in golf, with defending champion Rory McIlroy headlining a loaded leaderboard that includes Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau.
McIlroy, chasing back-to-back green jackets after completing his career Grand Slam in 2025, tees off Thursday morning alongside Cameron Young and amateur Mason Howell.
But as the competition ramps up, a completely different storyline is stealing some of the spotlight.
Enter Jason Kelce.
Fresh off his growing presence in golf media, Kelce stepped into a unique role at Augusta this week, joining ESPN’s coverage team during the Par 3 Contest.
Yet it wasn’t his broadcasting debut that got people talking, it was a heartfelt moment involving his daughter, Wyatt, that shifted the tone of Masters week.
Speaking Thursday, Kelce lit up while describing Wyatt’s recent introduction to the game, sparked by a now-viral clip of her swinging a club at the driving range.
“We’ve taken her [Wyatt] on the course a couple of times. Really, she just likes to be out there. We’ll put a ball down, and she can punt. This is her first time actually getting a legitimate club in her hand,” Kelce admitted. “We went to the driving range, and I could not tell you how much joy it brings you seeing really any kid hit a ball that’s doing it for the first time, but especially your own daughter. It was just so awesome.”
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The Par 3 Contest has quietly become one of the most beloved traditions in golf, largely because of moments like these, with kids running across fairways, families sharing the spotlight, and pros stepping out of their hyper-focused tournament mindset.
The “Frankie Fleetwood” reference Kelce made, a nod to Tommy Fleetwood’s young son charming fans in past contests, underscores how powerful those moments can be in shaping the sport’s next generation.
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As Round 1 of The Masters unfolds and contenders begin to separate from the pack, all eyes return to the course.
Tune in to see how McIlroy handles the pressure of history, whether Scheffler asserts his dominance early, and how Augusta’s notoriously fast greens shape scoring over the opening rounds.
