Five Things to Know About the 2024 Masters

It's officially springtime, and when it comes to golf that can only mean one thing.

The Masters is nearing.

As the first men's major championship of the year, the 88th Masters Tournament takes place at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, April 11-14. It's a kickstart to the golf season for many, as the weather gets warmer and courses in northern climates begin to open their doors.

Here's five things to know as the golf world readies with anticipation for the 2024 Masters.

In recent years, the Masters has been preceded by two wonderfully unique events in the Augusta National Women's Amateur (ANWA) and Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals. The ANWA is played this year April 3-6 at Champion's Retreat in nearby Evans, Georgia, for rounds 1 and 2, followed by a practice round and the final round at Augusta National. The morning after, 80 junior golfers ages 7-15 compete in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at the Tournament Practice Facility and 18th green at Augusta National.

ANWA coverage is on Golf Channel April 3-4, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. ET, and on April 6 from noon-3 p.m. ET on NBC. Drive, Chip & Putt coverage is on Golf Channel April 7 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. Speaking of TV coverage . . .

ANWA and Drive, Chip & Putt roll right into Masters week, with live golf coverage beginning on Wednesday, April 10 and the Par 3 Contest on ESPN+ from noon to 3 p.m. ET and ESPN from 3-5 p.m. ET.

The full Masters Tournament TV broadcast schedule:

Prior to the live coverage on Wednesday, Tuesday night is the Champions Dinner, served in honor of Jon Rahm, in which all past living Masters Champions gather to celebrate. And the menu Mr. Rahm has cooked up looks quite delightful:

Springtime in Augusta is always rippling with anticipation, but in recent years even more fervor has come regarding the status of a past Masters Champion: Tiger Woods.

We haven't seen Woods since The Genesis Invitational at Riveria in February, when he withdrew during the second round due to sickness. But as of now, the Masters website has Woods in the field under his past champion exemption, and we'll surely hear from the 15-time major champion in the coming weeks on his status.

For now, we wait.

Tiger's return is just one of the many storylines heading into the 2024 Masters. Can Rahm defend? Does Rory get his personal Grand Slam? Can Spieth garner some more Masters magic? Does Rickie get his first major?

All awesome stories for sure, but one Scottie Scheffler is arguably playing the best golf we've seen in some time. The World No. 1 went back-to-back with wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and THE PLAYERS, and has regained his confidence with a new mallet putter, which is bad news for the rest of the field at Augusta National.

Plus, Scheffler has the major monkey off his back after winning the 2022 Masters. There's no doubt coming to Augusta with all this momentum makes him the odds-on favorite to win. The question is . . . what happens on the second nine on Sunday?

Once the 2024 Masters Champion slips on the Green Jacket, it's time to look ahead to the next major championship on the men's professional golf calendar: the 2024 PGA Championship.

Making its return to Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, May 13-19, the 2024 PGA Championship is back in the Bluegrass State a decade after Rory McIlroy beat darkness and the field to capture his second PGA Championship.

Valhalla, like the Masters, will bring another set of unique storylines all its own: can Brooks Koepka win his fourth PGA Championship, tying Tiger Woods for second all-time? Does Rory repeat 10 years later? Can Spieth get his own personal Grand Slam? Tickets are selling fast, so make sure to get your own here, and catch a bit of history at Valhalla!

It's an exciting time on the golf calendar, folks. Buckle up and enjoy it!