England’s Rose in full bloom at Augusta
‘Incredible’ effort: Seven birdies and an eagle means 65, four-shot lead
Seven holes into the Masters, Justin Rose was two-over par and in no position to panic.
He knew Augusta National in April was no picnic compared with the last one in November. He figured if he could get back to around even par by the end of the day, he would be fine.
Rose never expected his best score in his 59 rounds at Augusta National. No one could have seen it coming. Rose made seven birdies and an eagle during a torrid 10-hole stretch for an opening seven-under 65, giving him a four-shot lead.
“It’s incredible,” Rose said. “It’s a good reminder that you just never know what can happen out there.”
It started with a nice hop off the mounds left of the green on the parfive eighth that set up a 10-foot eagle. Only two of his birdie putts were outside eight feet. He holed a 12-foot par putt on the one green he missed.
Not bad for a 40-year-old from England playing for the first time in a month while resting an ailing back.
Twice a runner-up, including a playoff loss to Sergio Garcia four years ago, Rose tied a Masters record by taking at least a share of the firstround lead for the fourth time. The other to do that was Jack Nicklaus.
Brian Harman, the last player to get into the 88-man field, and Hideki Matsuyama were wrapping up their rounds of 69 about the time Rose began on a course that was dry and crusty, on greens that were so fast, there were splotches of brown.
Among those at 70 were former Masters champion Patrick Reed and Masters newcomer Will Zalatoris.
Jordan Spieth overcame a triple bogey from the trees on the ninth and gained a huge break when his chip on the 15th banged into the pin for eagle instead of running down into the water. He shot 71.
Missing were a slew of red numbers on the leaderboard in conditions so difficult that Garcia said after a 76, “I feel like I just came out of the ring with Evander Holyfield.”
Five months ago, in the first Masters held in November because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the turf was so soft that 53 players were under par after the opening round.
Yesterday, Rose shot 65 on a day so tough, only 12 players broke par, and the average score was 74.5.
US Amateur champion Tyler Strafaci hit a 60-foot putt from behind the ninth green that wound up 75 feet away on the other side. Defending champion Dustin Johnson, who set the record last year at 20-under 268, failed to break par for the first time since the opening round in 2018.
“I feel sorry for the guys’ first Masters in November, and then they’re walking out there wondering what the hell is going on,” Kevin Kisner said after a hard-earned 72.
This was no surprise. Augusta has not had rain in more than a week, and players could not recall the last time greens were this fast.
“It’s my 10th year, but I’ve never seen the greens so firm and fast,” Matsuyama said.
Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy were among top players who struggled with the wind and had just as many problems when the ball was on the ground.
DeChambeau, the US Open champion who has been licking his chops about bringing his super-sized game to Augusta National, didn’t make a birdie until the 15th hole and shot 76, his highest score as a pro at the Masters. Patrick Cantlay hit into the water on both par threes on the back nine and shot 79.
McIlroy, needing a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam, hit his father with a shot on the seventh hole for the most interesting moment in his round of 76. Lee Westwood, who had a pair of runner-up finishes in the Florida Swing, had a 78.
As Rose concluded going over the details of his incredible stretch, he smiled and said, “Sounds easy.”
It looked that way. But only for him.