For a couple other big names at the Masters, just making the cut is no guarantee.
McIlroy and Sam Burns enter Friday's second round tied for first after opening with 5-under 67s at Augusta National. Those within striking distance include past champions Patrick Reed and Scottie Scheffler, plus a few others who have come close here in Justin Rose, Jason Day, Shane Lowry and Xander Schauffele.
Further back, a couple LIV Golf stars aren't yet certain of making the weekend. Bryson DeChambeau shot 76 on Thursday, and Jon Rahm was two shots worse.
“It's a hard golf course," Rahm said. "Some of the players might have been able to manage a respectable round, but when you have no feel with the swing whatsoever, it’s just not an easy one.”
McIlroy shot one of his best first rounds ever at the Masters, seemingly unburdened by the pressure of the year's first major after finally winning it last year to complete the career grand slam. Afterward, however, he said — gratefully — that he still felt some nerves.
“I was anxious just like I always am on that first tee. It’s the first round of major season, the first round of the 16 most important rounds of the year,” McIlroy said. “I’m thankful that I felt the same as I always have. I think it would be worrisome if I didn’t feel that way because it definitely still means something to me.”
Burns was at 5 under, and that matched his performance on the four par 5s: an eagle and three birdies.
Bryson DeChambeau watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga.
Eric Gay | AP
By the end of Thursday, there were some ominous signs, including a dry forecast that could toughen up Augusta National. Aside from McIlroy and Burns, only three players shot in the 60s.
The par-5 15th hole yielded the fourth-most birdies (21) on day one, but it was also the site of some of the day's biggest blowups. Danny Willett, Fred Couples and Robert MacIntyre made quadruple bogeys there, and Reed's second shot went so far past the green it ended up in the pond that's famously part of the par-3 16th.
“With that hole playing a little bit downwind, even though it wasn’t much wind, you had to land it a pace or two on the green at the most if you wanted to hold it with your second shot,” Scheffler said. “Stuff can happen quick around this place, and it’s really hard.”
Scheffler (70) was 3 under through three but didn't make another birdie the rest of the day. He's tied with Rose, Schauffele and Lowry, all of whom have finished in the top three at Augusta National but have never won.
Reed, Day and Kurt Kitayama shot 69.
DeChambeau, Rahm, Viktor Hovland (75) and Patrick Cantlay (77) better get moving if they're going to be relevant this weekend. MacIntyre (80) is in even worse shape after fuming through a back nine in which he sent an eagle putt clear off the green on No. 13 and shot a nine on 15.
The men’s First and Second Round will be broadcast across CBS, TNT, TBS and TruTV and streams on HBO Max.
The women’s First and Second Round will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews and streams on ESPN Unlimited.
NCAA March Madness is here! It’s been almost a year since the Florida Gators won the men’s basketball championship and the UConn Huskies earned the women’s title, and both teams have snagged top seeds at the 2026 NCAA tournament, too. The Gators find themselves sharing the No. 1 spot with Duke, Michigan and Arizona, while the women’s Huskies are joined by Texas, South Carolina and UCLA in the top four. At this stage of the tournament, all the top seeds are still in, although a few early upsets have seen teams like BYU and Wisconsin departing the men’s competition in the First Round.
By contrast, there haven’t been any major upsets in the women’s First Round, which continues through Saturday. The women’s Second Round begins Sunday. The women’s First and Second Rounds air on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews and stream on ESPN Unlimited. The men’s Second Round takes place Saturday and Sunday and games will be spread across CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV and will stream on HBO Max or Paramount Plus.
Here’s a breakdown of every team that’s playing, how to watch and everything else you need to know.
When is March Madness 2026?
March Madness 2026 began Tuesday, March 17, with the men’s First Four games. The women’s First Four took place Wednesday, March 18, and Thursday, March 19. Games will run through the rest of March and into early April; the women’s championship final is scheduled for April 5, the men’s for April 6.
