Only a year ago, Woods had trouble just sitting through the dinner at the Masters Club of past champions because of pain from his lower back shooting down his legs.
Advertisement
Also for the record, it was the highest score posted by any player ever on the hole that played second easiest for the field, and part of an 81 that was the highest score ever shot by a defending champion in the opening round of the Masters. “I saw it land, and all of a sudden everyone was standing up and the next thing I know I turn around any my dad (his caddie) is running at full speed, ” Ghim said.
The same could not be said for defending champion Sergio Garcia, who carded an 81 after taking an unbelievable 13 shots to play the 15th hole.
Buckle up, Haotong. There is much more golf to be played. The opening day didn’t disappoint. Charley Hoffman shot 69 to sit three back of the lead. Other short odds to win are Rory McIlroy (+500) Henrik Stenson (+1400), Justin Rose (+1400) and Phil Mickelson (+1400). There was some up, and there was some down, but he didn’t play himself out of the tournament on Thursday. He was often wild off the tee, frequently missing to the right of the fairway with his driver, and he found trouble with his very first shot of the tournament. But the adoration he received from the patrons let him know he was missed. And when you have rounds like this you learn the most.
Starting the day in all black, the former world number one hooked his opening tee shot left into the gallery.
He threaded his second through a gap in those tall pines to find the front right of the green.
Blame this one on the golf gods?
Woods will enter the second round trying to get some of his driving woes under control as he tries to climb up the leaderboard.
After not making birdie at 13 – where Woods is 48 under for his career-he was 3 over. The finish particularly pleased him after he had wound up left of the par-4 18th in three.
He wasn’t in red figures for long, alas.
He followed, however, with back-to-back bogeys.
That bullish assessment came before Spieth caught fire, stringing together five birdies on the back nine as he seized a two-stroke lead over fellow Americans Matt Kuchar and Tony Finau.
Fleetwood, playing alongside Tiger Woods, turned in level par after cancelling out a bogey on the third with a birdie at the eighth.
The start of the back nine was messy.
But even with his driver repeatedly leaking right, a awful shank on the 11th and a ball in the water at the short 12th, there were still positives for Woods to take. He shot five-under par on those five holes, catapulting him into the top spot after the first round.
‘I didn’t take care of the par-fives. But he made a 20-footer for bogey and was on his way.
Jordan Spieth again demonstrated his remarkable prowess at Augusta National as he charged into the first-round lead at the 82nd Masters. “It was interesting”, he added of his day.
Finau was cleared to play after receiving an MRI exam on his dislocated left ankle Thursday morning.
“I hit a six-iron [initially]”.
Lyle teed off an hour after Woods.
He’s certainly off to a good start in his quest for No. 4.
Advertisement
At times, it seemed as if everyone on the course felt as deflated as him. He handled it pretty well on this occasion, though.
