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.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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)

MADRID (AP) — Coco Gauff overpowered defending champion Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 to reach the Madrid Open singles final for the first time Thursday.

Gauff broke Swiatek's serve three times in the first set and twice in the second to cruise to a 64-minute semifinal victory over the second-ranked Swiatek at the clay-court tournament.

Gauff will face top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-5 to reach the Madrid final for the fourth time in her career.

It was Gauff's first win over Swiatek on clay.

“The mentality that I had in the whole match was aggressive,” the fourth-ranked Gauff said. “Maybe it wasn't her best level today, but I think I forced her into some awkward positions.”

Swiatek had recovered from losing the first set 0-6 to Madison Keys on Wednesday.

“I couldn’t really get my level up,” the four-time French Open champion said. “Coco played good, but I think it’s on me that I didn’t really move well, I wasn’t ready to play back the shots with heaviness, and with that kind of game. It was pretty bad.”

The last time Swiatek won only two or fewer games in a match — on any surface — was a 6-0, 6-2 loss to Jelena Ostapenko in Birmingham in 2019.

“For me," Gauff added, “it was just making sure my level stayed the same. In the second, I raised it.”

Sabalenka returned to the final after ending Svitolina's unbeaten run on clay this year — she was 9-0 on the surface in 2025, without losing a set.

Sabalenka won the title in Madrid in 2021 and 2023, and was runner-up to Swiatek last year.

Gauff is 5-4 against Sabalenka and won their only prior meeting on clay, in Rome in 2021. The American also won their most recent meeting, at the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh.

By beating Svitolina, Sabalenka became the first player to obtain 30 main-draw wins at WTA events in 2025.

In the men's quarterfinals, Casper Ruud advanced by defeating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-5 to become the first player born in 1990 or later to reach 30 tour-level semifinals on clay.

The 15th-ranked Norwegian had been 0-3 against Medvedev in his career.

“I looked at our stats last night and saw he beat me on grass, outdoor hard and indoor hard. The last surface was clay so I thought, ‘please don’t make it 4-0,’” Ruud said. “I tried to use the surface to my advantage. I thought the level was pretty good from both players, I was impressed with Daniil’s ability to produce power here on clay."

Ruud will next face Francisco Cerundolo, who rallied to defeat teenager Jakub Mensik 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2.

Cerundolo had beaten top-seeded Alexander Zverev in the previous round.

In another quarterfinal, fifth-ranked Jack Draper defeated Matteo Arnaldi 6-0, 6-4. Arnaldi had beaten Novak Djokovic in the second round. Draper will enter the top 5 in the rankings for the first time thanks to his run in Madrid. He will face 10th-seeded Lorenzo Musetti, who beat Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 6-3.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Iga Swiatek of Poland reacts during her match against United States' Coco Gauff during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

United States' Coco Gauff serves against Iga Swiatek of Poland during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Casper Ruud of Norway, left, shakes hands after winning against Russia's Daniil Medvedev during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Casper Ruud of Norway celebrates after winning against Russia's Daniil Medvedev during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Casper Ruud of Norway returns the ball against Russia's Daniil Medvedev during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Casper Ruud of Norway returns the ball against against Russia's Daniil Medvedev during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Russia's Daniil Medvedev returns the ball against Casper Ruud of Norway during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Iga Swiatek of Poland leaves the court after losing against United States' Coco Gauff during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

United States' Coco Gauff returns the ball to Iga Swiatek of Poland during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

United States' Coco Gauff returns the ball against Iga Swiatek of Poland during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)