And they both drop! Lovely that both Sergio and Day leave the scene relieved and happy, having played so well. Day signs for a 67, Sergio a 68. They’re in the shade of Jordan Spieth, of course, who shot that astonishing 64, but there are three days still to go, and a lot of golf to be played. Spieth, Garcia and Day may all benefit from going out early tomorrow, with rain forecast for later in the day. But Bubba and Rory, already seven off the lead, may have something to say about that, among a few other big names loitering not too far off the lead. It promises to be a cracker. Sorry, scrub that: another cracker. See you tomorrow!
-8: Speith
-5: Hoffman, Rose, Els, Day
-4: Henley, Garcia
-3: Haas, Simpson, Casey, Palmer
-2: Streelman, Reed, D Johnson, Mickelson, Noh, Horschel
The sun is setting on Augusta National. But here’s Sergio raging against the dying of the light, splashing out pin high to six feet. A great chance to save his par, and stay at -4. He’ll be walking off the green with a spring in his step if that happens. See also Jason Day, who bumps up delicately from the back to four feet. Two short putts coming up. Two big putts, too.
Updated
Sergio did indeed make the sand, and all he’s managed to do is find a greenside bunker with his second. That’ll be quite a test to get up and down from there, especially if he’s plugged. Day sends his second straight through the back.
Tiger rolls a 40-footer up the 18th, a couple of feet from the pin. That’s a final-hole par, and he’s signing for a one-over 73. Given all the apocalyptic predictions made ahead of Tiger’s return, that’s not so bad. OK, it doesn’t clear the bar set by Peak Tiger, but the man’s older now, and just back from injury. And it looks as though he’s cured those chyips. Most of his problems today have been with the driver, and he’s had that fault in his locker from the get-go. Not ideal, then, but something to build on. Go Tiger. It’s not going too far out on a limb to suggest he’ll not be matching Jack Nicklaus’s 18-major haul... but a valedictory 15th sometime in the future would be something to witness, wouldn’t it? Go Tiger.
Tiger’s approach to 18 teeters on the ridge running across the middle of the green, and eventually topples back. He’ll have a long two putts for his par. Back on the tee, Sergio and Day both fire their drives straight at the big bunker ahead. Not sure whether Sergio’s toppled in, he might have snagged in the rough ahead of the trap. But Day’s certainly in the middle of the sand.
Day overcooks his sand splash. He’s 12 feet past the hole. And he leaves the par putt high on the right. Bogey, a step backwards, a sad end to that astonishing run of birdies. Meanwhile a very well judged putt down the green by Sergio, to a couple of inches from 25 feet, and that’s a par. Day’s back to -5, three behind Spieth and a shot ahead of Sergio.
Day’s birdie run is surely at an end. He wangs his drive at 17 into trees down the right. He punches out and into the bunker at the front of the green, the best he could have done. A chance to splash out and save his par. Sergio meanwhile finds the fairway, then the back of the green in two. A long and glacial two putts face him, though. Up on 18, Tiger’s drive couldn’t be placed any better by hand, right on the kink of the dogleg.
Sergio’s 16th hole was neither here nor there in terms of drama. An iron into the middle of the green and a couple of putts. Good enough for him to remain at -4. A simple par for Tiger up on 17.
Jason Day is not taking this lying down, though. He’s been the hottest man out on the course over the last hour or so, with four birdies on the bounce, and he’s almost certain to make it five, clipping his tee shot at 16 to 18 inches. He’ll move into second spot on his own, two behind the leader. And so it happens. Day taps in, and that’s that. Day is due a major.
Updated
Spieth signs for a 64!
Billy Horschel was mentioned in dispatches before the tournament, but has been ignored in the whirlwind caused by his playing partner today, Jordan Spieth. Before Spieth can go for his birdie on 18, it’s Horschel’s turn, and he nearly drains a 25-footer. No birdie, just a par, but he’s signing for a two-under 70. Highly decent, but then the young man takes centre stage again, tickling in a gentle right-to-left mover that’s always dropping, a perfectly judged putt. Another birdie, and that’s an eight-under 64, out in 32, back in 32. One of the all-time great Masters rounds - and he’ll have the best of the weather tomorrow before the rain comes in! He’s 21 years old.
-8: Spieth (F)
-5: Hoffman (F), Rose (F), Els (F), Day (15)
-4: Henley (F), Garcia (15)
Sergio flops his ball miles into the air from the back of 15, a brave shot seeing anything overhit will be in the water. He misreads the ten-footer he leaves himself, though, the ball always staying out on the right. That’s a par, and he stays at -4. He looks miserable, but this is a far better start than anybody expected from Sergio. But his playing partner Day clips his chip to eight feet, and knocks in the birdie putt. That’s four birdies in a row for him, and he’s -5. He’s also due a major championship. This could be the one.
Aw Tiger! A decent-enough tee shot into 16, but with plenty still to do with the putter. And he nearly rakes in a 30-footer, but it’s one dimple’s width short of dropping. He stays at +1. Spieth splits the 18th fairway, dropping his ball in prime position just by the dogleg, then sends his second pin high. He’ll have a straight-ish 20-footer for a 64!
The 18th has proved the hardest hole on the course today. G-Mac sends his second off the back into Casey Country, and opts to putt up the bank. The ball flies 20 feet past the hole, and that’s too much to ask for par. Bogey, and McDowell’s signing for a 71. Not a terrible start, though. Hey, if -1 is good enough for Bubba and Rory...
Day drives into deep bother down the left of 15, but Sergio splits the fairway. Day takes his medicine and punches out, preparing to wedge into the green. Sergio sends his iron straight through the green, and is left with an awful chip up the bank from the back, similar to the one faced by Spieth earlier, albeit from the other side. Up on 16, Walker might be finally finding his feet in this year’s Masters. He’s just whistled his tee shot straight at the flag, and leaves himself a 12-footer for birdie. It’s not too late to salvage this round!
Updated
Tiger punches out from the trees on 15, then nearly spins his wedge onto the green back into the water. He just about gets away with it. That one’s bumped up to a couple of feet, and he should scramble his par to remain at +1. Birdie for his playing partner, the much-fancied Jimmy Walker, but he’s been distinctly average today and is only +1. Up on 17, the leader Spieth finds the heart of the green in two, but he’s facing a 30-footer for birdie, and though he hits a nicely paced putt, will have to settle for par.
Sergio Garcia!!! His playing partners Day and Fowler pepper the flag at 14 with their approaches. Sergio is a good 30 feet off to the left with his. He throws his chip high into the air. The ball takes a couple of soft bounces, then scampers forward. If it doesn’t hit the flag, it’s going miles past the hole. But it does - and it drops in! That’s two birdies in a row, and he’s suddenly -4! To be fair, Augusta owed him one after that terrible break on the par-three 6th, when he landed his ball four feet from the flag only for it to spin slowly off the front of the green. Sergio has the good grace to smile shyly, knowing full well his luck was in. Day knocks in his birdie effort too, his third in a row, and he’s -4. Fowler misses out. But the leaderboard has a very interesting look right now ...
