AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Masters champion Danny Willett will begin the defense of his title during the first round at Augusta National on Thursday at 12:24 p.m. ET, along with Matt Kuchar and U.S. Amateur champion Curtis Luck.
The pairings and starting times for the 94-player field were announced Tuesday afternoon, with the first tee time of 8 a.m. after the honorary starter ceremony involving Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.
Russell Henley, the last player into the tournament because of his win Sunday at the Shell Houston Open, will play with Daniel Summerhays in the first official group after the ceremony.
No. 1-ranked Dustin Johnson is in the final starting time at 2:03 p.m. along with PGA champion Jimmy Walker and two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson.
Other notable tee times:
• Jordan Spieth, runner-up to Willett a year ago after winning the Masters in 2015, begins play at 10:34 a.m. along with Martin Kaymer and Matthew Fitzpatrick.
• Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson follows at 10:45, with Rafael Cabrera Bello and Si Woo Kim.
• Second-ranked Rory McIlroy tees off at 1:41 p.m. along with Jon Rahm and Hideto Tanihara.
• Third-ranked Jason Day plays with Brandt Snedeker and Justin Rose at 10:56 a.m.
The groups will remain the same for the second round Friday. There will be a 36-hole cut to the top 50 players and ties, along with anyone within 10 strokes of the leader.
