CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – One of the most anticipated and exciting weeks of the golf calendar is upon us as the best players in the world prepare to tee off at famed Augusta National Golf Club for 86th edition of the Masters.
By virtue of his Top-50 stature in the Official World Golf Rankings – coming in at No. 33 – Illinois alumnus Thomas Pieters is slated to make his third start in the field at the prestigious event.
Pieters tees off Thursday at 1:08 p.m. ET/12:08 p.m. CT and is paired with 2017 Masters Champion Sergio Garcia and Harold Varner III who is making his first appearance in the event.
Pieters impressed in his Masters' debut in 2017, capturing a tie for fourth behind Garcia, Justin Rose and Chal Schwartzel. That 2017 Masters finish marked the best finish of his career in a major championship. This week is his first time in the Masters' field since making a return trip in 2018.
Last weekend, while in Augusta preparing for the Masters, Pieters also took the time to come out to the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational – played at nearby Forest Hills Golf Club – to cheer on the Illini as they rallied for a third-place finish.
