Solar Eclipse 2024: Masters fans are handed protective glasses at Augusta to watch historic spectacle as Tiger Woods and Co. head out early for first day of practice

With Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and John Rahm set to practice at the Masters on Monday, Augusta National participants received a unique additional collectible: official tournament-issued solar binoculars.

The glasses are intended to protect the eyes of those present from the solar eclipse on Monday afternoon. And while they’re technically disposable, fans would be wise to hold on to the green cardboard glasses adorned with the famous tournament logo.

“All media members (and I assume customers) received a pair of eclipse glasses with the Masters logo upon arrival at Augusta National this morning,” Gabby Herzig of The Athletic wrote on X. “Yes, I will frame mine when I get home. ‘

“What a nice surprise,” said Grant Thomas, who entered the gate at 7 a.m USA today. “We’re experiencing a solar eclipse and Augusta on the same day. Not bad.’

Tournament officials warned in a statement ahead of the eclipse: ‘Do not look at the sun without suitable sunglasses during the eclipse. We ask that you exercise caution and be aware of your surroundings while wearing the glasses.”

The statement went on to warn attendees to aim their camera lenses at the eclipse.

“Optics can increase the intensity of sunlight, and this could cause damage to your equipment,” the statement said.

According to a subsequent post on

The maximum eclipse will be 76.1 percent at 3:08 PM and the eclipse will end at 4:32 PM.

Augusta, which sits on the border between Georgia and South Carolina, is not along the narrow corridor stretching from Mexico through the U.S. to Canada where Monday’s solar eclipse will be most visible.

The best weather was expected at the end of the eclipse in Vermont and Maine, as well as New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

It promised to be North America’s largest eclipse mass ever, thanks to its densely populated path and the pull of more than four minutes of midday darkness in Texas and other select spots. Nearly everyone in North America was assured of at least a partial solar eclipse, weather permitting. The show starts shortly before noon EDT in the Pacific Ocean.

As for the Masters, that show kicks off Thursday at Augusta National, where Woods & Co. practice started on Monday.

Woods is part of the conversation every time the Masters comes around and this year will be no different, even though the five-time champion is a longshot who has been severely limited when it comes to competition due to health reasons.

Woods, who endured a shortened 2023 season that included two PGA Tour starts before undergoing ankle surgery last April, will tee off in the first round of the Masters on Thursday after playing 24 holes of official golf this year and none since February.

Arriving at Augusta National without many competitive representatives is nothing new for Woods, who famously made his comeback at the 2022 Masters, where he finished 47th, just 14 months after a car accident in which doctors nearly amputated his right leg.

But Woods needs hours of preparation to get his battered 48-year-old body ready for a round of golf, and the toll a taxing Augusta National lineup and tournament play takes on him (particularly his back and rebuilt leg) should temper the toll . expectations.

“There’s no doubt he’ll make a lot of good shots, and he’ll make some putts, but can he keep that up in two, three, four days?” ESPN analyst and two-time US Open winner Curtis Strange said this during a conference call.

“That’s the question… and it’s a big question mark.”

At last April’s Masters, which was hit by heavy rain, high winds and cold temperatures, Woods visibly limped and withdrew before completing the third round due to plantar fasciitis and undergoing ankle surgery later that month.

Woods’ only PGA Tour start since came in mid-February at the Genesis Invitational, where he abruptly withdrew early in the second round due to the flu, a day after battling back spasms during the final holes of the first round.

While there is inevitably competitive rust in Woods’ game, he can take some solace in playing the Masters as it is the only men’s major played on the same course every year and he knows the layout better than anyone also in the field.

Woods, who has never missed the cut at the Masters as a professional, will also be looking to tie a tournament record for the 24th time in a row after tying Gary Player and Fred Couples last year.

Considering Woods has a long shot of about 160-1 to win a sixth Masters title this year, just making the cut and playing the weekend could be a victory for the most decorated golfer of his generation.

“If you ask him at the (pre-tournament) press conference, and he is asked, he will tell you he is there to compete and win. He means it. That’s not performative,” ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt said during the media call.

“But I think calmly, alone with his thoughts on Friday, if you said you played well enough to play two more rounds, then I would have to think that’s a win.”