-7: Spieth (16)
-5: Hoffman (F), Rose (F), Els (F)
-4: Henley (F), Day (14), Garcia (14)
“Tiger, you dumbass.” That’s Tiger, there, talking to himself, after wanging his drive at 15 into the pines down the right of the hole. A bogey for Ryan Palmer on 18, after flying his second through the green, and he’s back to -3, but that’s a very decent 69. And a disappointing finish for Harrington, who dropped strokes at 16 and 17, and signs for a level-par 72. “Sergio three under?” splutters Simon McMahon. “Pah. If he’s 30 under on Sunday I’ll think about cracking open the champagne. And mixing it with the whisky and cider I’m drinking now.” I still believe. I still believe. I have to, I’ve come this far, there’s no point turning back.
Spieth’s clubs have cooled a little. He finds the 16th green with his tee shot, but he’s well short of the flag and faced with a tricky putt across and down the green. He lags the first putt to four feet, and knocks in the return. Eagle chances meanwhile for Jason Day, Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia, who have all reached 13 in two. None are made. But all are converted for birdies. Day and Sergio move to -3, while Fowler, who hasn’t quite been on his game today, shuffles back up to +1. (Fowler had a storming start, actually, with birdies at 1 and 2, but he’s since dropped shots at 4, 5, 8 and 11. Hopefully that’ll settle him a bit.) “Sorry Jordan. I’ll shut up now.” writes a contrite Andy ‘hex’ Gordon (10.17pm). “But Chelsea are a guaranteed three points against QPR on Sunday!”
G-Mac is going along nicely, albeit quietly. A stunning tee shot over the flag at 16, and he birdies from 12 feet to move to -2. Jason Day moves to -2 too, with birdie at 12. And also on 12, Sergio knocks in a marvellous par saver after hitting a hot putt miles past the hole from the fringe. He’s hanging on in there, his putter a friend for once. And up on 15, Spieth can’t knock in his par putt. A three-putt bogey six, and he’s back to -7, the 62 suddenly looking like a pipe dream. Meanwhile on 13, a birdie for Tiger, and he’s back to +1.
Spieth bumps his pitch up the bank, but his ball doesn’t quite make it onto the green. He should still be able to get up and down for his par, but the young man looks frustrated here, pacing around his putt from the fringe in a very agitated style. Simmer down! You’re eight under par! Eventually he stands over the ball - and doesn’t really hit the putt. He’s left himself a 12-footer for par there. The first blemish on this astonishing round could be on its way.
Updated
Perhaps the pressure is getting to Jordan Spieth a little? He overcooks a hybrid, and pulls it a little, too, sending his second behind the 15th. It stops short of the water, but that’s trouble, a tricky chip back up onto the green. The 63 Club is still very much within reach - hell, he could even shoot that elusive 62 - but there’s work to be done.
Els trundles his first putt on 18 a good 12 feet past the hole. He’s left with a real tester for his par, and he can’t make it, the ball staying up on the right. That’s an unfortunate end to a stellar round, but he’s still come back home in 33 strokes, and signs for a five-under 67. Spieth is now three clear of the field.
-8: Spieth (14)
-5: Hoffman (F), Rose (F), Els (F)
-4: Henley (F), Palmer (16)
Tiger clips as good a wedge from the dropzone as his 8-iron off the teebox was bad. He’ll be limiting the damage there to one stroke, dropping back to +2. Ryan Palmer birdies 15 to move to -4. Spieth creams his drive down the middle of 15. Els finds the green at 18 in regulation, but he’s not in birdie country. “Is Jordan Spieth possessed by the spirit of Seve?” wonders Andy Gordon. “How else could a 21 year old give a masterclass at Augusta?”
Updated
Tiger gets wet. On 12, he overcuts his tee shot, the ball dying to the right, and quickly running out of dry land. That’s come off the back of a great up and down at 11. He looks pained, as well he might. It’s just not happening for Woods. Meanwhile Spieth taps in his simple birdie chance on 14. He’s currently on course for a 64, if he pars his way in. A couple more birdies, and he’ll be breaking the long-standing record for lowest round in a major, which stands (in all four majors) at 63.
Jordan Spieth is a force of nature. He blocks his drive at 14 behind a tree on the right. He pulls out an iron, and works a shot from left to right, sending his ball flying towards the green, straight towards the flag. Which, of course, it clatters, dead centre, and stops two feet from the hole! That’ll take him to -8! This is threatening to turn into a round for the ages. But Els isn’t giving up in the face of this joyous nonsense. A stunning splash from sand at 17, and he’s up and down to save his par! He stays at -6.
Sergio is all over the place on 10, hooking his approach onto pine needles to the left of the green, then flying his chip straight through the putting surface and onto the apron. His shoulders slump, but he’ll have to get them up quicksmart, because he’s still facing a tricky putt downhill. And to be fair to the man, he hoists them with extreme prejudice, then rattles in the par saver, a large breaker from 20 feet! Marvellous! He’s still -2. Meanwhile another birdie for Harrington, this time at 15, and he’s quietly moved up to -2. And in more -2 news, Seung-Yul Noh, on his Masters debut, signs for a 70.
Updated
Spieth knocks in his birdie putt on 13, from no more than 18 inches. He’s -7, the sole leader of the Masters. This is so good to watch. And there’s a chance the young American star could have a comfortable two-shot cushion soon, because Els has driven wildly into trees down the left of 17, and is in a spot of bother. He escapes from the forest, but can only plug his ball in a greenside bunker.
-7: Spieth (13)
-6: Els (16)
-5: Hoffman (F), Rose (F)
-4: Henley (F)
Els can’t knock in his birdie effort on 16, the uphill putt hit a wee bit too hard, staying up on the right. Par, and he remains at -6 alongside Spieth, who lays up in front of Rae’s Creek at 13. A sand save for Woods on 10; he stays at +1. Meanwhile Padraig Harrington, with a tour victory in his pocket already this season, is sitting nicely at -1, having recently birdied 13. The 2007 champ Zach Johnson is also -1 through 16. And on 13, Spieth plays it smart: having hit the trees down the right, he’s left with a long, long second, so lays up instead of going for the green and an unlikely eagle. Great play, because he wedges his third to a couple of feet, and should be knocking that in for sole ownership of the lead. This is turning into an astonishingly accomplished round of golf from the young man, even if he’s had a couple of lucky bounces. In any case, you know what they say: the more you practice...
It’s all going Spieth’s way right now. He pushes a dismal drive into the trees down the left of 13, and watches in wonder as his ball clanks off a trunk and back into the centre of the fairway! Sergio knocks in his birdie effort on 9, and he’s out in 34. As is his playing partner Jason Day, who was very quiet for a long time, a string of pars, before a quick birdie-birdie blast before the turn. And on 13, Matt Kuchar moves to -1 by chipping from the azaleas behind the green and in for eagle.
