Garcia has a dubious 13 on the 15th hole
AUGUSTA, Ga. - Defending champion Sergio Garcia made history – not the good kind – in the opening round of the Masters on Thursday.
Garcia carded a 13 on the par-5 15th after hitting five shots into the water in front of the green.
He matched the highest single-hole score in Masters history.
Tom Weiskopf had a 13 at No. 12 in 1980 and Tommy Nakajima did it at No. 13 in 1978.
Even for the mercurial Spaniard, this was uncharted territory.
“It’s the first time in my career where I make a 13 without missing a shot,” Garcia said. “Simple as that.”
Five straight shots went into the water. Four of them from less than 100 yards with a sand wedge in his hand.
And, finally, a one-putt from 10 feet for a 13 on No. 15 that sent golf writers scurrying to the Internet to find out what to call it.
For the record, it was an octuple bogey.
Also for the record, it was the highest score posted by any player ever on the hole that played second easiest for the field, and part of an 81 that was the highest score ever shot by a defending champion in the opening round of the Masters.
“I felt like I hit a lot of good shots and unfortunately the ball just didn’t want to stop,” Garcia said. “I don’t know, you know, it’s one of those things. So it’s just unfortunate, but that’s what it is.”
Woods is back in the pack: The first standing ovation came on the practice range.
There was more applause when he strolled to the 18th green, though most of the patrons stayed in their fold-out seats.
Tiger Woods is back at the Masters. Just not in the position so many of his fans were hoping he would be.
Woods plodded through an unspectacular opening round on Thursday, settling for a 1-over 73 that left him far off the lead but still feeling good about his chances.
Considering the buildup that accompanied his first competitive round at Augusta National since 2015 , it might have seemed like a bit of a letdown. Not to Woods.
“I could have easily let the round slip away from me, but I got it back,” he said, brimming with that bravado of old. “And I’m right back in this tournament.”
Wet and wild: Jason Day may have landed the shot of the day and his ball never saw grass or the hole.
In something out of a movie or cartoon, the second shot of the day by Day on the first hole hit a tree, bounced off a patron’s shoulder and landed in his beer.
The fan swigged down his rest of beer and gave the ball back to Day.
The Australian Day has won 11 PGA Tour events, including the Farmers Insurance Open in January.
But this is certainly the first time he’s found the bottom of a beer cup at Augusta – at least while using his club.
Rough start: Harry Ellis signed his scorecard for an 86 and was quickly escorted out by a green jacket member to a handful of reporters.
What would a 22-year-old redshirt senior at Florida State, the reigning British Amateur champion, have to say about the highest round of his year by 11 shots?
“A lot of guys, a lot of people generally around the world, will be looking at the score, whatever, but that’s irrelevant,” Ellis said. “It doesn’t really matter to me right now. It eats at me, no doubt, and I also want to come back tomorrow and bounce back, but there’s definitely a perspective.”
Florida State coach Trey Jones called Ellis a once-in-a-lifetime type of player to coach. Players reveal the most about themselves after a tough round, and Ellis was pure gold.
The entire field beat Ellis and he reveled in all that those 86 strokes taught him.
“When you have rounds like this you learn the most,” Ellis said. “And I’m open to that, so it’s fun.”
Ellis won the English Amateur at the age of 16.