ESPN Announces Multiplatform Coverage of 2017 Masters Tournament

For the 10th year, ESPN will air live play of the first and second rounds of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, part of extensive, multiplatform coverage of golf's first major of the season. In addition to the live telecasts, ESPN will have news, information and analysis on television and digital outlets for the entire week of the event.

ESPN and ESPN DEPORTES will air live action from the first and second round on Thursday, April 6, and Friday, April 7, from 3-7:30 p.m. ET with an edited encore presentation in prime time each night from 8-11 p.m. on ESPN.

Scott Van Pelt moves into the host role for ESPN's Thursday and Friday telecasts from Augusta National's Butler Cabin with ESPN golf analyst Curtis Strange. Van Pelt, Strange and Tom Rinaldi, who will conduct player interviews, will join CBS' golf announcer crew for the telecasts.

Prior to the live television windows Thursday and Friday, SPORTSCENTER will be the premier destination for golf fans to get their live Masters updates, including highlights of play, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Thursday morning's ceremonial first tee shot with legendary golfers Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player will air in the 8 a.m. hour of SportsCenter. Sage Steele, covering the Masters for the first time, and Van Pelt will be lead anchors for the weekday SPORTSCENTER segments.

ESPN also will air the traditional Masters Par 3 CONTEST on Wednesday, April 5, from 3-5 p.m. followed by a one-hour SPORTSCENTER at the Masters special at 5 p.m. An encore telecast of the Par 3 CONTEST will air at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.

All Masters programming on ESPN and ESPN DEPORTES also will be streaming live on WatchESPN and the ESPN App. ESPN began live telecasts of the first and second round of the Masters in 2008.

SportsCenter at the Masters

ESPN's flagship news and information program SPORTSCENTER will feature live updates from Augusta National Golf Club throughout the Masters Tournament beginning the morning of Monday, April 3, and continuing through the end of the event on Sunday, April 9.

On the first day of competition, Thursday, April 6, viewers will be brought up-to-date with multiple reports per hour on SPORTSCENTER including in-progress highlights, scores and interviews from 8 a.m. until ESPN's telecast of live play begins at 3 p.m. Live SPORTSCENTER updates also will air on Friday before the 3 p.m. television coverage begins. Steele and Van Pelt will be lead anchors for the weekday reports.

A one-hour SPORTSCENTER at the Masters special will air Wednesday, April 5, at 5 p.m. on ESPN with a preview of the Tournament. Van Pelt will host with analysts Andy North and Dottie Pepper, and reporters Rinaldi and Gene Wojciechowski. The SPORTSCENTER special follows ESPN's telecast of the Masters Par 3 CONTEST from 3-5 p.m.

On Tuesday, April 4, the news conferences of several prominent players will be aired on SportsCenter, with the schedule for morning and afternoon sessions to be determined. Also, ESPN will report the Masters first-round groupings as soon as they are announced. SPORTSCENTER airs on ESPN from 7 a.m. - 10 a.m., on ESPN2 from 10 a.m. to noon, on ESPN from noon - 1 p.m. and on ESPNEWS from 1-5 p.m. on Tuesday.

In addition to Van Pelt and Steele, Michael Eaves, Matt Barrie and Jonathan Coachman will appear in SPORTSCENTER reports from the Masters with North, Strange, Pepper, Rinaldi and Wojciechowski.

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