Hoffman seizes chance in style
"For lack of any better words, it was a dream." Charley Hoffman
The biggest shot on the first day of the Masters might have been the one that was never taken.
The most memorable shot - take your pick, there were plenty of them - was by a 40-year-old journeyman from San Diego who seemed to be playing a different game on a different course.
Charley Hoffman, who carded a seven-under-par 65, was meandering through the early part of the first round at Augusta National Golf Club yesterday when the world’s No 1 player, Dustin Johnson, was awarded a ‘‘did not start’’ designation after failing to recover from a freak fall on Thursday.
But something happened when Hoffman approached the par-three sixth hole at one over par. He birdied from 19 feet. In fact, he birdied all four par-threes.
‘‘For lack of any better words, it was a dream,’’ Hoffman said.
‘‘I mean, you hit the shots that you’re sort of looking at, and then the hardest part is to convert the putts. I was able to do that and I got some good numbers coming down the stretch.’’
Hoffman followed with birdies on eight (nine-foot putt), nine (nine foot), 12 (11 foot), 14 (22 foot), 15 (24 foot), 16 (two foot) and 17 (four foot).
Hoffman, who shot a 7-under 65, has been on the Tour since 2006, having won four tournaments. He qualified for the Masters by winning last year’s Valero Texas Open.
He has a four-shot lead over William Mcgirt, who at 37 is playing the Masters for the first time. Mcgirt won at Memorial last year to qualify.
Mcgirt and Hoffman were the only players to break 70, and Hoffman’s first-round margin was the largest since 1955.
Lee Westwood was at two under. There are eight players at one under, including Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia.
Gusts approaching 65kmh confounded golfers and eliminated those who like to hit it high. Fans were bundled up with their caps pulled low to keep them from blowing away.
Mcgirt was the leader among those who were playing mortal golf and had to take the wind into consideration.
‘‘I was not upset to see it blowing,’’ Mcgirt said. ‘‘I love it when it plays tough. I’m not the kind of person that’s going to get in a shootout with anybody. If it’s going to be 20-, 22-under par, then I’m playing for about 15th.’’
The average score on Friday was 74.978, about 10 strokes higher than Hoffman. There were three eagles, 223 birdies, 407 bogeys and 10 scores you don’t want to talk about, most notably a quadruple-bogey nine by Jordan Spieth on No 15.
The field appeared to be as wide open as a West Texas highway after Johnson pulled out of the tournament about 2pm local time, a victim of a fall down stairs at the house he was renting. He felt too uncomfortable with his practice swing at the first tee and withdrew.
‘‘It’s tough, I want to play,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘I look forward to this tournament every year.’’