Els swings his club at the ball on the 16th tee. Or does he? Can anyone be sure that anything has happened? Were any air particles bothered? So smooth, so elegant, so... well... easy. The Big Easy! He’s caressed that to 12 feet, another birdie chance. Back on 9, Sergio strokes his approach pin high to ten feet. A birdie chance there, too. And on 12, Spieth clips his tee shot to six feet, then nearly pulls his birdie putt left of the hole. He instantly strides after it in anger - then guffaws in disbelief as it drops! He really thought that one was missing. But it wasn’t missing, and it didn’t miss, and now he’s joint leader at 21 years of age alongside Els, 45.
-6: Els (15), Spieth (12)
-5: Hoffman (F), Rose (F)
-4: Henley (F)
Woods is on pine needles under a tree, with a bunker in between his ball and the flag. He hooks his ball onto the green, which is a pretty good result from there, but he’s facing a long downhill putt for par. He nearly drains it, but must settle for a bogey, and he’s out in one-over 37. He strides off with a face on, mad as hell, his game having got a little tatty for the first time on that hole. Back on 8, Sergio prods with great uncertainty at a six-footer for birdie, and has to settle for a miserable par. He remains at -1. Koepka bogeys 12; that’s five shots gone in three holes. And Spieth can’t make his birdie putt on 11, so that little run comes to an end. As does his time as leader of the Masters, because Els knocks in his eagle putt, and he’s the sole leader of the tournament in his 46th year!
-6: Els (15)
-5: Hoffman (F), Rose (F), Spieth (11)
-4: Henley (F)
Updated
Shot of the day, no question, by Ernie Els. He’s split the fairway at 15, and from 210 yards, fires a long iron over the water and straight at the flag. He’s got an eight footer for eagle! This is a simply astonishing performance by Els. Meanwhile another notable shot on 1. It’s Tiger, who is meant to be playing 9, but has gone very left. He draws back a fairway wood, but hits it fat, and it squirts off to the right, which is at least in the general direction of the hole. But he’s well short of the green on this par-four. This is all very messy.
Birdie for Tiger on 8, a glorious up and down from near the grandstand to the back of the green. He really bombed his second, a 3-wood, up the track and through the green. He’s back to level par, though for how long remains to be seen: he’s blootered his drive at 9 into deep trouble down the left. He drops his driver after the follow through, resulting in a dull double-clunk of perfect comic timing. Meanwhile on 11, poor Koepka is learning fast about Amen Corner; that shot into the drink has resulted in a triple-bogey seven. Up as high as -3 a few minutes ago, he’s now +1, and in the azaleas behind 12 to boot.
Updated
Rory speaks. “It was OK. A solid start. It could have been better, but it could have been worse as well. I put myself in some awkward positions. I putted well, and battled well. I was a little nervous. Very excited. I tried to stay as patient as possible, four days of golf round here is a long time. I didn’t want to press too early.”
Updated
Spieth knocks in his birdie effort on 10, and he’s tearing up this course! He saunters off the green with the insouciant air of a man popping down the shops for a pint of milk. How can a 21 year old be this calm? Three birdies on the bounce! And he wasn’t about to turn down the gift of that lucky bounce off the bunker. Stunning. Meanwhile Koepka, an old man at 24 but, unlike last year’s runner-up Spieth, with no Masters experience to draw on, follows his bogey at 10 by hoicking his second at 11 into the briny. Welcome to Amen Corner, young master Brooks.
-5: Hoffman (F), Rose (F), Spieth (9)
-4: Henley (F), Els (13)
-3: Haas (F), Simpson (F), Casey (F), Palmer (12)
A dropped shot for Koepka at 10. Coming behind him, Spieth blocks his approach into the green to the right, but it bounces off the hood of the bunker and onto the short stuff. He’s got a 12-footer for another birdie, and a share of the lead! The way he’s been putting lately, expect it to drop. Meanwhile back on 7, Sergio sends his approach to the back of the green. This time spin is his friend, and his ball wheechs back to ten feet. In goes the birdie putt, and he’s back to -1!
The Big Easy takes it a bit too easy sometimes. He doesn’t bother hitting his short eagle effort, from ten feet, and it dies to the right. A birdie will have to do. Similar stuff to that famous Mickelson shot of 2010, in fact, which also only led to a birdie. But the old boy’s -4 through 13. This is some performance. Meanwhile up on 18, two putts for McIlroy and he saves his par. He signs for a 71, not ideal, but far from disastrous on a day when he’s failed to fire. And that’s his ninth sub-par major round in a row! Mickelson makes his par too, and he’s putting his name to a two-under 70.
Mickelson and McIlroy both left themselves long birdie putts on 17. Both were trundled a way past the hole. McIlroy managed to make his par saver, but Mickelson couldn’t. They’re both in the middle of 18 now - but neither can find the top tier of the green where the hole is. Another difficult pair of two-putts await. Two putts for Tiger up on 7, and he remains at +1, but he was very close to knocking in the birdie effort. That would have been too daft, I guess. Up on 9, Spieth makes it back to back birdies, firing his second pin high and knocking in a 15-footer. He’s -4.
Tiger ain’t over yet. What a shot this is! He’s sent his tee shot at 7 behind a tree down the left. Goodness knows how he saw this shot, but he whipped it out to the left of all the trees down that side of the hole, snapping it back right and into the heart of the green! That is absurd. Koepka rolls in a 15-foot par saver on 9. As good as a birdie. He’s a superb player, this young guy. Up on 13, Ernie Els replicates Phil Mickelson’s Lee Westwood spooker of 2010, from the pine needles behind the trees. He sends the ball into the heart of the green, a chance for eagle. The Big Easy’s on one! As is Sergio, only in a more funky sense; he can’t get up and down from the front of 6, and he’s back to level par.
“Y’know, Sergio, like Liverpool or the world-famous Dundee United, represents something.” That’s the opinion of Simon McMahon, who adds the caveat: “What it is I’m not sure, but it’s something. And that something is very special.” Oh it’s special all right. Sergio’s just landed his tee shot at 6 four feet from the hole. All good and well, but the ball bites, spins back, and skitters off the front of the warped green. He’ll be doing very well to get up and down for par from there. Po’ Sergio! Po’ Sergio’s a-cold!
Updated
Jordan Spieth makes up for that egregious birdie miss on 7 by picking up a shot on the par-five 8th. He was inches away from draining an eagle putt off the back of the green. So the pre-tournament second favourite is right in the mix:
-5: Hoffman (F), Rose (F)
-4: Henley (F), Palmer (10)
-3: Haas (F), Simpson (F), Casey (F), Mickelson (16), Els (12), Koepka (8), Spieth (8)
A slightly sad end to Paul Casey’s excellent round. His chip back up onto 18 doesn’t get through the fringe, and his par putt zips a good eight feet past the hole. But he rattles it in. A bogey, his first of the day, right at the death. He still smiles broadly walking off, though, in the knowledge that he’s started as well as anyone going to Augusta would hope. That’s a well-crafted 69. His playing partners, then. Hideki Matsuyama, who had been going well at -2, can’t get up and down from sand and settles for an opening-round 71. And the 2012 US Open champion Webb Simpson splashes deliciously to four feet, nearly misses the par putt, but it drops and he signs for a 69 too.
