Els putts his way to worst start

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It was painful to watch, Ernie Els stabbing his putter time and again, his hands seemingly gone numb, unable to make the ball disappear into the hole, even from inches away.

When Els’ torment on the first hole of Augusta National on Thursday finally ended after six putts for a quintuple-bogey nine, the four-time major winner must have wanted to dive into the cup and hide.

None of the putts even touched the hole until the last.

No player — not the aging former champions or many amateurs who have come to Augusta for 80 tournaments — had made nine at No. 1. Four had scored an eight.

Els, 46, has been in a much-publicized war with the putting yips — a dreaded ailment in which the hands twitch at the moment of contact — but his bizarre experience went beyond that. It was as if his brain and body lost all connection.

“I can’t explain it,” Els said after the round. “A lot of people have stopped playing the game, you know, it’s unexplainable. I couldn’t get the putter back. I was standing there, I’ve got a three-footer, I’ve made thousands of three-footers and I just couldn’t take it back.

“And then I just kind of lost count … I mean, the whole day was a grind. I tried to fight. I’m hitting the ball half-decent and I can’t make it from two feet.”

Els fought back to nearly stay under 80, but he bogeyed the last two holes for an eight-over-par 80. He also shot an 80 at the Masters in 1999.

Three of a kind

Arnold Palmer couldn’t miss it. Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player wouldn’t allow it. So the iconic trio united again early Thursday on the first tee for the Masters’ ceremonial opening tee shots.

Palmer, 86, was without a club, having decided long ago to be simply a spectator. Wearing his green jacket, he rose from a chair and offered a thumbsup when introduced by Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne. Nicklaus fought back tears.

Player, who at 80 made a hole in one in the par-three competition Wednesday, outdrove Nicklaus, 76.

“I hit a popup,” Nicklaus said.

Another old guy

Tom Watson, who is making his last Masters appearance and received warm ovations on every hole, opened with a decent 74 despite a double bogey on the seventh hole and a bogey at 18.

“I think 74 is not bad for old folks,” Watson, 66, said.

The two-time Masters champ shot 71 on Thursday last year, but struggled to 81 the next day. Watson is trying to make his first Masters cut since 2010, when he tied for 18th.

Notable

Rickie Fowler made double bogey or worse three times in his round and stumbled to an 80 — his worst score in 21 Masters rounds . ... Bubba Watson, the Masters winner in two of the last four years, collapsed with a six-over 41 on the back nine and shot 75.