The first pairing at the Masters teed off at 7:45 a.m. ET on Thursday. A little over six hours later, at 1:59 p.m. ET the final group goes off No. 1. Yet American television audiences won’t see any live golf until an hour after that when ESPN’s first-round coverage starts at 3 p.m. ET. That’s after stars such as Fred Couples, Rickie Fowler, Brandt Snedeker and Angel Cabrera will finish their rounds. Favorites including Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Jason Dufner and Jordan Spieth will have a few holes, at most, on TV.

Overall, The Masters, one of the biggest events in sports and a tournament that features action for most of the daylight hours between Thursday and Sunday, will get a scant 17 hours of live television coverage across ESPN and CBS this weekend. Earlier this year, there were 30 hours of live broadcasts from the NFL combine. Why does golf’s greatest event limit its television coverage despite insatiable demand for more?

Because that’s the way the Masters wants it.

Augusta National is protective of its tournament. For years, there were no cameras on the front side of Augusta. The first nine was like the dark side of the moon — only a few had seen it. Masters officials had been worried that too much television coverage would cut down on crowds. Even as recently as 2001, when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were in the final Sunday group, CBS would come on air at 4 p.m. on Sunday to only show the second nine.

Things have improved in the past decade. Now, viewers get full-round coverage of the leaders on Sunday and four hours on Saturday to watch most of the important play on “moving day.” It’s the early-round telecasts that are lacking.

The tournament has made up for this with online offerings that show live coverage from Amen Corner, hole Nos. 15 and 16 and two featured groups. It’s a flawless production on the best website/app for any sporting event, but it still makes the diehards watching think, “cool, but why can’t they just put this on TV?”

I’m one of those diehards who will be watching the online feeds on an iPad, laptop and backup laptop. And, to be honest, I sort of like it. Maybe “like” is too strong. I appreciate it. In this on-demand culture, when every piece of entertainment ever recorded is seemingly available with a few clicks of the keyboard, it’s endearing to have to work to watch something. It reminds me of how much I love watching the Masters. Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.

Anyway, the Masters’ television coverage is antiquated in good ways too. There are only four minutes of commercials per hour. The coverage is top-notch technologically, but doesn’t include the bells and whistles that clutter modern sports telecasts. It’s a fine trade-off. And even if you’re frustrated on Thursday because you can’t watch golf’s first major until late afternoon, you forget all that the instant those soft guitar notes welcome viewers to the Masters. It’s always worth the wait.