The Masters ends the 9-month wait for golf's most anticipated major

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — For a sport renowned for moving slowly, the Masters can't get started fast enough.

Wednesday at Augusta National was filled with anticipation, not to mention a bit of pollen from a glorious spring day in the South, as players filed out of the clubhouse for a final dress rehearsal at what has become the most anticipated major of the golf season.

Rory McIlroy walked out of the clubhouse through a crowd under the live oak tree and headed out for a quick nine holes in his bid for an elusive Masters green jacket, the final piece of the career Grand Slam. He played a money game with Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm and Shane Lowry before heading over to the Par 3 Tournament.

The Masters is so different from the other four majors.

It has the smallest field (95 players) on the prettiest property (home of a former nursery that now boasts more than 80,000 plants of 350 varieties) and is the only major referred to as a “tournament” instead of a “championship.”

And the final act Wednesday afternoon is for players to walk over to the Par 3 course with their toddlers dressed in white coveralls to play a tournament no one wants to win — the Augusta National curse is that no one has ever won the Par 3 Tournament and the Masters in the same years.

“The buildup to this event is a lot, and the sort of anticipation and we’re waiting eight or nine months for the next major to roll around from the Open championship,” McIlroy said. “To end your preparation with an afternoon like this ... it’s such a fun afternoon.”

And then it's time to get to work.

McIlroy comes to the Masters in the best form, having already won twice this year, and with arguably the most attention as he tries for the 17th time to join the elite list of slam winners.

The betting favorite remains Scottie Scheffler, coming up on two years as the No. 1 player in the world, already with two Masters titles. Jack Nicklaus is the only player to have won three times in a four-year span.

Scheffler said he's feeling good, even if he didn't sound that way with his nose stopped up.

“This rain and pollen out here,” he said. "I get out of my car in the morning, my eyes start watering. It’s a little bit worse than normal years.

“I'm feeling good,” he said. “Sniffles aren't going to stop me.”

The next four days will determine who can stop him.

This is the first time Scheffler hasn't won going into the Masters since 2021, when he was the No. 22 player in the world without a PGA Tour victory.

Scheffler is not big on looking ahead or celebrating anything behind him. His amazing season of nine wins worldwide, including Olympic gold, is a thing of the past. He doesn't know what scores Augusta National will yield or what it will take to win. It's about Thursday.

“I focus a lot on the preparation and getting ready to play in tournaments, and then I try to — while I'm playing — have a good attitude and approach the shots the right way. And that’s what I define success as,” Scheffler said.

“When I think about getting ready for this week, when I step on the first tee on Thursday, I’m going to remind myself that I’ve done what I needed to do to play well, and it’s all about going out and competing now.”

Augusta National was in pristine condition — anyone surprised? — despite the destructive Hurricane Helene that roared through the region last September and knocked out so many of the Georgia pines.

There is a noticeable difference, though maybe not to the television viewer. CBS Sports does not plan to show any before-and-after pictures, only what Augusta National is like now.

The stand of trees down the left side of No. 1 and the right side of adjacent No. 9 is thinner. Certain points up high reveal a view of Augusta Country Club, previously hidden by trees.

Jordan Spieth has quietly gone about his work this week, a player who typically can't be ignored at the Masters because of his history. He had the lead with 11 holes to play when he was a 20-year-old Masters rookie. He went wire-to-wire to win in 2015 and had a five-shot lead going to the back nine in 2016 until his famous implosion on the 12th hole.

Now he is on his way back from surgery on his left wrist last August, an injury that first affected him two years ago. He has flirted with contention a couple of times since his return, which was one of his goals.

“When I started back up, it was a 10-year outlook, not an April of ’25 outlook,” Spieth said. “It's a little too much to ask to feel I’m the best I’ve ever been coming off surgery. So I try to hit the fairway on No. 1 tomorrow and then I try to hit the middle of the green, and I go from there.

“You just take for granted being in contention on Sunday here. I was doing it a lot early on,” he said. “It’s just like there’s no cooler place to do it, no better feeling. So the goal is to get yourself on the back nine and have a chance.”

That's the goal of practically everyone at the Masters. The preparations are over. The fun ended with the Par 3 Tournament. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson hit the honorary tee shots Thursday morning to get the Masters started.

“If you’re not ready by now, then you don’t really have a chance," McIlroy said.

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Golfers putt on the 16th hole during a practice around at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Jon Rahm, of Spain, watches his tee shot on the fourth hole during a practice around at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Jordan Spieth holds his daughter Sophie on the seventh hole during the par-3 contest at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Jordan Spieth looks over the green on the sixth hole during a practice around at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, flips his ball on the 13th green during a practice round at the Masters golf tournament, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Scottie Scheffler interacts with his wife, Meredith, and their son, Bennett, on the seventh hole during the par-3 contest at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Scottie Scheffler hits his tee shot on the 13th hole during a practice around at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Scottie Scheffler, center, and Russell Henley, right, walk off the green on the 16th hole during a practice around at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, looks at his daughter, Poppy, on the first hole during the par-3 contest at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, walks on the green on the fifth hole during a practice around at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

U.S. forces have boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The announcement was made Friday by the U.S. military. The Trump administration has been targeting sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

The pre-dawn action was carried out by U.S. Marines and Navy, taking part in the monthslong buildup of forces in the Caribbean, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the vessel called the Olina.

