Unlucky 13 for Garcia causes 81
Defending champion hits five shots in water on the par-5 15th hole
AUGUSTA, GA.» It took Jordan Spieth just 13 strokes to play holes 13 through 16 on Thursday. It took Sergio Garcia 13 strokes to play No. 15. It took a full Masters on Thursday to comprise everything that happened in between, but the 2015 and 2017 champions demonstrated how boundless the boundaries can be at Augusta National Golf Club.
Spieth shot a 6-under-par 66 despite posting three bogeys. Garcia was 1-over for 17 of the holes, and indeed birdied the 16th after his water-park adventures at the 15th, but the defending Masters champion wound up with a 9-over 81, the second-highest score of the first round.
Garcia hit his approach short of the pin, placed near the front of the green. The ball rolled back into wetness. His next four shots from the drop area all hit the green and slid off.
“It’s a false edge and it’s pretty significant,” Tiger Woods said after he shot a 1-over 73. “The pin is only 3 feet over that. Anything short will come back. Anything over the green with any steam of it is going to be wet (in the water hazard behind the green).
“The great place to leave it would be somewhere in the middle of the green left, but you have to flush it to get it that far. And the easy bail-out is right, which is the worst spot you can put it on that flag.”
Despite Garcia’s 13, the 15th hole played as the second-easiest hole on the course Thursday, with only six bogeys or worse there.
“I had 206 yards to the pin with a 6-iron and I thought it was perfect,” Garcia said. “Straight at the flag. If it carries two more feet it’s probably good. If it carries a foot less, it probably doesn’t go on the green and stays on the fringe.
“And then I kept hitting good shots with the sand wedge and unfortunately, I don’t know why, the ball wouldn’t stop. It’s the first time in my career where I make a 13 without missing a shot, simple as that.”
It was the worst performance on an official scorecard in Masters history. Billy Casper posted a 14 on the par-3 16th hole in 2005, but he failed to turn in his card after he shot a 105.
A few hours after Garcia played No. 15, Spieth birdied the hole. It was the third of a five-birdie streak that lifted the 24-year-old Texan into his accustomed position out front.
Spieth has finished second, first, third and 11th in his four Masters — and has been in the final group on Sunday every time. He has played 17 rounds at the Masters. This is the ninth time he has held or shared the lead, and the 11th time he has broken par.
He leads Matt Kuchar and Tony Finau by two. The group at 69 includes Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Adam Hadwin, Haotong Li, Henrik Stenson, Charley Hoffman and Rafa Cabrera-Bello.
Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler are in the picture at 2-under 70, pre-tournament favorite Justin Rose is at even par and Dustin Johnson, the world’s top-ranked player, is at 73.
Spieth birdied No. 14 from 9 feet, No. 16 from 5 feet and chipped to kick-in distance at No. 15. He has not won on the PGA Tour this year and has had unusual trouble putting, but a 66 on Sunday at Houston propelled him to Augusta.
“I had some really tricky putts today, putts that were 6 feet and outside the hole, and to make some of those in the middle of the hole was a confidence boost,” Spieth said.