McIlroy's Masters Trio Announced, Featuring Young and Amateur Howell

The Masters has revealed the three-ball groupings for the first two rounds, with Rory McIlroy set to play alongside Cameron Young and amateur Mason Howell as he begins his title defence. McIlroy, who completed the career Grand Slam with a dramatic playoff win at Augusta National last year, is aiming to become the fourth player in history to win consecutive Masters titles. He will tee off at 10:31am local time on Thursday, with Young seeking to become the third successive player to win The Players and The Masters in the same season. Howell, the youngest player in the field, completes the trio. World No 1 Scottie Scheffler, meanwhile, has been paired with Scotland's Bob MacIntyre and former US Open champion Gary Woodland on the opposite side of the draw. The field of 91 players will contest the opening major of the year, with Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth, and Brooks Koepka also featuring in a high-profile three-ball. Bryson DeChambeau will play with Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick, while Tommy Fleetwood begins his bid for a maiden major title with Akshay Bhatia and 2018 champion Patrick Reed. The Masters will feature wall-to-wall coverage on Sky Sports, starting at 2pm on Thursday, with Featured Group action and regular updates from around the course available until the global broadcast window begins at 6pm.