Honorary starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson kick off the Masters

By Phil Casey, PA Golf Correspondent, Augusta

Honorary starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson got the 89th Masters under way at Augusta National on Thursday.

The illustrious trio, with 11 Masters titles between them, hit tee shots on the opening hole before retiring to the clubhouse.

All three men found the fairway with their drives, with Watson securing bragging rights with the longest shot ahead of Player.

Two-time winner Bernhard Langer was among the early starters on his 41st and final appearance in the tournament proper, with defending champion Scottie Scheffler getting his bid for a third title in four years under way at 1015 local time (1515 BST).

Scheffler is trying to become the first player in Masters history to win the green jacket in three of his first six career starts, while Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods are the only players to have won back-to-back Masters titles.

The world number one missed the start of the season due to surgery on a hand injury suffered while preparing Christmas dinner, but finished second in the Houston Open on his last competitive start.

“I would say that I feel very prepared for this golf tournament. This is definitely the most prepared that I’ve felt all year,” Scheffler said.

“This year coming off an injury was definitely a different feeling than I’ve had in the last few years.

“But as far as preparedness goes, this is definitely as prepared as I’ve felt going into any event this year and I’m excited to get the tournament going.”

Rory McIlroy, who needs to win the Masters to complete the career grand slam, had to wait until 1312 local time (1812 BST) to get his campaign under way.