Another birdie for Brooks Koepka, his third in four holes, this time at 8. He’s -3. His playing partner Graeme McDowell birdies that one too; he’s -1. “Y’know, Scott,” begins Matt Dony, “I constantly find myself in admiration of your devotion to Sergio, and your excitement when he birdies early holes, knowing full well that the breakdown is just around the corner. I can’t imagine what it’s like feeling that kind of devotion in sport, despite the nagging doubt it’ll all end in tears. Anyway, in entirely unrelated news, I’m looking forward to Liverpool’s game on Monday.”
Rory will be cursing his luck on 16. His tee shot stopped on the top of the shelf; had it rolled an inch to the left, his ball would have trundled down towards the cup, leaving an easy birdie chance. As it is, he nearly tickles in a gorgeous downhill 25-footer anyway, but a par will have to do. Paul Casey will certainly settle for one up on 18, his approach having taken a flyer through the green, his ball bounding off down the back. With the pin tucked towards the back of the putting surface, that’ll be a testing up and down. He did it on 16; he’ll need similar recovery skills here.
Jordan Spieth just played a Seve-esque escape from trees down the right of 7. Most would have taken their medicine and bumped the ball back out onto the fairway, but he spotted a gap and arrowed an iron through it and onto the green, pin high, six feet from the flag. What a birdie that would have been, but sadly he missed the short putt. What a shame. Still, he’d have taken that while striding into the thicket a few minutes earlier.
Updated
Tiger’s dropped another shot, this time at the par-three 4th, unable to get up and down from sand. He’s back to +1. A fast start by Ryan Palmer, meanwhile: birdies at 2, 4, 7 and 8, and at -4 he’s one shot off Hoffman and Rose’s lead. And a strong showing already from the talented young Brooks Koepka, who already has one victory on the PGA Tour this season, at the Tiger-bothering Phoenix Open. He’s birdied 3, 5 and 6. A bogey at 4, and he’s -2. An outside shout for the title? Maybe not quite yet, but he could be a good each-way shout, along with Russell Henley and Bill Haas (the latter having just dropped a shot up the last, settling for a three-under 69).
McIlroy’s second to 15 stayed out on the right, never coming back towards the green. Snookered by a bunker, he opted to aim for the heart of the green with his chip instead of dicing with the sand trap. That still leaves him with a 25-foot left-to-right birdie chance ... and he strokes it in! What an up and down that was! He’s suddenly in the red numbers, -1 for his round, and life doesn’t look so bad. Mickelson meanwhile can’t tuck his eagle chance away. A real shame, because his drive was perfect and his approach brilliant. But he’s walking away with the same spoils as Rory, a birdie. That’s the beauty and frustration of golf, right there. I wonder if that’ll kick start Rory’s Masters challenge?
SERGIO!!! He’s just birdied 3, to move to -1. That is all.
A bogey for the 2013 champion Adam Scott at the last, after a lot of fannying around in the bunkers down the left. He signs for a level-par 72, like Villegas and Blixt before him. Back on 15, Mickelson has just sailed his second gently over the flag, leaving himself a 20-footer for eagle. One of the shots of the day, straight as an arrow. Meanwhile what about this from Ernie Els, one of the greatest players never to win round here? He’s just birdied 10, his fourth of the day after 2, 3 and 8. One bogey on his card - the 7th - and he’s -3. If you thought the Big Easy’s late-era Open win at Lytham was something, this would be on another plane altogether. He couldn’t, could he?
Paul Casey had missed a fairly short birdie chance on 15, so what he’s done on 16 will give him much succour. His tee shot at the picturesque par three bounced through the green, and he was faced with a treacherous chip towards the hole, down the dancefloor and towards the water. But he gently dropped his chip onto the apron, letting it slowly roll onto the green before picking up speed then slowing down again, five feet from the cup. An exquisite touch. In goes the par saver, and he remains at -3.
McIlroy and Mickelson both clatter monster drives down 15, though Lefty’s, out on the righty, is in a much better position for an attack on the green in two. In fact McIlroy might be blocked out by a tree. He really needs something here, with plenty of players in the clubhouse under par. In with a 71: debutant Danny Willett, Tom Watson, Gary Woodland, Stephen Gallacher, Keegan Bradley, Anirban Lahiri and Bubba.
Updated
Another birdie for Bill Haas, whose father Jay shot 64 round here in 1995, leading going into the weekend and ending up tied for third, behind the eventual winner Ben Crenshaw. This one’s come at 15, and he’s up to -4. Speaking of Crenshaw, he continues to prop up the field. It’s been nothing if not eventful: a double bogey at 10, an ugly quadruple bogey 8 at 11, birdies at 12 and 13, and another double at 14. He’s +13 through 15. And up on 18, Bubba can’t save his par, his chip from up the bank on the left way too short. He finishes with a bogey and signs for a one-under 71. The defending champion is only four off the lead. Rose, who had clacked his second pin high to 15 feet, can’t roll in the birdie putt. A 67 will have to do! Wonderful work, Justin Rose. A lovely Anglo American feel to the early leaderboard...
-5: Hoffman (F), Rose (F)
-4: Henley (F), Haas (16), Casey (15)
McIlroy responds, as multiple major winners tend to. He creams his second into the heart of 13, and two putts later is walking off with a birdie, back to level. If he can par his way in, picking up perhaps another shot at 15, and he’ll have dodged a bullet today. He’s not looked on his game at all. But this is much better. Meanwhile Bubba and Rose are coming up the last. The defending champ first. From prime position in the middle of the fairway, he’s forced to holler FORE! at the patrons to the left of the green, having whistled his ball way off line. Rose finds the back of the green in fairly healthy fashion. Another outside chance for bird.
A bounce-back birdie for Tiger at 2! A slightly wonky one at that, his drive going down the left, his approach sliding off down the right. But he stuck his third to four feet, and wasn’t going to miss from close range a second time in two holes. He’s back to level par. This could be one of the great rollercoaster rounds. Meanwhile news of a few big names congregating at -2: the 2011 champion Charl Schwartzel (13), Ernie Els (8), Matt Kuchar (5) and Jordan Spieth (4). An opening-hole birdie for Rickie Fowler, too. A lot of the top stars under par early on. Rory, at +1 through 12, might already be feeling the pressure a wee bit.
Updated
Chip in at 17 for Bubba! It’s from the front of the green, and only to save par, but what a fillip that will be. He stays at -2. Meanwhile Rose had just gently lifted his second to 17 pin high, to 15 feet. Chance for birdie, and the outright lead, but he’s trundled that putt miles past the hole. He doesn’t want to undo all this good work with one hot rush of blood. And he doesn’t, taking a deep breath, and his time, and knocking in the missable six footer to remain at -5. But speaking of undoing a lot of good work, here’s how Camilo Villegas finished: bogey, double bogey. In a couple of cruel blows, he’s back to level par, signing his name on the bottom of a 72.
News of Patrick Reed, who was all over the shop coming round the turn, +1 through 10 after back-to-back bogeys. He picked up a shot at 11, then birdied the two par fives, 13 and 15. He signed for a two-under 70, and will be more than happy with that after a rocky start. Rory McIlroy needs something similar, you’d have thought.
