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Who are the honorary starters for the 2026 Masters? Jack Nicklaus among golf legends kicking off event originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Masters' traditions are often a creature of habit, with this year's honorary starters being no exception.
Every year since 1963, golfing legends have served as honorary starters. While 60 years ago, these golfers would play nine holes, today, the main purpose is to take a swing, honor the contest and spend the rest of the event on the sidelines.
The same three legends have been the honorary starters for the past four years. This time around is no different.
Without further ado, here they are.
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Who are the Masters honorary starters?
Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson are back again for this year's Masters, kicking off the festivities.
All three of these golfers are green jacket winners in their own right. Nicklaus won six titles from 1963-1986, while Player won three from 1961-1978. Watson won two jackets of his own, in 1977 and 1981, beating out Nicklaus by two strokes on both occasions.
Nicklaus and Player have both been honorary starters for over a decade, with this being Player's 15th time on the opening tee.
Watson will take the green for the fifth time in 2026, after replacing Lee Elder, the first Black player to compete in the Masters, following his death in November 2021.
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What time does the Masters start?
The honorary starters will take the green at 7:25 a.m. ET on Thursday, April 9th. Following that, the first group, John Keefer and Haotong Li, will begin at 7:50 a.m. ET.
Fans will be keeping a close eye on Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy in the morning, with Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler teeing off between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. ET.
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How old is Jack Nicklaus?
Born just a year before the United States joined World War II, Nicklaus is now 86 years old. It's also been over 20 years since Nicklaus last competed in the Masters, back in 2005.
During Nicklaus' last Masters as a competitor, a 29-year-old Tiger Woods won his fourth green jacket.
With all eyes once again on the golfing world, Nicklaus will step out in Augusta as an honorary starter. He's been a stalwart of this tradition since 2010.
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