DANNY LEE’S RETURN WORTH THE WAIT Danny Lee

MASTERS NOTEBOOK

ELS’ MISERABLE 7 PUTTS

Ernie Els

was 2 feet from a par to start the Masters. Twenty-four measly inches. Then, the unimaginable happened. One miss. And another. And another. And another. And another. And another.

Finally, on his seventh putt — a one-handed swat that showed his total disgust — Els finished off a sextuple-bogey 10 that essentially ruined any hope of contending for a green jacket on the very first hole Thursday.

Talk about a hard one to take for the Big Easy.

Els posted the worst score ever at No. 1, a 445-yarder known as “Tea Olive.”

No one at Masters had ever gone higher than 8 on the par-4 hole.

WATSON STILL HAS A CHANCE TO MAKE THE CUT

Tom Watson

reached his tee shot on the 18th fairway, sized up his approach, reached into his bag and pulled the cover off his 3-wood.

That, golf fans, is why Watson is saying goodbye to the Masters after this week.

“I had 205 yards to the front of the green, and they’re 60 yards ahead of me on the hill,” Watson said of the others in his threesome, and “And ... Westwood’s caddie said there are people who hit it 40 yards past Lee on that hill. It’s a game of length. I used to play it when I was a kid.”

The 66-year-old, two-time winner of the green jacket made bogey on No. 18 to close out a windblown opening-round 2-over 74 on Thursday. He is still within range of the goal he set this week: to become the oldest player to make the cut at Augusta National.

made sure his return to the Masters was worth the wait.

The South Korea-born Lee shot a 4-under 68 in Thursday’s first round at Augusta National to finish the day in a second-place tie with Shane

MASTERS RESULTS AND TEE TIMES

Lowry, two shots behind defending champion

He mixed in six birdies and two bogeys, handling the windy conditions well. Lee’s final PGA Tour appearance as an amateur came in the 2009 Masters, when he opened with a 74 and missed the cut with a second-round 81.

It took seven years to get back. Locking up a return trip was another reason to celebrate his first PGA Tour win at the Greenbrier Classic last year.

‘OKIES’ IN THE FIRST ROUND

Rickie Fowler

• (OSU) — Fowler opened the Masters with an 8-over 80 on Thursday as he tries to shed that label of best player without a major title. He recovered from an opening double bogey with three birdies in four holes. He tees off at 11:33 a.m. on Friday.

• (OKC native) — Walker finished the first round tied for 13th place with a 1-under 71. He birdied four holes and bogeyed three holes. He tees off at 9:32 a.m. on Friday.

• (OSU) — Mahan finished tied for 34th with a 1-over 73, He had five bogeys and four birdies. He tees off at 8:48 a.m. on Friday.

• (Edmond North) — Streb finished tied for 86th. He had three double bogeys, three bogeys and one birdie. He tees off at 10:27 a.m. on Friday.