Leaderboard, anyone? Aye, why not.
-5: Hoffman (F), Rose (16)
-4: Henley (F), Casey (13)
-3: Haas (14), Simpson (13), Matsuyama (13)
Tiger’s out! And it’s not the start he was after. His opening drive doesn’t bother the fairway. (When does it ever, at a major championship?) But from a tight position down the right, he sends his second into the heart of the green. That should be a routine par, but he leaves the first putt five feet short, then misses the par effort. A huff of frustration as he stomps off the green. Meanwhile there’s a new co-leader in Justin Rose, who has birdied 15 to move alongside the clubhouse-comfy Hoffman at -5. This is a brilliant performance from the Hampshire star, who flew into Augusta somewhat under the radar. Form not great, but he nearly won here in 2007, remember, before coming up short over the closing holes, bored to tears by Zach Johnson. Not one of the better periods for the Masters, that, what with the soporific Trevor Immelman victory coming 12 months later. But we digress.
Up on 12, Mickelson trundles his 15-foot birdie effort well past the hole, but knocks in the return. McIlroy is also frustrated, his birdie chance from the back of the green never going in. It looks like he really wants this, only a little bit too much. Not much of an aura of serenity coming off him right now. He needs to channel his inner Frank Costanza. Meanwhile on 13, Casey strokes in a putt from 20 feet to register another birdie, and he’s -4. Could he be preparing to seriously contend in a major for the first time since the 2010 Open at St Andrews?
It’s just not happening for Rory McIlroy at all. He’s just come down the 11th in a very ginger fashion, dropping another shot, back to +1. His playing partner Phil Mickelson didn’t play the hole particularly well either, pulling his second way to the right of the green, but he managed to get up and down from Mize Country, knocking in a staunch 15-footer to save his par. He’s still -2, and has just plonked his tee shot at the treacherous 12th into the centre of the green. Mickelson’s been clocking up the birdies of late, finding a little form at exactly the right time. A fourth Green Jacket for the wily old campaigner? You wouldn’t put anything past Lefty.
Updated
Bubba also birdied 13, much as you’d expect really. He’s never looked totally convincing today, and yet here he is, tucked in nicely at -2, the patrons whooping and hollering, in that kind of refined Augusta National way, at his every tee shot. The award for Steady Eddie of the day might be going to the resurgent Paul Casey; birdies at 2, 3 and now 9 and he’s -3. And the much-fancied Dustin Johnson, enjoying life on the equilibrium, has moved up the leaderboard after a torrid start. He’d dropped to +2 after 4, but birdies at 5, 6, 8, 10 and now 13, with a sole other bogey at 7, have hauled him up to -2. Magnificent stuff from the big man, who is either going to saunter to victory on Sunday afternoon, or take a Weiskopfian 13 on the 12th. I’d pay ready dollar to watch either.
Thanks Bryan. Right, where are we? Start at the top, I guess. Charley Hoffman still leads the Masters, in the clubhouse with a five-under 67. Russell Henley is a shot behind him, having posted a 68. Also on -4, but very much still out on the course, is Justin Rose. He’s going great guns at the moment, having seen an eagle putt on 13 only just miss, the birdie effort enough to take him into a tie for second. He’s just traversed 14 without fuss, and is going along very nicely.
Ben Crenshaw’s underwhelming day just got a little brighter with a birdie on 12. Incredibly, it’s the two-time champion’s 17th birdie on 12 at Augusta in 137 career rounds at the Masters. Unfortunately, it came after back-to-back double bogeys on 10 and 11, his third and fourth of the day. He’s +13 through 12. Things have gone slightly better for Crenshaw’s playing partner Bill Haas, who is -3 and T4. The 32-year-old from North Carolina held the first-round lead at the Masters last year before finishing T20. And with that, I’ll hand it back over to the inestimable and properly nourished Scott Murray.
Updated
Phil Mickelson has just eagled 8, and he’s -2! The three-time Masters champion put his 262-yard approach within two feet of the pin and finished it off, his first eagle on 8 at Augusta since 1995. Lefty’s card through eight holes: par, birdie, birdie, par, par, bogey, bogey, eagle. Phil the Thrill abides, mercurial as ever. Meanwhile Mickelson’s playing partner Rory McIlroy – he of the goose-bump-inducing Nike advert that dropped this week – is even through eight.
Updated
One moment Bubba Watson is putting for birdie on 11, the next he’s misread it, then misses a six-footer right for bogey to drop to -1. A rare three-putt for the Florida native, who is aiming to become just the fourth player to win consecutive Masters after Nicklaus, Faldo and Woods. In one of Augusta’s more renowned traditions, the reigning US amateur champion always plays in the same group as the defending Masters champion for the first two days. Today that’s Gunn Yang, who was +7 through 11 and just shanked his tee shot off 12 into the creek. Welcome to Amen Corner.
Updated
Anyway, I think I might be getting hungry. Best nip off to whisk up a bowl of Hamburger Helper, the only food-flavored product marketed by a talking golf glove. So I’ll hand over to Bryan Graham. See you in a wee while for an evening of Tiger-related nonsense ...
Updated
Jason ‘The Somnambulist’ Dufner has woken up after his slow start. After dropping a shot on Tea Olive, the 2013 PGA champion has birdied 2, 6 and 8. Factor in a dropped shot at 7, and he’s -1. He’s still gloriously laid back, and a man to be much admired, but there’s something missing with this new version. Something weighing about 20 pounds. Bah! I preferred the more cuddly, Taco Bell’d version of The Somnambulist. Easier for the more comfortably shaped folk among us to relate to. A certain charm has been lost. (See also Man Vs. Food Adam Richman Vs. Vegan Adam Richman. It’s just not the bloody same.)
Updated
Better news for another old two-time winner: Tom Watson has just birdied 16, and he’s -2! Meanwhile Justin Rose continues to zip round Augusta in the smoothest of styles; a birdie at 10, and he’s in second place on his own at -4. Amen Corner coming up, which will make or break that particular tale. A dropped shot for Mickelson at 6, and he’s back to -1. And his playing partner McIlroy sheds one there too; the hot pre-tournament favourite has started very slowly, and he’s back at +1. But what’s this? It’s Sandy Lyle, that’s what! He’s snaffled himself a birdie at 2! A dream start for the 1988 champion.
It’s been a rough day for poor old Gentle Ben Crenshaw. The two-time Master (‘84 and ‘95) is making his final appearance at Augusta this week, and had hoped to do so with his long-time companion and caddy Carl Jackson. But Jackson hasn’t been able to carry Crenshaw’s bag today, too ill, reportedly reeling from the savage effects of chemotherapy. Jackson’s brother Bud has stepped in, but that’s dreadful news all round, and it’s no wonder that Crenshaw’s mind isn’t quite on his game: a double bogey at 1 set the tone, and that’s been followed by three more bogeys and a second double. He’s +7.
