How to watch Rory McIlroy at The Masters, TV details, tee times and betting odds - everything you need to know

McIlroy has finished in the top-10 at the famous Augusta National course seven times, including last year when he was runner-up to champion Scottie Scheffler.

The 33-year-old is looking to end an almost nine-year wait to win a fifth Major crown and if he’s able to leave Georgia donning the green jacket on Sunday evening, McIlroy will become only the sixth player in history to tick off the Grand Slam after Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen.

Matthew McClean is also flying the flag for Northern Ireland with the 29-year-old amateur, who is a member at Malone Golf Club, qualifying for this tournament by winning the US Mid-Amateur title in September.

Here is all the important TV info you need, what time you can expect to see McIlroy out on the course, who the bookies are backing for glory and more!

When is The Masters?

The tournament proper starts on Thursday and concludes on Sunday. There is a par-three contest on Wednesday which has become something of a curse for golfers – no one who has won that competition has gone on to top The Masters leaderboard!

How much does the winner get?

Along with the iconic green jacket, The Masters champion reportedly takes home a cool £2.1 million while second-place is in line to earn £1.2 million – not bad for a weekend’s work.

Where can I watch The Masters?

Sky Sports have the exclusive rights to The Masters in the United Kingdom with full coverage getting underway on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event at 8pm (UK time) on Thursday and Friday, but if you can’t wait until then you can check out featured groups and selected holes via the red button from 2pm.

Coverage should get underway around 3pm on Saturday and Sunday as those that make the cut fight it out.

What about if I don’t have Sky?

You won’t be able to watch any live action and unfortunately The Telegraph reported earlier this year that it’s unlikely the BBC will broadcast evening highlight packages for the first time since 1986.

Radio station talkSPORT will have regular updates from Augusta throughout the week from expert reporters Bob Bubka, Rupert Bell, Russell Hargreaves and Sean O’Brien.

Who do the bookmakers think will win?

Defending champion Scheffler and home hope McIlroy can’t be split with bookies currently pricing them both at 7/1 (as of Tuesday afternoon).

Jon Rahm (9/1), Jordan Spieth (16/1), Patrick Cantlay (18/1) and Justin Thomas (20/1) are deemed their closest challengers while The Open champion Cameron Smith is LIV Golf’s leading light (22/1).

Elsewhere, BoyleSports has trimmed the chances of McClean making the cut on Masters debut into 4/1 from 5.5/1 and he is priced at 50/1 to finish as the top Irish golfer.

What has Rory been saying ahead of teeing off?

On past experiences:

“I think you have to go through everything,” he said. “Not every experience is going to be a good experience. I think that would lead to a pretty boring life. You have to learn from those challenges and learn from some of that scar tissue that’s built up.

“I felt last year that I maybe shed some of that scar tissue and felt like I sort of made breakthroughs.

“I’m feeling as relaxed as I ever have coming in here just in terms of I feel like my game is in a pretty good place. I know the place just as about as well as anyone.”

On Augusta suiting his game:

“It does, but they said the same thing about Ernie Els, Greg Norman,” he added. “Just because a place is deemed perfectly set up for your game, it doesn’t automatically mean that you’re going to win it one day.

“There’s more to it than that. There’s also been players that you would think this golf course wouldn’t set up well for them, and they have went on and won a green jacket.

“I don’t need to do anything differently this week. I go out and play the way that I know that I can, get myself in with a chance to win, and then those last couple hours on Sunday, it’s not about whether the course sets up well for you.

“It’s about who can hold it together the best.”

Who is Rory playing with on Thursday?

The tee times for the opening round were announced on Tuesday evening with McIlroy starting at 6:48pm (UK time) alongside Sam Burns and Tom Kim.

McClean is in the third group out on Thursday at 1:12pm with 2000 champion Vijay Singh and Scott Stallings.