The 89th version of the Masters teed off on Thursday, so let’s check out some takeaways from the opening spherical motion.
One other brutal opening spherical for Rory McIlroy
The day began off nice for McIlroy. On the fifteenth tee, he was 4-under, close to the highest of the leaderboard and put his drive proper into the center of the green. He appeared to lastly be reversing his pattern of brutal opening rounds on the Masters.
Then all of it fell aside.
He completed with two double-bogeys in a three-hole stretch to finish the day even.
It’s the sixth time in his previous seven Masters that he has not completed under par within the first spherical.
That’s not a great way to place your self for the inexperienced jacket.
Justin Rose in a well-known spot
In relation to first rounds on the Masters, Rose is the anti-McIlroy.
Although Rose has by no means received the inexperienced jacket, he has nonetheless had appreciable success through the years at Augusta. He’s persistently completed among the many top-25, he was a runner-up in 2015 and 2017 and he has persistently discovered himself because the chief on the finish of a number of rounds.
That was the case once more on Thursday when he got here in at 7-under to open up a three-stroke lead over the remainder of the sector.
That is not unfamiliar territory for Rose, as he has all the time dominated the Thursday spherical.
The query goes to be whether or not or not he can maintain it over the subsequent three days and do the one factor he has but to do — truly win it.
First impressions are every part
The issue with first impressions is you solely get to make one in all them, so that you higher make it value it.
Newbie Jose Luis Ballester actually did that on Thursday — and never along with his play.
Ballester, who golfs at Arizona State, made some waves with followers by carrying an Arizona State Solar Devils hat that had “Solar Devils” written the other way up. This was seen by many as a fake pas within the setting and seemingly in opposition to the requirements for decorum and apparel.
However the hat was solely the sub-plot for his different daring transfer when he determined to take a rest room break Rae’s Creek, later admitting he forgot there have been bogs subsequent to the thirteenth tee.
He obtained a spherical of applause from the followers who noticed him and added that he was not embarrassed and would do it once more if he needed to.
He ended up going 4-over par for the spherical.
Nick Dunlap‘s brutal day
Not solely is Dunlap on the backside of the leaderboard after the primary spherical, however he had what must be one of many worst rounds in match historical past. He completed 18-over by capturing a 90 for the day and is 11 strokes behind the next-lowest participant on the leaderboard.
It was a traditionally dangerous day.
Fred {Couples} reveals age is only a quantity
It was simply two years in the past that {Couples} grew to become the oldest participant ever to make the lower on the Masters.
He’s nonetheless going sturdy this season and have become the second-oldest participant (65) to shoot underneath par in any Masters spherical.
He completed the day 1-under.
{Couples} mentioned after his spherical, via ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti:
“At this time is a hell of a spherical. I’m exhausted,” {Couples} mentioned. “I can play golf. I can mess around right here. If the climate is like this and never arduous, I can — so long as I do not do loopy issues — I can shoot 73 or 4 or 5. That is not embarrassing myself in any respect.”
He completed the day forward of among the highest-ranked gamers on this planet. That could be a very sturdy begin.
