The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
■ How the favorites played Thursday,
This was billed as the most anticipated and competitive Masters in some time with a number of the world’s best golfers at the top of their game entering the tournament.
Could Tiger win again? How about the world’s No. 1 player Dustin Johnson? Or Rory McIlroy’s attempt to win the career Grand Slam?
After the first round at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday, the leaderboard after Jordan Spieth featured names like Tony Finau, Charley Hoffman, Adam Hadwin and Haotong Li.
Here’s a look at how 10 of the pre-tournament favorites fared in Round 1:
JORDAN SPIETH (-6)
Five straight birdies; that will work. Spieth’s birdie binge started on No. 13 and he moved from 2-under to 7-under par with the run. He bogeyed No. 18 to give one back but it could have been worse. His tee shot found the trees and he was force to chip back to the start of the fairway. A 3-wood finished off the green and he pulled off a remarkable chip shot to less than a foot. Spieth is alone in first.
RORY McILROY (-3)
Take advantage of the par-5s they say. McIlroy birdied Nos. 13 and 15 to get to 3-under par. However, it was a couple of par-saving putts that helped him keep his momentum. McIlroy said before the tournament that he didn’t want to get caught too far behind the leaders early in the tournament. A strong back nine left him just three strokes back. He is tied for fourth with six players.
PHIL MICKELSON (-2)
The quest to become the oldest Masters winner became real on the back nine. Mickelson birdied Nos. 13, 15 an 16 moving from 1-over to 2-under par. He came a foot short on his birdie putt at No. 18 and just missed joining the log jam of players tied at 3-under par.“I was fractionally off today,” he said. He is tied for 11th with four players.
RICKIE FOWLER (-2)
He was another player that closed fast to move up the leaderboard. Fowler birdied three of the final four holes after he was 1-over par after the first 14 holes. He birdied No. 15 with a two-foot putt. He birdied No. 16 with a four-foot putt. He birded No. 17 with a 27-foot putt.“I finally got one in there close in two on 15 and kind of got something going,” Fowler said. He is tied for 11th with four players.
JUSTIN ROSE (EVEN)
A birdie on No. 18 will help you sleep better. Rose made an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole to get back to even – and that’s a lot better than being over par. Rose was never worse than 2-over par and never better than the even par he started and ended the day. He is tied for 21st with seven players.
TIGER WOODS (+1)
The Tiger Effect was back as the fourtime Masters champion renewed excitement in his game as he returned from spinal fusion surgery. Woods hasn’t won since 2013 and hasn’t won a major in 10 years. Woods had an up-and-down round with some wayward shots putting pressure on his game. He birdied No. 3 for his only time in red figures. He finished with four bogeys and two birdies.“It felt great to be back out there again,”he said.“I only came up here the last couple of years just to have food.” He is tied for 29th with 12 players.
DUSTIN JOHNSON (+1)
There will be some regrets after the opening round. Johnson was 3-over par after 10 holes and he got to even par after 14 holes. He found the water on the par-5 No. 15 but saved par. He missed a seven-foot birdie putt on No. 16. His 37-foot birdie putt on No. 17 came up three inches short. The disappointment ended with a bogey on No. 18. He is tied for 29th with 12 players.
JUSTIN THOMAS (+2)
There is a chance for Thomas to overtake Dustin Johnson as the world’s top-ranked golfer. Thomas was even par through 15 holes when he took double-bogey at No. 16. His tee shot on the par-3 found the water and Thomas couldn’t recover after his third shot ended up 12 feet
from the pin. He is tied for 42nd with 12 players.
JASON DAY (+3)
The Australian got his ball in a cup on the first hole – but it was the wrong one to start the tournament. Day hit a shot that ricocheted off a tree, hit a fan’s shoulder and bounced into his cup of beer. The fan downed the rest of his beverage and handed the ball back to Day. Day bogeyed the hole for a rough start. He was 4-over par by the turn and could shave only one stroke in the final nine. A three-putt bogey on No. 16 hurt. He is tied for 55th with six players.
SERGIO GARCIA (+9)
The defending Masters champion most likely won’t repeat. Not after he took a 13 at the par-5 15th hole, dropping five balls in the pond guarding the green. Garcia came to the hole 2-over par and left at 10over par, tying the Masters record for the highest score on any hole. Good thing that amateur Harry Ellis shot 14-over par for the day’s worst round. He is tied for 85th with one player.