Golf fans tuning into The Masters 2026 will need to settle in for a long afternoon and evening if they’re hoping to catch Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry in action, with both Irish stars handed later tee times for the second round at Augusta National.
The Masters cut rule remains one of the most talked-about aspects of the tournament.
Only the top 50 players (including ties) progress to the weekend, meaning a strong second round is essential. For those who struggled on Thursday, there is very little margin for error, while those near the top will be aiming to build momentum before moving day.
Conditions at Augusta National continue to play a huge role.
The course is famously unforgiving, with its undulating greens, narrow fairways and swirling winds capable of turning a good round into a disastrous one within a few holes.
As the day progresses, the greens typically firm up and quicken, making late tee times both a challenge and an opportunity.
Players heading out later — including McIlroy and Lowry — may face tougher putting conditions, but they’ll also have the advantage of knowing exactly what score is needed to stay inside the cut line.
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For Rory McIlroy, the stakes are particularly high. The Northern Irishman is once again chasing the one major that has eluded him — the career Grand Slam. Having come close in previous years, every round at Augusta carries added scrutiny. A solid opening round would have steadied expectations, but regardless of his position, Friday represents a crucial opportunity to either launch a charge up the leaderboard or simply grind out a score good enough to keep his hopes alive into the weekend.
Meanwhile, Shane Lowry arrives with his own ambitions. The 2019 Open Champion has shown in recent years that he has the game to contend at Augusta when everything clicks. Known for his sharp iron play and creativity around the greens, Lowry’s challenge will be to maintain consistency over 18 holes — something that often proves decisive on day two.
JANUARY 11, 2020 Shane Lowry of Ireland ponders his next move during the third round of the Hong Kong Open at the Hong Kong Golf Club
Television viewers in Ireland should also be aware of the time difference, with later tee times pushing coverage well into the evening. For those planning to follow McIlroy and Lowry shot-by-shot, it’s one for the late night — and potentially a very tense one if the cut line remains tight.
Another key factor on day two is pairing dynamics.
Players go out in reverse order of scores, meaning those who performed similarly on Thursday are grouped together. This can influence pace of play, rhythm, and even mindset, as competitors feed off each other’s momentum — positively or negatively.
For Irish viewers, coverage is available exclusively on Sky Sports and Now, with live broadcasts beginning from 2pm on Thursday and extensive build-up across the weekend.
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12.40pm Samuel Stevens (US), Sung-jae Im (Kor)
12.50pm Andrew Novak (US), Tom McKibbin (Northern Ireland), Brian Campbell (US)
1.02pm Mike Weir (Can), Wyndham Clark (US), Mateo Pulcini (Arg*)
1.14pm Zach Johnson (US), Michael Kim (US), Nicolai Hojgaard (Den)
1.26pm Danny Willett (Eng), Davis Riley (US), Ethan Fang (US*)
1.38pm Adam Scott (Aus), Daniel Berger (US), Brian Harman (US)
1.50pm Fred Couples (US), Min Woo Lee (Aus), Fifa Laopakdee (Tha*)
2.02pm Sergio Garcia (Spa), Aaron Rai (Eng), Jacob Bridgeman (US)
2.19pm Harry Hall (Eng), Corey Conners (Can), Michael Brennan (US)
2.31pm JJ Spaun (US), Maverick McNealy (US), Tyrrell Hatton (Eng)
2.43pm Jon Rahm (Spa), Chris Gotterup (US), Ludvig Aberg (Swe)
2.55pm Jordan Spieth (US), Justin Rose (Eng), Brooks Koepka (US)
3.07pm Sepp Straka (Aut), Ben Griffin (US), Justin Thomas (US)
3.19pm Scottie Scheffler (US), Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Gary Woodland (US)
3.31pm Harris English (US), Marco Penge (Eng), Si Woo Kim (Kor)
3.51pm John Keefer (US), Haotong Li (Chn)
4.03pm Naoyuki Kataoka (Jpn), Max Homa (US), Carlos Ortiz (Mex)
4.15pm Jose Maria Olazabal (Spa), Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (Den), Aldrich Potgieter (SA)
4.27pm Angel Cabrera (Arg), Sami Valimaki (Fin), Jackson Herrington (US*)
4.39pm Charl Schwartzel (SA), Max Greyserman (US), Ryan Fox (NZ)
4.51pm Vijay Singh (Fij), Matt McCarty (US), Rasmus Hojgaard (Den)
5.03pm Kurt Kitayama (US), Kristoffer Reitan (Nor), Casey Jarvis (SA)
5.15pm Bubba Watson (US), Nicolas Echavarria (Col), Brandon Holtz (US*)
5.32pm Cameron Smith (Aus), Sam Burns (US), Jake Knapp (US)
5.44pm Keegan Bradley (US), Ryan Gerard (US), Nick Taylor (Can)
5.56pm Dustin Johnson (US), Shane Lowry (Republic of Ireland), Jason Day (Aus)
6.08pm Patrick Reed (US), Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Akshay Bhatia (US)
6.20pm Bryson DeChambeau (US), Matt Fitzpatrick (Eng), Xander Schauffele (US)
6.32pm Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Collin Morikawa (US), Russell Henley (US)
6.44pm Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Cameron Young (US), Mason Howell (US*)
6.55pm Viktor Hovland (Nor), Patrick Cantlay (US), Alex Noren (Swe)
* denotes amateur
