Apr 06, 2018: The 82nd Masters Tournament sent an early message on Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club: Patrons would not have to wait until Sunday to get a healthy dose of high drama.
With so many of the game’s best players in stellar form, and with so much buildup leading into the week, the first round concluded with a handful of expected storylines – and a few that were not so expected.
A six-time winner named Jack Nicklaus hit one of the morning’s ceremonial tee shots, and a four-time winner named Tiger Woods played his first competitive Masters round in 1,089 days. Battling an errant driver on the crucial second-nine par 5s, he shot 73 in his first major start since the 2015 PGA Championship.
Nicklaus and Woods represent Masters royalty. At Augusta National, there’s another champion, Jordan Spieth, steadily prying his way into such exalted status. Despite being only 24, his opening 6-under 66 – capped with an incredible up-and-down for bogey at the final hole – placed Spieth’s name on top of the leader board for the ninth time in his 17 career rounds here.
Already, that’s an astounding body of work. Three years ago, Spieth went wire-to-wire to shoot 270 and capture a Green Jacket at age 21, and in four trips to Augusta his worst finish is a tie for 11th.
“This golf course brings out a lot of feel in my game, and I think that’s advantageous.” said Spieth, who was held back by putting woes earlier this season. “Once you win here, you have an advantage over anyone who hasn’t won here.”
One man on Spieth’s tail is Masters rookie Tony Finau, who woke up at 6 a.m. Thursday not even knowing whether he would be able to play. A thrilling moment in Wednesday’s Par 3 Contest – he aced the 7th hole – turned into an embarrassing scene when Finau, backpedaling in celebration, sustained a partial dislocation of his left ankle. It popped out and he popped it back in. “I saw where it was and knew where it needed to be,” said Finau, who played the final two holes to test his ankle.
Finau, 27, had to get the approval of two specialists early Thursday just to compete, then went out and made six birdies and shot 68.
Matt Kuchar, playing in his 13th Masters just months shy of his 40th birthday, also shot 68, tearing up his second nine in 31 shots. A group of seven players stood at 3-under 69, including Rory McIlroy, attempting to become the sixth player to secure a career Grand Slam; Henrik Stenson, who in a dozen trips to Augusta National has never cracked the top 10; Patrick Reed, who played college golf at Augusta State (now Augusta University); and Masters rookie Haotong Li.
Li, 22, of China, saw the course for the first time only last week. As a junior golfer, he’d view the Masters telecast and gain inspiration from the magical finishes. He called his Masters debut “a dream come true.”
Ten players shot in the 60s on Thursday. Twenty broke par. Phil Mickelson, trying to become the oldest Masters champion at 47, shot 70. A few top names lacked their best stuff. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson, a two-time champion who has won twice this season, joined Woods, who failed to birdie a par-5 hole, at 73.
Three of Woods’ 14 major championships have come after he shot over par in the first round. But Masters patrons didn’t mind what he shot; they were happy to have him back.
“I got a standing ovation coming onto the range,” Woods said. “The people, they’re really into it.”
Jon Rahm and Jason Day shot 75. And then there was last year’s champion, Sergio Garcia.
Garcia, who broke through to capture his first Masters, and first major championship, last year at age 37, stepped to the tee at No. 15 knowing that an eagle could get him back to level par. Instead, he walked off the green at 10-over after requiring two sleeves of golf balls to complete the hole in 13 strokes.
Facing 206 yards to the green on his second shot, Garcia struck a 6-iron that pitched past the flagstick, began trickling back toward the front of the green, picked up steam, ran down a bank into a pond. He then needed four wedge shots to get a ball to stay on the putting surface. Previously, the highest score made in the Masters on the 530-yard No. 15 was an 11. “It’s the first time in my career where I make a 13 without missing a shot,” Garcia said. “Simple as that.”
The last time Garcia played that hole in competition, in the final round last April, he hit 8-iron to 6 feet and made eagle-3. At Augusta National, depending on the whims of fortune, some days can be better than others.
Masters.com Release
