Masters 2015: Schedule for the week at Augusta National

The Masters is unlike anything else in golf for any number of reasons, and one of them is how entire week, not just four tournament days, becomes an event. From the practice days to the media center drama to the champions dinner to the par-3 contest, there’s plenty of buildup at Augusta National before the actual tournament even starts. There are press conferences, dinners, ceremonies, and practice at the other majors, but they’re not traditions and they’re not covered like events in the way all this preamble is at the Masters.

Jordan Spieth summed up the seven-day festival that goes beyond just four golf rounds with a simple tweet Sunday night.

This came just a couple hours after Spieth lost a playoff at the Houston Open, narrowly missing his second win in less than a month. The Houston Open is very nice event, but all minds were on Augusta and have been for several days now.

The week started on Sunday morning with the second Drive, Chip, and Putt Challenge. The skills competition is set up for boys and girls from ages 7 to 15, and is put on by Augusta in conjunction with golf’s other governing bodies as an effort to “grow the game.” It’s a fine and fun way to start the week, unless you want to feel terrible about yourself and your game by watching a 14-year-old poke it more than 281 yards.

With that challenge for the kids out of the way, the club yields way for full-time practice for the 98 players qualified and in the field. Here’s the schedule for the rest of the week.

This is the first official practice round day, but many players in the field have already made a loop or two through Augusta. Rory McIlroy came up a few weeks ago and played with his dad and Tom Brady. Tiger Woods, who already knows exactly what to expect in every spot on the course, played twice last week while trying to figure out if he’d actually return to the game of golf.

If you’re really, really ready to watch players hit golf balls at Augusta, there will be “On the Range” coverage on CBS Sports Network and streamed on Masters.com. That’s from Noon to 2 p.m. ET. Golf Channel will also have their Live From the Masters show all afternoon and in the evening (1 to 5 p.m., 7-8:30 p.m.) It’s Opening Day and the NCAA title game is at night -- you’d be forgiven if you missed practice round coverage on Monday.

More driving range coverage! The “On the Range” show will run from Noon to 2 p.m. again. But most of the notable events will be happening indoors on Tuesday. This is generally the preferred day by the top players for holding their press conferences. A full schedule has not yet been released, but Tiger Woods will likely meet the media at some point on Tuesday afternoon.

(Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

Up until this week, Tiger’s only public communication has come in little sanitized bits through his website. He’s been on hiatus from the game and from speaking to the media. In addition to Tiger, expect Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson, and Adam Scott to have their own press conferences in the briefing room earlier in the week and get plenty of publicity.

In the mid-morning or just before Noon, we should also have the pairings and tee times for the first two rounds. It’s always a fun exercise to dissect the tee sheet and see how the green jackets tried to force some narrative or commonality among playing parters. But they tend to make groups that won’t stir up media drama and be less controversial than what the USGA or PGA has been known to do.

In the evening, Bubba will serve his second Champions Dinner. The first time around, back in 2013, everyone thought he might get crazy and serve fried gator or some such. Instead, he went with a caesar salad, potatoes, and a filet. Regardless of which way he goes this year, the Masters is the only event where a menu and a dinner get so much attention.

Now the nerves start to become unsettled as the first round approaches and players have to worry about hitting competitive shots in the most important tournament of the year. To take the edge off, the traditional par-3 contest is played Wednesday afternoon. It is one of the most unique parts of Masters week and one of those traditions “unlike any other.”

This is one of the rare times the legends play in public. Unfortunately, Arnold Palmer won’t participate this year because of a shoulder injury that he had surgery on in recent months. He’ll be replaced by Ben Crenshaw, who will play with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. In addition to the old timers, this is also a fun event because the wives, girlfriends, and kids caddie while taking occasional swings, playing in sand traps, and running wild over the par-3 course.

ESPN will once again have coverage of the par-3 contest, coming on the air for two hours at 3 p.m. ET. They have covered the par-3 since 2008 and it’s grown from an enjoyable tradition to an in-demand pre-Masters appetizer.

Aside from the par- 3 contest, Wednesday will feature more rolling press conferences through the briefing room and two more hours of “On the Range” from 9 to 11 a.m. on CBS Sports Network. This is the day when ANGC Chairman Billy Payne also meets the press. In the past, this media session has become entertainingly contentious so that’s another thing to watch out for.

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The main event obviously doesn’t start until Thursday morning. But because the Masters has become such an institution, the unique week of pre-tournament traditions get an inordinate amount of attention. As for actual competitive play ...

Tee times should run from just before 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. On the weekend, the tee sheet should span from about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

ESPN will have sole coverage of the first two rounds, running Thursday and Friday’s broadcast from 3 to 7:30 p.m. each day.

CBS will take over on the weekend in their traditional role with their traditional announcers in their usual spots. Jim Nantz will be in the 18th tower and Butler Cabin, anchoring Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 2 to 7 p.m. (or the conclusion).

Masters.com will also have their usual streams up and running. There are four separate streams -- Amen Corner, Nos. 15-16, and two featured groups streams. The Amen Corner stream starts around 10:45 a.m., and the other three should all be live by Noon.

There is also “On the Range” coverage on CBS Sports Network from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. all four tournament days.

We find which American chain the green jacketed winner visited over night or in the morning. Bubba went to Waffle House last year. Phil went to the Krispy Kreme drive through in his new coat.