2-time Masters champ advises Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler to "live long enough" to be part of Masters tradition

Modified Apr 12, 2025 11:55 GMT

Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler clicked at the Masters last year [Image via IMAGN]

Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm are two golfers who have etched their names in the sport's history. They have both won the Masters at Augusta, which earns them many privileges and makes them a part of all the important traditions at the tournament.

One such important tradition is the honorary starters. Golf legends Gary Player, Jack Nickalus, and Tom Watson were the honorary starters this year. When asked what advice they had for future honorary starters like Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm, Watson said, via ASAP Sport:

"Make it there. Live long enough so you can get the honor. Do what Jack and Gary have done. You have to win the Masters. That's part of the reasons why I guess we're all here. Jack six and Gary three, and I'm bringing up the rear with two. But still, when I got the call from Mr. Ridley to ask me if I'd like to be the Honorary Starter, I said, Well, I can't carry these two guys' shoes. I think you might be a little mistaken. He said, No, we're not mistaken, Tom; we'd really love you to hit the shot. I said, It would be my honor to do so."

Watson also added:

"In the same breath, he said, Now, Tom, this is your honor as long as you'd like to tee off first, we'd like you to do it. So I thought that was really very generous. Typical of the Masters club."

Apart from Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Watson, who were honorary starters, the 2025 Masters also witnessed legends like Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer compete in the tournament. Couples and Langer both put up impressive performances even though they couldn't win.

As for Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm, both these golfers made the cut after Round 2 of the Masters. While Scheffler finds himself tied for 5th place with a score of 5-under par, Rahm is on T41 with a score of 1-under par.

What time will Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm tee off in Round 3 of the 2025 Masters?

In Round 3 of the 2025 Masters, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm will tee off at 2:10 PM (ET) and 10:30 AM (ET), respectively. While Scheffler will be paired with Tyrrell Hatton, Rahm is paired with Zach Johnson. Here is a detailed look at the tee times and pairings for Round 3:

9:50 AM - Tom Kim
10:00 AM - Joaquin Niemann, Jordan Spieth
10:10 AM - Stephan Jaeger, Max Greyserman
10:20 AM - Danny Willett, J. T. Poston
10:30 AM - Jon Rahm, Zach Johnson
10:40 AM - Patrick Cantlay, Akshay Bhatia
10:50 AM - Denny McCarthy, J. J. Spaun
11:10 AM - Maverick McNealy, Charl Schwartzel
11:20 AM - Brian Campbell, Byeong Hun An
11:30 AM - Aaron Rai, Justin Thomas
11:40 AM - Sahith Theegala, Davis Thompson
11:50 AM - Matt Fitzpatrick, Wyndham Clark
12:00 PM - Nick Taylor, Daniel Berger
12:10 PM - Tom Hoge, Max Homa
12:30 PM - Harris English, Min Woo Lee
12:40 PM - Sam Burns, Nicolas Echavarria
12:50 PM - Brian Harman, Bubba Watson
1:00 PM - Davis Riley, Michael Kim
1:10 PM - Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood
1:20 PM - Patrick Reed, Collin Morikawa
1:30 PM - Ludvig Aberg, Hideki Matsuyama
1:50 PM - Jason Day, Sungjae Im
2:00 PM - Rasmus Hojgaard, Viktor Hovland
2:10 PM - Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton
2:20 PM - Matt McCarty, Shane Lowry
2:30 PM - Rory McIlroy, Corey Conners
2:40 PM - Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau

About the author

Varun is a Golf and WWE journalist for Sportskeeda with over 4 years of work experience in his bag. Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he worked for many sites, including EssentiallySports, FanSided, Khel Now, Get Football, and a few others.

Varun is a fan of golfer Scottie Scheffler due to the latter’s mindset, and he admires Roman Reigns’ ability to keep moving forward in life regardless of any obstacles. As a purist golf fan, he would love to compete at the Masters if given the opportunity, but is also happy with LIV Golf driving more eyeballs towards the sport. If he could go back in time and be a manager for someone in the WWE, it would have been Big Show.

Varun’s mantra for writing factually correct feature articles is thorough verification. Another key element in his writing is staying updated with both sports through the official websites of pro wrestling and Golf. He has had the privilege of interviewing MMA legend Greg Jackson in his career so far.

Varun likes to spend his free time reading or writing poetry and fiction. He also plans to learn and play golf in his spare time.

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Edited by Varun Anand Bhat