2016 Masters TV coverage, online streaming: Matt Fitzpatrick tees off Thursday morning

In case you aren't an avid golf fan, here's an update as to how former Northwestern Wildcat Matt Fitzpatrick has fared in the past year or so.

To put it simply, he's killing it. He notched 10 top-10s on the European Tour in 2015 and picked up his first victory at the European Masters. All that strong play saw Fitzpatrick end the year in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings, which got him an invite to Augusta National. Fitzpatrick is currently ranked 43rd in the world.

This will be Fitzpatrick's second Masters, as he played as an amateur in 2014 after qualifying for the tournament by winning the 2013 US Amateur. He missed a 10-foot putt for par that year to miss the cut.

Fitzpatrick spent just one quarter at Northwestern before leaving school to pursue golf full time. He turned pro after the winning the low amateur medal at the 2014 US Open. Inside NU caught up with Fitzpatrick that year and discussed his decision to leave school.

Pairing Information

Fitzpatrick is paired with 2011 British Open winner Darren Clarke and 2014 FedEx Cup Champion Billy Horschel. They'll go off at 11:38 a.m. ET on Thursday and 8:42 a.m. on Friday.

How to Watch

The Masters is known for having some of the skimpiest TV coverage of any major sporting event.

ESPN will have live TV coverage from 3-7:30 p.m. ET on both Thursday and Friday.

You can live stream "Amen Corner," the nickname given to holes 11-13, from 10:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET on The Masters' website or CBSsports.com.

Those sites will also have coverage from holes 15 and 16 from 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET.

Expectations/Bets

Fitzpatrick hasn't played his best golf of late. He was eliminated in the group stage of his last start, the WGC Dell Match Play, and has yet to pick up a top 10 on the season. But it's not his first time around Augusta, which is a sizable advantage; the course tempts players to take risks and first-timers typically struggle. Fitzpatrick has some experience and will have a game plan as to when he wants to attack and when he'll play it safe.

That being said, don't expect too much from the young Brit. Augusta typically favors long hitters and many holes call for a left-to-right draw shape off the tee. Fitzpatrick doesn't hit it short by any means — he averaged 286 yards per drive on the European Tour last year — but his strength is his accuracy and his short game, and he prefers a fade off the tee. At least on paper, Augusta doesn't suit Fitzpatrick's game to a tee.

With that being said, he's a quality, quality player. You don't get to the top 50 in the world at just 21 years of age by accident. And at the Masters, anything can happen. Don't be surprised if Fitzpatrick puts together two solid rounds and gives himself a chance to post a solid finish.

Vegasinsider.com has Fitzpatrick at 250/1 to take home the green jacket.