Call him good- time Charley
Hoffman defies wind, shoots 7- under 65 to open 4- shot lead
AUGUSTA, Ga. — In the toughest opening round at the Masters in 10 years Thursday, it all felt so easy to Charley Hoffman.
For the better part of three hours, in a ferocious wind that made the Georgia pines creak, he had the right yardage for the perfect club to hit every shot he wanted. And then he made the putts, so many that it felt as though he never missed.
Hoffman made seven birdies on his last 11 holes on his way to a 7- under- par 65. It was 10 shots better than the average score, and his four- shot lead was the largest after the opening round at Augusta National in 62 years.
‘‘ For lack of any better words, it was a dream,’’ Hoffman said.
Not having top- ranked Dustin Johnson around — he fell down some stairs at his rental home Wednesday, injuring his lower back and forcing him to withdraw minutes before his tee time — didn’t make the conditions any easier.
With gusts nearing 40 mph, Hoffman and Masters newcomer William McGirt ( 3- under 69) were the only players to break 70.
Hoffman didn’t have reason to think his round would play out the way it did. He three- putted the third hole for bogey, then did the same on the fifth.
‘‘ After that, I can’t remember missing a putt,’’ Hoffman said.
His four- shot lead was the largest at the Masters after the first round since Jack Burke Jr. had a four- shot lead in 1955.
Lee Westwood ran off five consecutive birdies late in the afternoon and shot a 2- under 70. Only eight other players broke par, a group that included Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia.
Rory McIlroy, who needs only a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam, used a nifty short game to stay in the mix. He saved two tough pars after missing the green in the wrong spots on the 10th and 11th, ran off three birdies in the middle of the back nine and closed with another good par save for an even- par 72.
The wind was so strong that it blew balls some six feet on the greens as Adam Scott and defending champion Danny Willett were getting ready to putt.
The par- 5 15th, historically the easiest hole at Augusta National, was the ninth- hardest because of strong gusts and a pin placement at the back of the green.
There was no need to explain that to 2015 champion Jordan Spieth. One of his shots on the hole spun back into the water, and another went well over the green. He made a quadruple- bogey 9 and shot a 3- over 75.
‘‘ If you catch the wrong gust at the wrong time, then you look stupid, like I did on 12,’’ Thomas Pieters said. ‘‘ But that’s just Augusta, I guess.’’
Pieters reached 5 under until two double bogeys on the back nine, including one on the par- 3 12th, sent him to an even- par 72.
Hoffman just never stopped making birdies.
Right about the time McGirt was talking about how cool it was to see his name atop the leaderboard at 3 under, Hoffman birdied the 14th to reach 4 under. He picked up another birdie on the 15th after a delicate wedge shot. His 7- iron on the 16th ran down the ridge to within a few feet for a third consecutive birdie. And then he hit a pitching wedge to three feet on the 17th for a fourth birdie in a row.
Hoffman’s approach to the 18th appeared headed for a bunker when it hit the side of it by a few inches and caromed onto the green. His 15- foot birdie putt missed by an inch.
The average score was 74.98, the highest for an opening round since 2007.