Often called “a tradition unlike any other,” the Masters golf tournament has a non-traditional media partner this year.

For the first time, Amazon Prime Video will stream two hours of early round live coverage from Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday and Friday (10 a.m. Pacific) ahead of ESPN’s telecasts on cable and its streaming platform. CBS will carry the final two rounds over the weekend as it has since 1956, while the network’s streaming platform Paramount+ will have two hours of early coverage on those days.

Amazon’s piece of the Masters came after years of talks the company conducted with Augusta National while building its portfolio of live sports events which include the NFL’s Thursday Night Football package, the NBA and NASCAR in the U.S. and Champions League Soccer and Wimbledon tennis in international markets.

Live sports rights are expensive — Amazon did not disclose what it’s paying for the Masters — but the biggest events guarantee large audiences, making them less risky than high-priced investments in scripted movies and TV series.

The Masters is the favorite week of golf enthusiasts and, similar to the Super Bowl, attracts casual fans as well. Last year, the final round on Sunday averaged 12.7 million viewers on CBS according to Nielsen, the highest since 2018.

The audience level peaked in the 7 p.m. Eastern half hour when 19.5 million viewers watched Rory McIlroy win his first green jacket after topping Justin Rose in a playoff following 18 holes. The triumph was a highly emotional conclusion to the ongoing drama of McIlroy’s pursuit of a career grand slam with victories at all four of golf’s major tournaments.

Augusta National takes special care to preserve the timeless experience of watching the best golfers in the world come together on the legendary course that first hosted the event in 1934. On-site fans, or patrons as they are called, are not permitted to have mobile phones.

But the folks running Augusta National are not Luddites. The Masters web site and app — developed by longtime tournament sponsor IBM — provides video of every shot. This year, the digital platform added a video vault that provides access to final round shots from 1968 to 2025.

Augusta National has tight control over the site and its content. But expanding coverage on Amazon recognizes the need to reach new generations of fans who are streaming-first in their viewing habits.

“Younger audiences have different expectations of how sports should be consumed,” said Tim Hanlon, chief executive of The Vertere Group a media industry consulting and advisory firm. “They are accustomed to flexibility, immediacy, and platform ubiquity. By those standards, the Masters has often appeared restrained, even stubbornly so.”

The TV deals for the Masters are known for having controlling restrictions. The networks carrying the tournament are limited to four commercial minutes per hour to enhance the viewing experience.

Amazon is adhering to those same rules in its presentation, while adding the data-driven analysis it has used in other sports coverage. Jared Stacy, vice president of global live sports production for Amazon, said in a recent interview that his team will maintain the understated tone of the Masters.

“I think we see the world a lot in the same way of really being respectful of the tradition of what the Masters is, but also being willing to innovate,” Stacy said.

Amazon has been careful to make longtime sports fans comfortable as more events move to Prime Video. The hiring of veteran sportscaster Al Michaels to handle “Thursday Night Football” immediately created a comfort zone for NFL viewers.

Stacy is applying the same formula to the Masters as Amazon has tapped golf legend Jack Nicklaus for guest commentary, which coincides with the 40th anniversary of his last victory at the event. Terry Gannon, a familiar face from the Golf Channel, will lead the coverage.

Amazon is expanding on the feature that has become the most popular element of the Masters web site by providing a continuous feed of the action throughout the weekend at Amen Corner, the famously challenging stretch of holes at Augusta National. It will provide hardcore golf fans with advanced stats and golf swing analysis.

As part of the buildup to the Masters coverage, Prime Video debuted “Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait” on March 30, a documentary on the popular golfer’s journey to his 2025 win. Additional programming matters to sports media partners as evidenced by the shout-out the project received from Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley at his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday.

“This film exemplifies Amazon’s dedication to bringing premium golf content to audiences worldwide,” Ridley said. “We look forward to a long relationship with Prime Video.”

While the limitations Augusta National has put on its coverage have helped make the Masters a distinctive sporting event, the rabid golf fan believes more is better.

“The mystique isn’t threatened by having more eyeballs on it,” said Bo McBrayer, co-host of the BettingPros golf podcast. “I wish I could watch every golfer hit every shot on demand, even more so at the Masters.”

The aftermath of Tiger Woods’ DUI arrest continues to unfold, as many are concerned about the 15-time major winner, while also condemning using a motor vehicle in an inebriated state.

Caitlyn Jenner, the Olympic gold-medal-winning decathlete and media personality, made an appearance on OutKick’s “Tomi Lahren Is Fearless,” where she was asked her opinions on Woods’ situation.

Woods’ DUI arrest resulted in charges of driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a blood alcohol level (BAL) test after law enforcement said his vehicle collided with another while he drove impaired.

“I look at Tiger and I saw what happened and I just think he needs to get humble,” Jenner said to Lahren. “Go to a recovery place, recover, clean himself up, and get back to being Tiger.”

Woods released a statement after his arrest and entering a not guilty plea, saying he understood the severity of the situation. He also noted that he would be stepping away from golf to “seek treatment.”