Patrick Reed was one of the pre-tournament picks, but he’s struggled for consistency today. Only three pars in 10 holes! The last two have been bogeys, and he’s down at +1. Gary Woodland has just birdied 15 to move back to -2. But he’s still behind Camilo Villegas on the leaderboard, the supple Colombian perhaps the hottest thing in Augusta right now: another birdie, this time at 15. That’s his fourth in seven holes, and he’s -3 now. And another birdie for Sheffield’s Danny Willett, who is having a hell of a Masters debut. This one, at 16, brings him back to -2.
The par-three winner Kevin Streelman is going along nicely. Another birdie at 10, and now he’s just rolled in a calm 20-footer on 11 to stay at -2. You’ll have noticed Bill Haas’s name on that last leaderboard; he’s there after a third birdie of the day, this time at 7. A dropped shot for Poulter at 10, handing his birdie back straight away. And a nice steady start from the 2013 champ Adam Scott, whose win back there was one of the most heartwarming in Masters history, given the brave and sportsmanlike way he faced up to sporting disaster at the 2012 Open. He’s ended a sequence of seven pars with birdie at 8; he’s -1. So here’s where we are on the (sort of) hour:
-5: Hoffman (F)
-3: Rose (9), Haas (7)
-2: Villegas (14), Henley (13), Streelman (11), B Watson (9), Simpson (6), Casey (6), Mickelson (5), Tringale (2)
Charley Hoffman has been on it from the get-go. The first man to register a birdie, and an eagle, at this years Masters, he’s just stroked his second at 18 to five feet, tapped in for birdie, and signed for a simply magnificent 67. The early clubhouse leader at -5, and there’s a fair chance the 38-year-old from San Diego will be leading tonight. Brilliant, especially when you consider this is only his second outing at the Masters, the last being in 2011 when he made a top-30 finish.
-5: Hoffman (F)
-3: Rose (8), Haas (7)
Birdie for Poulter at 9, and he’s back to join the crowd at -2. Bubba bounces back there too, with birdie at 8. Willett drops one of the shots he picked up with that eagle at 13, bogeying 14 to fall back to -1. Bill Haas has started very nicely, birdies at 2 and now 5. And finally some good news for Mike Weir, who knocks in a 20-footer on 13 to card his first birdie of the day. He’s back up to +6, off the foot of the leaderboard. He’s replaced at the bottom of the pile by his playing partner Ben Crane. (These guys are dragging each other down.) Crane has just registered bogey at 10, bogey at 11, triple bogey at 12, and a bogey at 13 having taken four from the side of the green. He’s +8, and could probably do with some cheering up.
Another birdie for Villegas, this time at 13, and suddenly yesterday’s Par 3 nearly man is high on the leaderboard at -2. As is Mickelson, zipping out of the blocks, with another birdie at 3. McIlroy still with the pars, though a word about his performance at 2: a wild drive into the trees down the left, a hacker’s hack, then an up and down from 148 yards (an approach clacked to four feet!) to save his par. So it could be worse. A world of excitement out there already, though there’s still that mild sense of waiting for the feature presentation. “Any truth in the rumour that the patrons in Augusta are being moved to the middle of the fairway to keep them safe when Tiger drives off at the first?” asks Padraig Cusack. Ha. It wouldn’t be the worst idea. Even in his pomp, Tiger’s opening salvoes in major championships were notoriously wayward. I’m hoping for a disordered yet brilliant round of lunatic genius. Just over a couple of hours to go, and he’ll be on the prowl. No doubt we’re supposed to feign studied indifference, Tiger not being what he was, his realistic chances of winning slight, all that. But I’m too excited. The man’s box office. Why fight it? We’re not going to fight it, are we.
Hoffman was never missing his birdie effort at 16, and he’s the sole leader of the Masters now at -4. Henley meanwhile is suddenly two strokes behind him. His approach to 11 was lost into the large run-off area to the right of the green, and having only bumped his chip up to 12 feet, a bogey was always likely. He’s back to -2.
Rory McIlroy is out and about. A steady and unspectacular start for the Open and PGA champion. Pars at the opening two holes. But his playing partner Phil Mickelson is greenside at the long 2nd in two, and gets up and down with no fuss. Birdie, and a fast start for Lefty. Tom Watson has been providing entertainment as ever, incidentally: birdie at 8, bogey at 9, another birdie at 10; he’s -1 through 12. Danny Willett meanwhile drains a spectacular 40-footer for eagle at 13, a huge 90-degree right turn, and he’s -2!
Updated
Charley Hoffman’s absurd run of 2015 Masters firsts continues. The first man to register a birdie. The first leader. The first to drop a shot at Amen Corner. Now he’s posted the first eagle, at 15, creaming a 236-yard second to eight feet, and knocking in the putt. He’s got himself a share of the lead again at -3, and could have sole ownership of it soon, having knocked his tee shot at 16 to six feet. Meanwhile Camilo Villegas, who made two holes in one yesterday at the Par 3 Contest, moves into the red numbers for the tournament proper. He nearly made it three holes in one in two days, coming within eight inches of an ace at the 12th!
As soon as we rack ‘em up, Augusta knocks ‘em down. Woodland has just missed a fairly straight 12-footer on 11 to drop back to -1, while Bubba makes the same move, having seen a six-footer for par stay out on the par-three 6th. But Bubba’s playing partner Justin Rose creamed his tee shot at the short hole to four feet, and knocked in the birdie putt. He’s joined Henley in the lead at -3! And a shot behind those two is Paul Casey, his career re-flowering continuing apace. Back-to-back birdies for him at 2 and 3, and he’s in third spot - alongside his playing partner Webb Simpson, the 2012 US Open champ having matched him shot for shot over the past couple of holes. Probably worth a quick rejig of the leaderboard, the last one now being worse than useless.
-3: Henley (10), Rose (6)
-2: Simpson (3), Casey (3)
Updated
A second birdie on the bounce for Russell Henley, this time at 9, and the local hero - he was born in Macon, Georgia - is the sole leader of the Masters. Henley is the only player, other than Seve, to have won a PGA Tour event in only his third start (the 2013 Sony Open in Hawaii). He’s obviously got the chops. And it’s his 26th birthday on Sunday. Amen Corner coming up soon, though.
-3: Henley (9)
-2: Woodland (10), B Watson (5), Rose (5)
-1: Hoffman (14), T Watson (10), Streelman (7), Poulter (7), Hoffmann (4), Stricker (4), Haas (3), Simpson (2), Casey (2)
All change at the top. Ian Poulter bogeys 6 to drop back into the pack at -1, and he’s been overtaken by Gary Woodland, who has birdied 9, and Russell Henley, who has picked up strokes at 5 and 8. Henley could be a decent shout to spring a surprise this week. He’s already got four top-four finishes on Tour this season, the last coming at the Shell Houston Open over the weekend just gone. Four sub-70 rounds on the bounce there. And who’s this? Why it’s Bubba Watson and Justin Rose, both of whom have just birdied 5. This little lot are at -2, the early pacesetters.
