Masters Day One: Best Round 1 3-Ball Picks

The Masters tee times are now live for rounds one and two, which means we will know who is grouped together for the first two days, and what time they will be playing.

Be sure to check out the Masters tee times in full, which we will post at the bottom of this article, as there are many intriguing pairings. The main interest when these pairings came out was seeing who the LIV Golfers had been paired with, and you can now see who is going to be playing with the 18 LIV Golfers at least for the first two days.

Read on now for our favorite bets on Masters Day One.

Before you read the picks below and prepare to place the bets on your favorite picks of the group, make sure you are first claiming these Masters betting promos, and boosting your sportsbook balance handsomely at Augusta. With over $3000 worth of first bet protection and an additional $350 worth of bonus payouts up for grabs, it is definitely worth signing up for these new welcome offers.

Xander Schauffele to Beat Tiger Woods and Viktor Hovland in Round One

Xander Schauffele to Beat Woods and Hovland (+140) Bet $100 to collect $240 at Bet365

10:18 am (EST) Tee Time

Xander Schauffele is the player with the shortest outright odds in this group, and whilst playing with Tiger Woods comes with its own challenges, Xander is 2-0 against Woods when the pair have been grouped together on a Thursday.

Woods opened with a 71 here last year, which was a miracle given his long layoff, but I can't see him bettering that this week, which I think he'd have to do, to beat Xander, who I believe can shoot in the 60s on Thursday.

Hovland has been playing good golf all year with little reward, and he's an obvious threat, but I believe Schauffele, who has finished 2nd and 3rd here already in the past, has the edge based on his Masters experience.

Hovland has also never been paired with Tiger Woods in tournament play, which could well have a negative impact on him in round one.

In five starts here, Schauffele has posted five sub-70 rounds, and if he makes it six tomorrow, I think he wins this three-ball, and I like this as our first Masters bet on day one.

Russell Henley to Beat Fred Couples and Alex Noren in Round One

Russell Henley to Beat Noren and Couples (+137) Bet $100 to collect $237 at Bet365

8:36 am (EST) Tee Time

Time to start taking on the Seniors, and that starts with Russell Henley beating Fred Couples. Also in this matchup is Alex Noren, who has been nothing short of poor at Augusta in the past.

Since Henley missed the cut on his debut, he's a perfect five-for-five, and has never finished outside of the top 31. Henley has broken par in round one twice at Augusta, once opening with a 68 and another time opening with a 71. 

Henley's scoring average at Augusta is 72.45, which factors in a second-round 81 on debut back in 2013. 

Alex Noren on the other hand averages 75.13 around Augusta, and whilst Freddie Couples can of course post a low round, he's not posted a sub-70 round since 2013.

Couples has not made a cut here following his 38th place finish in 2018, and his scoring average in his past four starts is 76.25.

Henley can win this three-ball with a level-par round.

Charl Schwartzel to Beat Taylor Moore and Aldrich Potgieter in Round One

Schwartzel to Beat Taylor Moore and Aldrich Potgieter (+170) Bet $100 to Collect $270 at BetMGM Sportsbook

11:18 am (EST) Tee Time

2011 Masters Champion, Charl Schwartzel will be paired with two debutants for the first two rounds of the 2023 Masters. 

Taylor Moore is a recent winner on the PGA Tour and is understandably the favorite to win this three-ball, given that win at the Valspar, but I think experience shines through here.

Yes, Schwartzel has moved to LIV and that is considered a negative, but he is one of the few LIV players teeing it up here that has won on his new Tour, and a second-round 65 last week shows he's sharp enough. 

Aldrich Potgieter is a fellow South African and is an exciting amateur who likely has a big future ahead of him. He is a debutant though and an amateur and that puts him behind the eight ball here. 

Schwartzel has made his last three straight cuts at The Masters, finishing 25th, 26th, and 10th, and going back to 2017 he finished 3rd, so it's clear he still enjoys Augusta National.

If you are going to place a Masters bet on a LIV Tour player in Round One, Schwartzel is the man, as he takes on two newcomers. Patrick Reed is doing the same but he faces tougher competition in Adam Svensson and Sahith Theegala.

For a complete list of Masters odds, three-ball bets, and the best way to compare the top sportsbooks ahead of Thursday's opening round, check out the Masters 2023 odds comparison grid now.

Masters Round One Tee Times

All times below are in EST.

7:40 a.m. -- Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson (Honorary Starters)

8 a.m. -- Mike Weir, Kevin Na

8:12 a.m. -- Vijay Singh, Scott Stallings, Matthew McClean (a)

8:24 a.m. -- Sandy Lyle, Jason Kokrak, Talor Gooch

8:36 a.m. -- Fred Couples, Russell Henley, Alex Noren

8:48 a.m. -- Adrian Meronk, Kevin Kisner, Louis Oosthuizen

9:00 a.m. -- Larry Mize, Min Woo Lee, Harrison Crowe (a)

9:12 a.m. -- Sergio Garcia, Kazuki Higa, Keith Mitchell

9:24 a.m. -- Patrick Reed, Adam Svensson, Sahith Theegala

9:36 a.m. -- Shane Lowry, Mackenzie Hughes, Thomas Pieters

9:48 a.m. -- Bubba Watson, Seamus Power, Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira (a)

10:06 a.m. -- Abraham Ancer, Chris Kirk, Keegan Bradley

10:18 a.m. -- Tiger Woods, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele

10:30 a.m. -- Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay, Kurt Kitayama

10:42 a.m. -- Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Cameron Young

10:54 a.m. -- Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Smith, Sungjae Im

11:06 a.m. -- Jose Maria Olazabal, Cameron Champ

11:18 a.m. -- Charl Schwartzel, Taylor Moore, Aldrich Potgieter (a)

11:30 a.m. -- J.T. Poston, Francesco Molinari, Bryson DeChambeau

11:42 a.m. -- Bernhard Langer, Mito Pereira, Ben Carr (a)

11:54 a.m. -- Danny Willett, Gary Woodland, Brooks Koepka

12:12 p.m. -- Sepp Straka, Harold Varner III, K.H. Lee

12:24 p.m. -- Phil Mickelson, Tom Hoge, Si Woo Kim

12:36 p.m. -- Billy Horschel, Harris English, Ryan Fox

12:48 p.m. -- Zach Johnson, Jason Day, Gordon Sargent (a)

1 p.m. -- Brian Harman, Joaquin Niemann, Tyrrell Hatton

1:12 p.m. -- Dustin Johnson, Corey Conners, Justin Rose

1:24 p.m. -- Matthew Fitzpatrick, Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris

1:36 p.m. -- Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Sam Bennett (a)

1:48 p.m. -- Tom Kim, Rory McIlroy, Sam Burns

2 p.m. -- Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau