Event of the Day: The Masters Day 1
Our event of the day takes us to Augusta National Golf Club where the 83rd edition of the Masters will get underway. The four-day festival of golf is widely considered the most prestigious tournament the sport has to offer and has produced 53 different winners since Horton Smith won the inaugural Masters all the way back in 1934. The first major of the year always seems to produce drama and in recent years has been a tournament for the underdogs and this year could be no different as none of the top 11 ranked players going into day 1 have donned the famous green jacket. The highest ranked former champion is none other than Tiger Woods, who currently sits 12th in the PGA’s official world rankings. The golfing legend, who has accrued winnings of over $115m in his illustrious career hasn’t finished top of the pile at Augusta since 2005 and he will be desperate to amend that record this time round.
However, coming into this tournament ranked just the 12th best player in the world, Woods will be well aware that there will be an incredible field of golfing talent trying to stand in his way. Going into the competition, Rory McIlroy is the overwhelming favourite to notch his first ever title at the world’s most famous golf course. Despite failing to come out on top in any of his last ten appearances at Augusta, the Northern Irishman has recorded five straight top ten finishes and always looks likely to be in the mix come Sunday afternoon. Amongst the other likely candidates for the green jacket are Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose, who have both had an exceptional start to 2019. Whilst Johnson won the Mexico Championship back in February, Rose came out on top at the Farmers Insurance Open and has already secured four top ten finishes on the tour since the turn of the year. However, both of these superstars are yet to secure their first Masters title and they’ll certainly be out to put that right this week. The unpredictability of this grand tournament makes the Masters what it is so you can be sure of four days of incredible sporting entertainment, with a few surprises along the way!
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the NHL where the reigning champions will get their postseason campaign underway as the Washington Capitals host the Carolina Hurricanes at the Capital One Arena. Carolina will be well aware of the daunting task at hand, as not only did the Capitals top the Metropolitan Division, but they also won all four regular season games against the Hurricanes making them the overwhelming favourites to progress to the next stage. Elsewhere, Huddersfield Giants take on Castleford Tigers in Betfred Super League action with both sides desperate to cultivate some form at this early stage of the season. In the AFL, Collingwood welcome Western Bulldogs to the Melbourne Cricket Ground as the hosts go in search of their second victory of the season. The Grand Prix Hassan II tennis has reached the Round of 16 stage where the German Alexander Zverev takes on Jaume Munar for a place in the last eight. Meanwhile, the Quarterfinals get underway in the Europa League tonight as Chelsea face Slavia Prague whilst Arsenal will hope to utilise home advantage against Napoli. Finally, in the Indian Premier League, the league leaders are in action as the Chennai Super Kings travel to Rajasthan to take on the Royals.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by The Masters