Updated
One of the favourites this week is Dustin Johnson. And here he is, ladies and gentlemen, in glorious microcosm form! A short birdie putt missed at the par-five second. Then, after a 325-yard pelt down 3, a chip from 25 yards which only finds the fringe, and a further three to get down. Bogey, and a typically reckless start from the big loveable galoot. The course isn’t giving up much this morning: Jonas Blixt, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jason Dufner are another three big names already in debit, all at +1.
Great hopes of a Northern Irish winner this week, of course. That’s unlikely to be the 2011 Open winner Darren Clarke, however. He started off steadily enough with a string of pars, but he’s just made double bogeys at 5 and 7, an incongruously sandwiching a birdie at 6. He’s +3, and one of the early stragglers, though still two shots better off than Weir and Conners, who have both dropped shots at 8; they’re +5. Rory’s out in a few minutes.
Ian Poulter is alone, though. He’s the sole leader at -2 now. Charley Hoffman was the first man to register a birdie at this year’s Tournament, and the first leader. Now he’s the first man to come unstuck at Amen Corner, dropping a shot at 11 after driving into trees. Upon hacking out, getting up and down from the best part of 120 yards was always a big ask, and so it proved. He’s back at -1, but if that mark’s good enough for Tom Watson - the old trooper’s just birdied 8 - it’s good enough for him.
Updated
Mike Weir is not alone. He’s still propping up the field, such as it is at this early stage, on +4. But he’s been joined by Corey Conners, whose wheels have come clanking off big style: bogey, bogey, double bogey on 5, 6 and 7. To be honest I’d have bodyswerved the subject altogether, Conners being an amateur and all, but Steve Buist of Hamilton, Ontario has emailed in: “Two Canadians in the field. Two Canadians dead last. We’re so proud.” Plenty of time yet. Plenty of time. The only way is up.
True to form, the very first on-the-hour Guardian leaderboard is over ten minutes late. I refer you to my earlier statement about the lack of binding legal documents. And look on the bright side, Andy’s enjoying his breakfast. Anyway, time to tell of a couple of other birdies. Danny Willett, having dropped a shot on the opening hole, bounced back with a birdie at 2, and now another at 8. The young Englishman’s in a large group at -1 which also now includes Patrick Reed, Steven Gallacher of Scotland, and Bubba, who knows more than anyone else the importance of making hay on the par fives, and has accordingly picked up his first shot of the week at the long 2nd.
-2: Hoffman (10), Poulter (4)
-1: Willett (8), Meth (8), Woodland (7), Henley (6), Streelman (4), Gallacher (4), Reed (4), Bradley (4), B Watson (2)
Updated
Ian Poulter has just wedged his second at 3 to five feet, then knocked in the putt. So that’s him tied for the (very early) lead with Charley Hoffman at -2! And if all this early bedlam hasn’t been enough to whet your Masters appetite, our man Andy Bull is swanning around Augusta National, and he’s just been to the concession stand. “Ice tea and pimento cheese. Yup.” All that rich, creamy, tangy goodness, and journalistic contentment, packed into a mere six words. The man’s like Hemingway.
The reigning Masters champion is out and, furthermore, about. A perfect opening tee shot for Bubba, whistled down the middle of Tea Olive, landing just to the left of the big fairway bunker. Perfect. A glorious start to his defence. The approach is a bit dismal, though, pulled to the right of the green. He gets up and down to save his par. Meanwhile up on 2, there are birdies for Keegan Bradley and Ian Poulter. They’re both on -1 early doors. But the pain for poor old Mike Weir continues apace: another visit into the woods, this time at 5, and a double bogey drops him down to +4 already. Still, he’ll always be the first left-handed golfer to win the Masters, they’ll never take that away from him.
The Par 3 Contest jinx means yesterday’s winner Kevin Streelman has the weight of history against him. But he’s surely in credit with the Bank of Karma after making young Ethan Couch’s day. (2pm BST, if you’ve turned up late, all sweaty, still to change into your shoes or store your phone in the locker.) So his birdie on 2 is most welcome news. He joins the group at -1, which now includes Gary Woodland, who bogeyed 5. Charley Hoffman is the sole leader again; he’s -2 through 8.
“I too am super excited,” trills Thomas Cox, “especially as I’m more convinced than ever that the winner will come from the group teeing off at 18.59 BST. So long as Jason Day’s pedestrian play doesn’t get under his skin. Or he has to do much putting. Or he remembers that he “doesn’t have the things he needs to have” to win a major. Come on Sergio!” Yes, now’s the time to dream. Whyever not. What’s the point in sport otherwise? Sandy’s out at 4.36pm, incidentally.
A sprinkling of former champions out there already. You may have spotted the name of 1994 and 1999 winner Jose Maria Olazabal on the leaderboard. He birdied the opening hole by sinking a 50-footer. The 1977 and 1981 victor Tom Watson dropped a stroke at the 1st, but picked it up again at 2. He’s level par through 5, while 1987 play-off whirlwind Larry Mize - the iconic nature of that chip makes it rather easy to forget he saw off Seve as well as Greg Norman - is level through 6 with a string of pars. But no such serene progress for 2003 hero Mike Weir, who has been hacking around in the woods down the side of 2. A bogey, then another dropped stroke after finding sand at the par-three 4th. He’s +2, and propping up the early leaderboard.
Let the record state that the first birdie of the 2015 Masters Tournament was made by Charley Hoffman. He sent his second at the par-five 2nd to the edge of the green, before getting up and down from 30 yards. That was followed by another birdie at 3, an absurd three-putt from 14 feet at 4 for bogey, then a 40-foot putt for his third birdie of the day at 5. The first man to reach the top of this year’s leaderboard. There he is, at -2 through 6. But company’s not been long in coming. Big hitting Gary Woodland has birdied 2 and 4 to join him at the top. So here’s the first Guardian leaderboard of this year’s Masters. They should be coming at you on the hour, every hour, at the very least, more often when the action hots up. But may we please take this opportunity to remind you that no legal documents pertaining to this matter have been signed.
-2: Hoffman (6), Woodland (4)
-1: Singh (2), Olazabal (1)
Updated
Here we go, then, patrons! Jack Nicklaus got proceedings under way this morning, in his customary role as honorary starter, clacking a ceremonial drive down Tea Olive with his pals Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. Of course, he’s already put a light under this year’s Tournament with his hole-in-one at the Par 3 Contest. That was the six-time champion’s first-ever ace at Augusta, and what’s more the 75-year-old legend called it in an interview before going out for his round. It’s almost as though the sort of being who can win 18 golf majors is somehow not quite of this world.
A most special moment, though astonishingly the deity storyboarding yesterday’s Par 3 Contest had a couple of even wilder tales up their sleeve. Nicklaus wasn’t the only man to register a hole in one: the amateur Matias Dominguez and the 2008 champion Trevor Immelman also recorded aces. But never mind that: Camilo Villegas managed two. Two!
And even that has nothing on the bittersweet, heartwarming story of Ethan Couch. The 13-year-old has an inoperable brain tumour, but thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation charity, was on Kevin Streelman’s bag yesterday. The young man must read a mighty fine line, because Streelman won the Contest after a three-hole play-off with Villegas!