AUGUSTA NATIONAL CHAIRMAN REVEALS TIGER WOODS’ MASTERS STATUS AFTER DUI ARREST

As a result, Woods is not in the field at this week’s Masters Tournament. He admitted to law enforcement at the scene of his rollover crash in Jupiter Island, Fla. that he was “hoping to” be at Augusta National Golf Club this week.

While Woods seeks treatment, Jenner said people will be rooting for the legendary golfer to get back healthy.

“People love a comeback story. And what a comeback that could be if he could do that,” Jenner said. “He’s had so many health issues over the years, and injuries and back pain, and this and that. It’s a vicious cycle downhill, but you can [come back]. But it has to be done professionally. You have to go to a place that can help you out.”

A judge granted Woods’ request to receive treatment outside the country.

“I think Tiger’s a good person. He’s not a bad person. He’s a great person,” Jenner added. “And he wants to do good. He just has to get his life straightened out and get back to doing what he loves is playing golf.

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“So, yeah, I wish him nothing but the best. He’s not a bad person. He’s a good person. It’s just that I think he’s in a bad place because of all the pain and everything that he’s been through. Yeah. And I wish them the best, but he needs professional help to do that.”

This arrest marked Woods’ second DUI arrest within the last decade. In 2017, he was taken into custody, also in Jupiter Island, after taking prescription drugs and falling asleep behind the wheel of a running car at 3 a.m.

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Duped. Scammed. Gouged. Sidelined.

LA28 organizers probably didn’t count on such words accompanying their first big ticket rollout ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. After all, the committee and city leaders spent the last six months talking up the event.

The LA28 committee described the arrival of the Games as a boon for the city’s inhabitants, with unifying statements: “Creating the Games together!” Mayor Karen Bass promoted a “Games for All” vision. And we’ve been told over and over that tickets to events would start as low as $28, the 24% ticketing fee included!

The presale ticket lottery for those residing in ZIP Codes around LA28 venues also meant we would have a fair shake at getting into the Games, right? Finally, an affordable way into a major L.A. sporting event for those of us who are not Casey Wasserman, the multimillionaire chairman of the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

But that’s not what SoCal locals found in their first real brush with ticket access over the last week.

The presale launched Thursday, and by 10 a.m. Friday, aspiring ticket buyers reported that all artistic gymnastics events were marked “unavailable,” as was the opening ceremony. They observed that the few available tickets to swimming and athletic events such as track and field started at $1,116.27 per seat. Friends described the prices as “Criminal,” “Greedy AF” and “horrific.” My sibling said she felt crestfallen and likened it to discovering there was no Santa Claus. Jeffrey Epstein-level deception is where my mind went (please refer back to Wasserman).

Sunday was my window to sign in for the privilege of seeing what wasn’t available, or what was so far out of my price range it might as well have been cordoned off behind a gold rope and glass. There were no tennis, artistic gymnastics or men’s basketball tickets available. And by Monday, there were only a handful of events accessible for less than $150 a ticket (handball, women’s cricket, Judo). The women’s basketball bronze-medal game started at $407.17 a ticket.

Wait, was that a FBL08 Football (Soccer) Women’s Preliminary ticket at only $104.30? Forget it. It’s in St.Louis, among the handful of football (soccer) games that will take place outside California. The canoe slalom and kayak cross are scheduled for venues in Oklahoma City. Tickets are probably still available for those events, which even with air travel figured in may be the closest you’ll get to an affordable LA28 event.

By Tuesday’s draw, we were graciously given the option to purchase closing ceremony tickets at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, at $4,961.20 apiece.

Remember L.A., we’re all in this together.

With that in mind, LA28 has offered locals another way in that won’t cost a dime: Volunteer to work the events throughout L.A., be it at the SoFi Arena, the Rose Bowl, the Coliseum or in Santa Anita. We should probably clarify that the dime saved is theirs, not yours. You’ll be working for free.

Once the LA28 ticket portal opened, those of us who registered and were selected for the ticket draw had a 48-hour time slot to purchase up to 12 tickets per session or event. As that was hardly enough time to sell my home, jewelry and pets for ticket funds, my family and I will be watching swimming, table tennis and the 4×400-meter relay competitions from somewhere outside L.A. That way we’ll avoid the LA28 traffic, limited parking and inflated prices.

More tickets will become available, according to LA28. Tickets for the general public for the LA28 Olympic Games are on sale from April 9 to 19. This “Drop 1” is available to fans worldwide who registered for the ticket draw and were selected for a time slot. Maybe they saved the lion’s share of tickets for the rest of the world … because they need locals to volunteer?

When the organizers claimed they would be “celebrating the communities closest to the action with the LA & OKC Locals Presale … giving local residents the chance to experience the Games up close and secure seats starting at $28,” they didn’t say that the “experience” would probably be outside their venues, on your TV screen, with $28 worth of streaming fees and snacks.

Nothing like being locked out of a party that’s taking place in your own backyard. Way to go, LA28.