Navy officials couldn’t immediately provide details about whether the Coast Guard was part of the force that took control of the vessel as has been the case in the previous seizures. A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard said there was no immediate comment on the seizure.

The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of a broader effort by Trump’s administration to control the distribution of Venezuela’s oil products globally following the U.S. ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.

The latest:

Richard Grenell, president of the Kennedy Center, says a documentary film about first lady Melania Trump will make its premiere later this month, posting a trailer on X.

As the Trumps prepared to return to the White House last year, Amazon Prime Video announced a year ago that it had obtained exclusive licensing rights for a streaming and theatrical release directed by Brett Ratner.

Melania Trump also released a self-titled memoir in late 2024.

Some artists have canceled scheduled Kennedy Center performances after a newly installed board voted to add President Donald Trump’s to the facility, prompting Grenell to accuse the performers of making their decisions because of politics.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says that she has asked her foreign affairs secretary to reach out directly to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Trump regarding comments by the American leader that the U.S. cold begin ground attacks against drug cartels.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News aired Thursday night, Trump said, “We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. It’s very sad to watch.”

As she has on previous occasions, Sheinbaum downplayed the remarks, saying “it is part of his way of communicating.” She said she asked her Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente to strengthen coordination with the U.S.

Sheinbaum has repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s offer to send U.S. troops after Mexican drug cartels. She emphasizes that there will be no violation of Mexico’s sovereignty, but the two governments will continue to collaborate closely.

Analysts do not see a U.S. incursion in Mexico as a real possibility, in part because Sheinbaum’s administration has been doing nearly everything Trump has asked and Mexico is a critical trade partner.

Trump says he wants to secure $100 billion to remake Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, a lofty goal going into a 2:30 meeting on Friday with executives from leading oil companies. His plan rides on oil producers being comfortable in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

The president has said that the U.S. will control distribution worldwide of Venezuela’s oil and will share some of the proceeds with the country’s population from accounts that it controls.

“At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is banking on the idea that he can tap more of Venezuela’s petroleum reserves to keep oil prices and gasoline costs low.

At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

Trump is expected to meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday.

He hopes to secure $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s oil industry. The goal rides on the executives’ comfort with investing in a country facing instability and inflation.

Since a U.S. military raid captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has said there’s a new opportunity to use the country’s oil to keep gasoline prices low.

The full list of executives invited to the meeting has not been disclosed, but Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend.

Attorneys general in five Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration after it said it would freeze money for several public benefit programs.

The Trump administration has cited concerns about fraud in the programs designed to help low-income families and their children. California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and New York states filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The lawsuit asks the courts to order the administration to release the funds. The attorneys general have called the funding freeze an unconstitutional abuse of power.

Iran’s judiciary chief has vowed decisive punishment for protesters, signaling a coming crackdown against demonstrations.

Iranian state television reported the comments from Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei on Friday. They came after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized Trump’s support for the protesters, calling Trump’s hands “stained with the blood of Iranians.”

The government has shut down the internet and is blocking international calls. State media has labeled the demonstrators as “terrorists.”

The protests began over Iran’s struggling economy and have become a significant challenge to the government. Violence has killed at least 50 people, and more than 2,270 have been detained.

Trump questions why a president’s party often loses in midterm elections and suggests voters “want, maybe a check or something”

Trump suggested voters want to check a president’s power and that’s why they often deliver wins for an opposing party in midterm elections, which he’s facing this year.

“There’s something down, deep psychologically with the voters that they want, maybe a check or something. I don’t know what it is, exactly,” he said.

He said that one would expect that after winning an election and having “a great, successful presidency, it would be an automatic win, but it’s never been a win.”

Hiring likely remained subdued last month as many companies have sought to avoid expanding their workforces, though the job gains may be enough to bring down the unemployment rate.

December’s jobs report, to be released Friday, is likely to show that employers added a modest 55,000 jobs, economists forecast. That figure would be below November’s 64,000 but an improvement after the economy lost jobs in October. The unemployment rate is expected to slip to 4.5%, according to data provider FactSet, from a four-year high of 4.6% in November.

The figures will be closely watched on Wall Street and in Washington because they will be the first clean readings on the labor market in three months. The government didn’t issue a report in October because of the six-week government shutdown, and November’s data was distorted by the closure, which lasted until Nov. 12.

FILE - President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)