Rose blooms with 65 at fiery Augusta
Justin Rose humbled a firm and fast Augusta National layout that wreaked havoc upon many of the world’s top golfers, seizing a four-stroke lead on Thursday at the 85th Masters.
Rose, the 2013 US Open champion, birdied five of the last seven holes in shooting a seven-under-par 65, his career-low score by two strokes in 59 Masters rounds.
The 40-year-old Englishman defied a lightning-fast layout that baffled his rivals by going nine-under over the last 11 holes, the best such Masters closing run by any golfer since 2004.
“The start was slow but a little bit of experience kicked in, knowing it was a tough day out here,” Rose said. “I knew if I could keep it near par it would be a good day.”
Rose, a Masters runner-up in 2015 and 2017, took the 18-hole lead for the fourth time in the green jacket fight, after 2004, 2007 and 2008.
“Even if I haven’t got an arm in the jacket yet, I feel like I’ve been there to see what it’s all about,” Rose said.
Using a deft touch with irons and putter to solve the intimidating layout, Rose overcame bogeys at the first and seventh holes starting with an eagle at the par-5 eighth.
“Making eagle there was huge,” said Rose, whose last win coming in 2019 at Torrey Pines.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and American Brian Harman shared second on 69. Neither has ever won a major — or any PGA Tour event since 2017.
“I’ve never seen the greens so firm and fast,” 10th-time starter Matsuyama said. “It was like a new course for me playing today and I was fortunate to get it around well.”
Sharing fourth on 70 were 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, 2012 US Open winner Webb Simpson, Masters debutant Will Zalatoris and South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Only 12 players finished under par as mistakes were magnified around the hard-baked greens with winds adding to the intense challenge.
Top-ranked defending champion Dustin Johnson, trying to become only the fourth back-to-back winner, lipped out a two-foot putt at 18 to close with a double bogey and shoot 74.
“Conditions were very difficult,” said Johnson. “I felt like I played pretty well. “The last hole left a little sour taste in my mouth.
“The greens are always challenging but the wind, too. It was gusting and blowing and pretty hard to judge.”
Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, seeking a victory to complete a career Grand Slam, was off to his worst Masters start with a 76.
“The par-5s you can birdie but then you have to be happy with giving yourself 25-, 30-footers every time,” he said.
Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, who had right knee surgery in March, opened with a 74.
“It can get pretty dicey out here if you put it in the wrong spot, the way these greens are,” Koepka said.
Third-ranked Spaniard Jon Rahm, who only arrived on Wednesday after being with his wife for the birth of their first child, closed with a bogey to shoot 72.
“It was a battle,” Rahm said. “There was not one moment where I felt relaxed out there... everybody struggled.”
Sergio Garcia, the 2017 champion from Spain, compared his 76 to a boxing bout.
“I feel like just came out of the ring with Evander Holyfield, like a 12-round match,” he said. “I need to go home and rest.”
Also on 76 was 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, whose massive drive over the green into bushes at the par-3 fourth brought a double bogey. AFP
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
(par-72, USA unless noted)
65 — Justin Rose (ENG)
69 — Brian Harman, Hideki Matsuyama (JPN)
70 — Will Zalatoris, Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA), Webb Simpson, Patrick Reed
71 — Kim Si-Woo (KOR), Jason Kokrak, Shane Lowry (IRL), Tyrrell Hatton (ENG), Jordan Spieth
Selected scores
72 — Jon Rahm (ESP), Xander Schauffele, Marc Leishman (AUS)
73 — Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa
74 — Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson 76 — Rory McIlroy (NIR), Bryson DeChambeau