Watch March Madness without cable
Women’s March Madness games will air across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews. Every First Four game of the women’s tournament will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN Unlimited. Men’s March Madness games will be split among CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. You can catch every men’s First Four game on TruTV via HBO Max.
ESPN
ESPN Unlimited is ESPN’s comprehensive, standalone streaming service. For $30 per month, you can watch every women’s March Madness game all in one place. Read our review of ESPN Unlimited.
Zooey Liao/CNET
With HBO Max, you can stream 46 games in the men’s March Madness tournament, including the Final Four and the Championship Final. And with HBO Max’s multiview experience, you can stream up to three matchups simultaneously. Live sports are only available on HBO Max’s Standard ($18.50 per month) and Premium ($23 a month) plans.
James Martin/CNET
You’ll be able to watch select games from the First Round to the Elite Eight live on CBS, which streams on Paramount Plus Premium. A subscription typically costs $14 a month, but now through March 31, new customers and select returning customers can get their first two months for just $3 a month.
Watch March Madness with a live TV streaming service
Don’t want to subscribe to multiple streaming services to watch March Madness? That’s understandable. There are a few live TV streaming services where you can watch most or all of the men’s and women’s tournaments all in one place. Each of them offers a free trial.
The men’s games will be on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV, and women’s games will be carried across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews. With a subscription to DirecTV, Hulu Plus Live TV or YouTube TV, you can watch every channel that’s broadcasting the men’s and women’s tournaments.
We’ll note that Fubo offers major sporting events and even includes access to ESPN Unlimited. It doesn’t carry TBS, TNT or TruTV, making it a less ideal option for watching the men’s tournament.
James Martin/CNET
YouTube TV costs $83 per month and includes CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV for the men’s tournament and ESPN’s suite of channels for the women’s tournament. Right now, you can sign up for YouTube TV and get your first two months for $60/month, and there is a free 21-day trial.
Not every local channel is available in every market, so you’ll need to make sure the networks broadcasting the 2026 tournament are offered in your area. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks you get.
Hulu with Live TV costs $90 a month and features every channel you need to watch both March Madness tournaments. On its live news page, you can enter your ZIP code under the “Can I watch local news in my area?” question at the bottom of the page to see which local channels you get.
DirecTV’s MySports package costs $70 a month and includes ABC, CBS, ESPN Unlimited, TBS, TNT and TruTV, which means it’s one of the most comprehensive places to watch every March Madness game. Use the channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. Read our DirecTV MySports review.
Fubo
Fubo’s sports package costs $46 for your first month after the free trial. Like the primary Fubo packages, it offers ABC, CBS and a subscription to ESPN Unlimited. Fubo’s Pro plan costs $74 a month and includes ABC, CBS and access to ESPN Unlimited. Fubo is currently offering the first month for $49 on the Pro plan. Click here to see which local channels you get. Read our Fubo review.
For more, check out our live TV streaming services guide and our recommendations for the best sports streaming services.
March Madness tournament schedule:
Men’s March Madness schedule
First Four: Tuesday-Wednesday
First Round: Thursday-Friday
Second Round: Saturday-Sunday
Sweet 16: March 26-27
Elite Eight: March 28-29
Final Four: April 4
National Championship: April 6, 8:30 p.m. ET (TBS)
Women’s March Madness schedule
First Four: Wednesday-Thursday
First round: Friday-Saturday
Second round: Sunday-Monday
Sweet 16: March 27-28
Elite Eight: March 29-30
Final Four: April 3 at 7 p.m. ET (Second semifinal starts 30 minutes after the first game ends.)
NCAA championship game: April 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
March Madness men’s individual game schedule:
All times Eastern. For completed games, the winning team is in bold.
First Four:
Tuesday
6:40 p.m.: No. 16 UMBC (83) vs. (86) No. 16 Howard (TruTV)
9:10 p.m.: No. 11 Texas (68) vs. (66) No. 11 NC State (TruTV)
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