Tom Watson is oldest man under par

Edited by Anand Datla

April 10, 2015: For all the good golf Tom Watson has played in the twilight of his career — from finishing second at the 2009 British Open at age 59 to winning the Senior PGA Championship when he was 61 — there haven’t been many bright spots lately for the two-time Masters champion at Augusta National.

But that was not the case in the first round Thursday morning when, on a day of 90-degree heat, the 65-year-old shot a one-under 71. It was his first sub-par round since he fired a 67 to begin the 2010 Masters, and only the fourth time he has broken par in the Tournament since turning 50 years old.

Watson became the oldest player in Masters history to shoot an under-par round. The previous record was held by Sam Snead, who shot 71 in the third and final rounds of the 1974 Masters at age 61. “It’s fun to be able to at least be in red figures at Augusta National,” Watson said. “At my age, that’s a minor miracle.”

Watson’s score was four strokes behind early leaders Charley Hoffman and Justin Rose, and a drastic improvement from his play the last two years, when Watson’s lowest round was 78. “I struggled the last few years hitting it, trying to hit shots like I used to, when I know that I had to hit my best shot, and the ego gets involved,” Watson said. “My ego got involved too much the last few years.”

Today, he said, “I played within myself.” In his 42nd appearance at the Masters, Watson is positioned to become the oldest golfer to make the 36-hole cut. Tommy Aaron, the 1973 champion, was 63 when he played on the weekend in 2000. Watson last survived the cut in 2010, when he went on to tie for 18th place after his sterling opening round.

Watson began Thursday’s round with a bogey at No. 1 but bounced back with a birdie on the next hole. He added birdies at Nos. 8, 10 (holing a bunker shot) and 16 (hitting his tee shot to four feet). They were offset by bogeys at the ninth and 17th holes. “The greens were very soft,” Watson said. “It was there for the taking.”