PGA Tour and LIV players tied for first place after the first round of the inaugural Masters Tournament of the LIV Golf era.
As it usually often happens at the first tee of Augusta National Golf Course, the gallery was crowded right away. Also, practically no one was present for the other members of Tiger Woods’ group, Viktor Hovland or Xander Schauffele, as is usually often the case when he is lurking at a Masters Tournament.
the Masters leaderboard.
There probably ought to have been, especially for Hovland, the only one of the three guys who has never placed second or won a big competition. After all, he would share the lead with three other people at day’s end.
Hovland, who finished with a seven-under-par 65, Masters said of the course afterward: “If you get a little too smug and you try to push a couple locations that you really shouldn’t, it will punish you pretty quickly.” You can’t actually force a good score, even though you are aware that one exists. You simply have to let things happen, and if you have any putts that you can make, you must do so. Only then will you be able to establish a rhythm.
It’s one of those situations, he said, where you push too hard and it backfires.
With no doubt, his first three Masters performances taught him a lot. Yet, the course was slightly less dangerous than normal before a wet weather system threatened to transform Augusta National’s slopes into the most emerald of slip-and-slides, especially on Saturday. When winds did stir the pines, they were quiet, Masters and the oppressive humidity kept the course soft.
Hovland very likely would not have ended Thursday as the clear solo leader under those circumstances, but he did not. After winning three PGA Tour tournaments in January and February, Jon Rahm had a disappointing March. He overcame a double bogey on the opening hole to finish at 65 as well. And Brooks Koepka, who over the weekend won a LIV Golf competition, birdied the final two holes to tie for the lead, giving the second-year circuit the legitimacy it might need and want in equal measure.
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Four-time major champion Koepka attracted the attention of the competition committee on Thursday night, whose chairman said that authorities had “questioned” Koepka’s caddy and others “about a probable incident on No. 15.”
The parties engaged, according to the chairman James B. Hyler Jr., “were unequivocal that no counsel was provided or asked.” As a result, the committee came to the conclusion that no regulations had been broken.
Beyond Koepka, LIV had a mixed day. Its 54-hole contests sparked intense discussion about whether or not its competitors would be prepared for the demands of 72-hole major championships. The current British Open winner, Masters Cameron Smith, started the round with a tee shot that landed closer to the ninth fairway than the first. Yet as dusk fell, he had recorded a two-under-par 70. Both the 2020 winner Dustin Johnson and three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson were at one under par.
Nevertheless, Bubba Watson, a two-time Masters champion who has only once failed to make the cut at Augusta National, had a 77 by making bogey or worse on six of his holes. Bryson DeChambeau, who won the U.S. Open by six shots less than three years ago, ended at 74, while Louis Oosthuizen scored a 76.
Nonetheless, much about the first Masters of the LIV era appeared like most any other one, despite all the resentful theatrics that have crept into men’s golf since LIV burst onto the scene last year.
Supporters, or should we say customers, held plastic cups that showed more obvious signs of perspiration than some of the players. At the 11th fairway, a woman was dozing at the base of a tree. A little farther into Amen Corner, Larry Mize, the 1987 Masters champion playing in his final tournament, walked up to the 12th tee amid soft applause. The 15-time major champion Woods was, as usual, a draw whether on purpose or by accident.
An old guy wearing a hat from the 2007 P.G.A. Championship was told by a gallery guard at the No. 7 crossway, Masters “You’re just in time: You can see Tiger tee off.” (It seems fitting that Woods won that competition.)
He did see Woods’ trek to a 74 at two over par. Nevertheless, he also had a peek of Hovland and Schauffele’s efforts, who would finish at four under on a day when he thought he had precise control over his ball.
The second hole, a 575-yard par-5 that was the easiest in the last Masters, was where Hovland started his sudden ascent to the top of the scoreboard. He calculated that his tee shot left him roughly 209 yards from the pin after thundering to the middle of the fairway. He held his 6-iron tightly, anticipating a ball collision with the front edge of the green.
Hovland, who has occasionally failed to master the nuances of the short game, was able to putt for an eagle because it travelled significantly longer and landed quite close to the hole. Later, he had no bogeys and had birdied five holes, including the freshly extended 13th.
“Around here, there’s never just a typical golf shot,” said Patrick Reed, the 2018 champion. “Maybe on the par-3s because everything is all different lays.”
Because of that, Reed, a LIV player who shot a 71 on Thursday, continued, “You have to have complete control over what your club’s doing, especially what you’re trying to achieve via impact.” “Viktor has always done that pretty well in my opinion. He’ll proceed to do what he’s doing on this golf course right now if he gets going and his putter starts to operate.
Rahm conjured up such powerful magic on the eighth hole, which is known as Yellow Jasmine and requires 570 yards.
Rahm estimated that he struck “about as hard a drive as I can” while standing in the tee box. He estimated that there were 267 yards between him and the hole and visualised using a pull 4-iron. He reasoned that if he had the correct bounce, he may end up at the back of the green.
He then struck it lower than intended.
It launched all the way to 3 feet, carried around 8 on, and was definitely on a beautiful line, according to him. “I would like to think that I would come that close, but really, it doesn’t happen that frequently. I’m glad that it did. It was a pretty excellent swing, so it’s a tremendous bonus that it came within striking distance.
Eagle. On Friday, the leaders will be two strokes ahead of Jason Day and Cameron Young, who were tied for fourth.
In the coming days, Augusta National might not be so straightforward. Rain was expected to threaten throughout the most of Friday, and thunderstorms had the potential to disrupt afternoon play. The forecast for Saturday was considerably worse, with up to two inches of rain and wind gusts of 25 mph predicted.
Koepka said that his 8:18 a.m. Eastern time appointment at No. 1 on Friday—which was 30 minutes sooner than originally anticipated—might be his biggest advantage.
When it begins to pour, “I think I might be able to sneak out a few more holes than everyone else,” he remarked.
There will be a large number of chasers.
The top-ranked golfer in the world and champion of last year’s Masters, Scottie Scheffler, missed a birdie putt at hole 18 and finished the day at four under. For the first time since 2018, Rory McIlroy fired a 72 during the first round at Augusta National.
With their performances in the opening round, DeChambeau, Watson, and Woods are more susceptible than most going into the cut, which will take place Friday evening, weather allowed.
The majority of the players are going low right now, Woods noted. The time has come to act.