Most years, golf fans must wait an entire calendar year for the return of spring and the Masters. Although this past year seemed to drag on for the better part of a decade, we’ve had to wait the standard 12 months for the azaleas in Augusta again to bloom. This year’s tournament, however, is taking place a mere five months after last year’s version of the tournament was moved to November. For the first time in two years, we’ll get to see the Masters played in its traditional spot as golf’s first major tournament of the year on the second weekend in April.
Tiger Woods won the Masters two years ago, but he’ll miss this year’s tournament as he recovers from a serious car accident. Dustin Johnson is the defending champion from November and the favorite to win his second green jacket this week. Other favorites include Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
With or without a cable TV subscription, golf fans have plenty of ways to watch the world’s best golfers compete at the world’s best golf course this week. Here’s what you need to know.
- What: The 2021 Masters Tournament
- When: April 8-11
- Where: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
- Channels: ESPN and CBS
He won’t have Tiger Woods there this year to help him put it on, but Dustin Johnson is looking for his second green jacket at the 2021 Masters.
Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Live US TV coverage of the Masters
ESPN will broadcast the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday, and CBS has the weekend coverage for the final two rounds.
Thursday and Friday
- 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET (12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. PT) on ESPN
Saturday
- 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on ET (12 p.m. to 4 p.m. PT) on CBS
Sunday
- 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET (11 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT) on CBS
Free livestreams on Masters.com and CBSSports.com
On the Masters website or mobile app, you can stream live without having to sign in with a pay TV provider. You can also watch a livestream of the Masters on CBSSports.com or the CBS Sports app, also without needing pay TV credentials. The Masters site will have the TV simulcast livestream each day, and both the Masters site and CBS Sports will offer an additional five livestreams each of the four days of the tournament:
- You can follow featured groups at the Masters throughout each day.
- You can watch golfers navigate holes 4, 5 and 6.
- You can watch the action as it passes through Amen Corner, Augusta National’s most famous sequence of holes: the treacherous par-4 11th, the short par-3 12th, and the long par-5 13th.
- You can watch golfers navigate holes 15 and 16.
- You can select your favorite golfers and watch all of their shots with the My Group feature.
Live TV streaming options
If you don’t have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can watch the Masters with a live TV streaming service. All five of the major services offer ESPN, and four of the five (all but Sling TV) offer CBS. If you’re only interested in watching the final two rounds of the tournament over the weekend, you can use Paramount Plus. The catch is that not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries CBS in your area.
If you live in an area with good reception, you can watch the weekend coverage on CBS for free on over-the-air broadcast channels just by attaching an affordable (under $30) indoor antenna to nearly any TV.
Stream all four rounds on ESPN and CBS
Stream only the weekend rounds from CBS
You can watch the last two rounds of the Masters on CBS’s online streaming service. Paramount Plus costs $6 a month with ads or $10 a month without ads.
Stream only the first two rounds from ESPN
Neither of Sling TV’s plans offers CBS but its $35-a-month Orange plan includes ESPN for the first two rounds of the tournament.
Read our Sling TV review.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our massive streaming services guide.