WGC Cadillac Championship live stream: How to watch Thursday’s round online, TV coverage and more

The Masters is just over a month away, and the best players in the world are all assembled in Miami this week as the unofficial prep stretch for the season’s first major heats up. The WGC-Cadillac Championship is one of the top events on the entire PGA Tour schedule, but it’s also a sign that Augusta approaches. The WGC events boast fields that are just as deep and loaded with international talent as any of the majors, and this one has the entire top 50 in the world rankings, the first of any tournament since the 2012 PGA Championship.

While the top 50 in the world might be here, the one man who has dominated the World Golf Championships since they became a thing is not. Tiger Woods remains on his own personal leave, sorting out his game until it is “tournament-ready.” This is the first time in his career he has missed the Cadillac Championship, an event he’s won seven times. Doral is one those venues, much like Torrey Pines, Firestone, and Bay Hill, where we had almost come to expect Woods to win every time he entered. The WGCs are a product of the big-money Tiger era, so the past legends of the game aren’t part of these record books. But his 18 WGC wins may be the most overlooked but absurdly impressive thing about his career resume. The next closest person is Geoff Ogilvy, who was three WGC titles.

Sadly, even if Tiger wasn’t on his self-imposed hiatus, he couldn’t even play this event if he wanted to. Woods, somehow, isn’t qualified thanks to his wild tumble down the world rankings. At the top of those rankings is Rory McIlroy, who will be the favorite this week and could start stacking his own resume with WGC titles. Rory got his first in the last WGC he played, the Bridgestone Invitational back in August. His missed cut at last week’s Honda Classic left McIlroy “pissed,” but it should be nothing more than a little hiccup in another year firmly atop the world rankings and dominating the sport more than anyone else. An early season victory, particularly at this elite event, would only amplify all the hype surrounding McIlroy’s chase for the career grand slam at Augusta, where he will also undoubtedly be the favorite.

A new experiment from SkratchTV, the PGA Tour’s new digital network, is a pre-round camera on the driving range that’s operated by the fans via Twitter and Facebook. That camera will be running for two hours and you can Tweet (with the #SkratchTV tag) or comment on Facebook to indicate which world class player you want to watch pound balls on the range for a bit.

With some of the prettiest swings in the game, such as Rory and Adam Scott on hand, this should be a cool and different thing to watch earlier in the day.

Golf Channel will have sole coverage of the first round on Thursday, expanding their broadcast from the typical three hours for a first round to five hours for this loaded WGC event. With the field so limited and exclusive, the Tour can put every single player out on the course at the same time. Tee times are condensed into a two-hour window, beginning at 11 a.m. ET. So GC will get a chance to show a majority of McIlroy’s round, as well as anyone else who is in the field. It’s one of the big benefits of keeping things smaller at these no-cut tournaments.

If you’re unable to get in front of a TV, Golf Channel will also have their usual simulcast stream if you want to neglect your work at the office. Prior to the GC stream, PGATour.com will continue their LiveAt coverage with a featured holes stream. That will focus on the par-5 opening hole all four days. Here are all your media options for the opening round at Doral.

1 to 6 p.m. -- Golf Channel

1 to 6 p.m. -- Golf Channel simulcast stream