lt's no secret that many golf fans around the world are hoping to see Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy battle down the stretch at Augusta National this Sunday afternoon.
And for quite a while during Thursday's first round of the 2025 Masters, it looked as if both were set to be on the first page of the leaderboard after 18 holes.
Scheffler went out early and did his part, making four birdies en route to a bogey-free round of 68, which has him tied for second heading into Round 2.
Playing in the afternoon wave, McIlroy matched Scheffler at 4-under with a birdie at the par-5 13th. Just two holes later, however, Rory carded a double-bogey seven at the par-5 15th. And two holes after that, the world No. 2 recorded yet another double at the par-4 17th to drop back to even par, which is where he finished his day.
While the Scottie-Rory showdown is still possible, McIlroy will need to do some work on Friday to get himself back into the mix.
Stealing the show on Thursday was Justin Rose, who fired a brilliant 7-under 65 to take a three-shot lead over Scheffler, Corey Conners, and Ludvig Åberg. The 44-year-old made eight birdies on the day and had a clean scorecard until the par-4 18th, making a bogey after a disastrous tee shot.
Rose has now led or co-led The Masters after the first round five times in his career, thus breaking himself out of a tie with the great Jack Nicklaus for the most in tournament history.
The Englishman couldn't capitalize the first four times but will undoubtedly give it everything he's got over the next few days to get that first green jacket.
First up, of course, is Friday's second round, so let's take a look at how you can track Rose, Scheffler, McIlroy, and everyone else at Augusta National on cut day.
How to watch Round 2 of the 2025 Masters
As it went in the first round, ESPN will handle exclusive TV coverage of Round 2 of the 2025 Masters. It's worth noting, however, that the broadcast doesn't begin until 3:00 p.m. Eastern. A live simulcast will also be available on ESPN+ at that same time.
For those wanting to watch the action earlier, Masters.com, the Masters app, and Paramount+ will handle streaming throughout the day and will include featured group and featured hole coverage.
Here's a look at the entire Round 2 viewing schedule for Friday, April 11. (All times Eastern)
Streaming coverage
- Featured Groups: 9:15 a.m.-7:30 p.m. (Masters.com, Masters app, Paramount+)
- Nos. 4, 5, 6 Live: 8:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Masters.com, Masters app, Paramount+)
- Amen Corner (Nos. 11, 12, 13) Live: 10:45 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (Masters.com, Masters app, Paramount+)
- Nos. 15, 16 Live: 11:45 a.m.-7:00 p.m. (Masters.com, Masters app, Paramount+)
TV coverage
- Round 2 Broadcast: 3:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (ESPN—Simulcast on ESPN+, Masters.com, Masters app)
2025 Masters Round 2 tee times
Here's a look at the Round 2 tee times for the 2025 Masters. All groups will tee off on Hole No. 1. (All times Eastern)
- 7:40 a.m. – Cameron Davis, Rafael Campos, Austin Eckroat
- 7:51 a.m. – Angel Cabrera, Laurie Canter, Adam Schenk
- 8:02 a.m. – José María Olazábal, Thriston Lawrence, Brian Campbell
- 8:13 a.m. – Bubba Watson, Matthieu Pavon, Evan Beck (a)
- 8:24 a.m. – Tom Hoge, Matt McCarty, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
- 8:35 a.m. – Charl Schwartzel, Denny McCarthy, Hiroshi Tai (a)
- 8:52 a.m. – Max Homa, Justin Rose, J.J. Spaun
- 9:03 a.m. – Dustin Johnson, Nick Taylor, Justin Hastings (a)
- 9:14 a.m. – Sergio Garcia, Lucas Glover, Daniel Berger
- 9:25 a.m. – Patrick Cantlay, Rasmus Højgaard, Matt Fitzpatrick
- 9:36 a.m. – Brooks Koepka, Russell Henley, Sungjae Im
- 9:47 a.m. – Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland
- 9:58 a.m. – Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia
- 10:15 a.m. – Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau, Shane Lowry
- 10:26 a.m. – Jon Rahm, Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood
- 10:37 a.m. – Sahith Theegala, Sepp Straka, Sam Burns
- 10:48 a.m. – Davis Riley, Patton Kizzire
- 10:59 a.m. – Kevin Yu, Jhonattan Vegas, Nicolai Højgaard
- 11:10 a.m. – Mike Weir, Michael Kim, Cameron Young
- 11:21 a.m. – Zach Johnson, Joe Highsmith, Chris Kirk
- 11:38 a.m. – Danny Willett, Nicolas Echavarria, Davis Thompson
- 11:49 a.m. – Bernhard Langer, Will Zalatoris, Noah Kent (a)
- 12:00 p.m. – Cameron Smith, J. T. Poston, Aaron Rai
- 12:11 p.m. – Fred Couples, Harris English, Taylor Pendrith
- 12:22 p.m. – Corey Conners, Brian Harman, Stephan Jaeger
- 12:33 p.m. – Patrick Reed, Max Greyserman, Byeong Hun An
- 12:50 p.m. – Robert MacIntyre, Billy Horschel, Nick Dunlap
- 1:01 p.m. – Collin Morikawa, Joaquín Niemann, Min Woo Lee
- 1:12 p.m. – Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Keegan Bradley
- 1:23 p.m. – Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jose Luis Ballester (a)
- 1:34 p.m. – Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, Tyrrell Hatton
- 1:45 p.m. – Tony Finau, Maverick McNealy, Thomas Detry