Streelman’s odds of winning the Masters will be lengthening by the minute, as no player has ever won the Par 3 Contest then gone on to land the big prize. But he doesn’t seem too worried. “This isn’t about me,” he shrugged. “It’s about helping Ethan out and showing him a great day.” Mission accomplished there, one suspects. Ethan Couch: a Masters champion.
Something in your eye? Yes, us too, the azaleas no doubt.
Preamble for the patrons
Tiger and Rory. Rory and Tiger. There are 96 other golfers in the field for the 79th Masters Tournament, but, well, you know how these things go. And fair’s fair! Rory’s looking to become only the seventh player in history to complete a career slam of majors, after all, and if he does so, having won last year’s Open and PGA titles, would be three-quarters of the way to a Tiger-style McSlam. This week could prove epochal. Tiger, meanwhile, is, well, Tiger. And Tiger is back, baby! So it’s been a feeding frenzy. Tiger and Rory. Rory and Tiger. You know how these things go.
Rory’s the favourite this week, the best player in the world. Even so, he’s been the first to admit he’s never at his best on lightning-fast greens like Augusta’s. So he’ll be hoping the rain keeps coming down to soften things up for him. Meanwhile the 14-major-winning legend Tiger is making the highest-profile return from injury in the history of All Sport. His malady has been both physical and mental, but mainly mental: never mind that sore back, he’s had the yips! The chyips. The chippy-yips. And Augusta National is no place to sort your head out when you’ve started blading shots through greens like a rank amateur on a municipal par-three. He’s still setting his stall out for victory, though. Yes, yes, there’s that 82 at the Phoenix Open in January and his walk-off at the Farmers to consider, but there’s also this: since his last win in 2005, he’s finished in the top four six times out of eight visits, and you can throw in another tie for sixth. He’s not half bad round this track.
But what if things don’t pan out as planned for Rory and Tiger? As we say, there are 96 other golfers in the field for the 79th Masters Tournament. And plenty of them have a rare old chance of victory themselves.
The reigning champion Bubba Watson, for starters. The perfect Augusta National superstar, with his length, shot shape, major-winning nous, and good ol’ waffle-servin’ Southern style. His WGC tournament record this season: won one, third in the other. Last year’s second-place sensation Jordan Spieth? Here’s his last three outings on the PGA Tour: won, second, lost play-off. Perennial nearly man Dustin Johnson, with a game for the Masters and his socks freshly pulled up? Four top-ten finishes on Tour from six, including the serene no-meltdown closing-out of the WGC Cadillac. Major bridesmaid Jason Day? One win already on Tour this season. Jimmy Walker, first in the FedEx Cup Standings? JB Holmes, coming off the back of a 64 to win the Houston Open last week? Three-time winner Phil Mickelson, slowly getting his birdie groove on? The 2013 champion Adam Scott? Rickie Fowler? Henrik Stenson? Patrick Reed? Sergi... OK, I’ll stop now. But let’s just say this much: good luck calling it, because this could be one of the greatest Masters of all time, and goodness me the bar’s already set very high. It’s on, ladies and gentlemen. It. Is. ON! I’m absurdly excited. You too? Uh-huh.
We’ll be getting this Hole By Hole report underway at 2pm BST, which is 9am if you’re lucky enough to be in the sweet Georgian town of Augusta. Meantime, just before we list today’s tee times, here’s the complete list of multiple Masters champions, just to put everything into some sort of perspective, and send a few more shivers of anticipation skittering across every inch of your skin:
6: Jack Nicklaus
4: Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods
3: Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead, Gary Player, Nick Faldo, Phil Mickelson
2: Horton Smith, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Ben Crenshaw, Jose Maria Olazabal, Bubba Watson
And now today’s tee times ...
7.40am ET, 12.40pm BST: Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus (honorary starters)
7.45am ET, 12.45pm BST: Charley Hoffman, Brian Harman
7.56am ET, 12.56pm BST: Larry Mize, Danny Willett, Byron Meth (a)
8.07am ET, 1.07pm BST: Tom Watson, Gary Woodland, Camilo Villegas
8.18am ET, 1.18pm BST: Mike Weir, Ben Crane, Corey Conners (a)
8.29am ET, 1.29pm BST: Vijay Singh, Russell Henley, Darren Clarke
8.40am ET, 1.40pm BST: Jose Maria Olazabal, Brendon Todd, Kevin Na
8.51am ET, 1.51pm BST: Jonas Blixt, Kevin Streelman, Stephen Gallacher
9.02am ET, 2.02pm BST: Patrick Reed, Keegan Bradley, Ian Poulter
9.13am ET, 2.13pm BST: Miguel Angel Jimenez, Lee Westwood, Anirban Lahiri
9.24am ET, 2.24pm BST: Bubba Watson, Justin Rose, Gunn Yang (a)
9.35am ET, 2.35pm BST: Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson, Antonio Murdaca (a)
9.57am ET, 2.57pm BST: Morgan Hoffmann, Steve Stricker, Matt Every
10.08am ET, 3.08pm BST: Ben Crenshaw, Bill Haas, Jason Dufner
10.19am ET, 3.19pm BST: Webb Simpson, Hideki Matsuyama, Paul Casey
10.30am ET, 3.30pm BST: Charl Schwartzel, Joost Luiten, Sangmoon Bae
10.41am ET, 3.41pm BST: Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Ryan Moore
10.52am ET, 3.52pm BST: JB Holmes, Martin Kaymer, Brandt Snedeker
11.03am ET, 4.03pm BST: Ian Woosnam, Erik Compton, Marc Leishman
11.14am ET, 4.14pm BST: Trevor Immelman, Kevin Stadler, Scott Harvey (a)
11.25am ET, 4.25pm BST: Ben Martin, Robert Streb, Cameron Tringale
11.36am ET, 4.36pm BST: Sandy Lyle, Seung-yul Noh, Bradley Neil (a)
11.47am ET, 4.47pm BST: Bernhard Langer, Bernd Wiesberger, Geoff Ogilvy
12.09pm ET, 5.09pm BST: Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk, Ernie Els
12.20pm ET, 5.20pm BST: Angel Cabrera, Louis Oosthuizen, Matias Dominguez (a)
12.31pm ET, 5.31pm BST: Mark O’Meara, Chris Kirk, Shane Lowry
12.42pm ET, 5.42pm BST: Padraig Harrington, Ryan Palmer, Thomas Bjorn
12.53pm ET, 5.53pm BST: James Hahn, Mikko Ilonen, Hunter Mahan
1.04pm ET, 6.04pm BST: Matt Kuchar, Brooks Koepka, Graeme McDowell
1.15pm ET, 6.15pm BST: Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson, Billy Horschel
1.26pm ET, 6.26pm BST: Fred Couples, Branden Grace, Thongchai Jaidee
1.37pm ET, 6.37pm BST: Luke Donald, Victor Dubuisson, John Senden
1.48pm ET, 6.48pm BST: Tiger Woods, Jamie Donaldson, Jimmy Walker
1.59pm ET, 6.59pm BST: Jason Day, Sergio Garcia, Rickie Fowler
