Woods off to flyer in bid for sixth green jacket
Masters champion Tiger Woods drives No. 11 during Round 1 of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, November 12, 2020.
Tiger Woods fired an early warning shot across the bows of the young turks eager to take his throne by going bogey-free for the first time on the opening day of the weather-delayed Masters Tournament.
Just four minutes of golf were played before torrential rain flooded Augusta National and play was suspended for two hours and 45 minutes.
But when the clouds departed, and the sun emerged, it wasn't beefed up Bryson DeChambeau (who shot 70) who shone brightest but a host of experienced campaigners, headed by Englishman Paul Casey (43) who made an eagle and five birdies in a 65 to lead by two shots from Webb Simpson and Xander Schauffele on seven-under par.
Justin Thomas was five-under through nine with Matthew Wolff, Dylan Frittelli and Adam Scott four-under midway through their rounds.
But safely in the clubhouse was defending champion Woods (44), who proved that form is fleeing but class permanent when he drew on his vast experience and fired a brilliant, four-under 68 in front of Shane Lowry to tie for fourth with Westwood (47), Louis Oosthuizen, Patrick Reed and Hideki Matsuyama as he bids to match Jack Nicklaus by claiming a sixth green jacket.
"There were so many different firsts," a beaming Woods said, referencing the two-tee start and the eerie silence, punctuated by the buzz of overflying TV drones and the occasional smattering of applause from mini galleries. "No patrons, it was so different, not only the sight but the energy. There were no roars. I hit a shot into nine and got four or five handclaps. It was so different, and yet we are able to complete for a green jacket."
As for his performance, he was quietly thrilled by just his second sub-70 opening round in 23 starts in the Masters, even if he wished he'd holed a few more putts.
"So understanding how to play it is a big factor, and it's one of the reasons why early in my career that I saw Jack [Nicklaus] contending a lot, I saw Raymond [Floyd] contending late in his career, now Bernhard [Langer] and Freddie [Couples] always contend here late in their careers. Just understanding how to play this golf course was a big part of it."
On a day when Graeme McDowell (41) took six at the ninth (his 18th) to turn a 70 into a level par 72 and Shane Lowry made little alongside Woods and failed to make a birdie in a 74, Casey was as pleased as Woods by his 65.
"My first appearance was '04, so I know this golf course better than most," said Casey, who improved by 17 strokes on his opening 81 last year. "Last year was a blip. I have just been excited to get out here. This season has been flat, and I have looked forward to this week for a long time. It's a golf course I love to play, I was looking forward to it and I played a great round of golf."
Woods round was a treat for Shane Lowry, who had been waiting years for his first game with the 15-time major winner but couldn't muster a birdie to a two-over 74, doing well just to drop a shot at the 11th, where his bunker shot stopped inches from the water.
"I can't seem to get my head around this place," said Lowry, who got out of position at the 14th and left himself an almost impossible up and down to the back left flag, then failed to make much of importance in a 33 putt round that was otherwise strong from tee to green.
"Played lovely in practice. Played really good going into it, and just off to a bad start. But look, it is what it is. I'll regroup tonight, and whatever time we do play at tomorrow, I'll be ready to go and try and shoot the best score I can."
On playing with Woods for the first time, he added: "It was nice to play with Tiger my first time I was able to play with him. It is pretty cool. I didn't want to get distracted by it today, and I don't think I did.
"But playing with like my golfing hero is just pretty cool around this place, and as the Open Champion playing with the defending champion, that was just kind of a bit of a surreal experience.
"But I am very disappointed with my day, but I did enjoy my day, as well. Like I said, I just need to regroup now tonight. I played it really, really nice in practice and I played really well in Houston last week, so no reason why I can't go out and shoot a good score tomorrow."
DeChambeau looked likely to go on a scoring rampage when he hit a big three wood down the 10th and then spun a 150-yard wedge back to around five feet from the hole.
But he missed the putt, did well to save par at the 11th, then racked up a seven at the 13th before fighting back to card a two-under 70 thanks to birdies at his last two holes, the last of them coming courtesy of a 364-yard drive and a wedge to eight feet.
"There was a lot of patience out there," said DeChambeau, who did not see the advantage and opted not to use his 48-inch driver. "I'm very happy with the patience I delivered to the course today.
"This golf course, as much as I'm trying to attack it, it can bite back. It's still Augusta National, and it's the Masters. It's an amazing test of golf no matter what way you play it.
“I tried to take on some risk today. It didn't work out as well as I thought it would have, but at the end of the day I'm proud of myself the way I handled myself and finished off. Birdieing eight and nine was a testament to my focus level, and wanting to contend here.”
That he shot 70 hitting just eight fairways speaks volumes for DeChambeau but McDowell hit 12 of 14 and walked away two shots worse.
The Rathmore man (41) bogeyed the 10th and 13th because of mud balls but after three-putting the 15th for par, he got fired up, chipped in at the 16th, then birdied the second, third and eight to get to two-under only to take six at the ninth.
"It's never any fun to finish like that," said McDowell. "I missed one fairway today, and that's the one on 9, and I pulled a horrendous lie under a branch for my second shot and I could only manage to putt it out of there and left myself on the downslope in the rough and made six from there."
He added: "Disappointed to finish like that, but lots of positives to take into tomorrow. I mean, the golf course is certainly as soft as you're ever going to see Augusta. It's as gettable as we're ever going to see at this place, and there was certainly a good score to be had out there, I just couldn't quite get the job done."
Rory McIlroy and amateur James Sugrue were among the later starters following the rain delay and both endured mixed starts.
Four-time major champion McIlroy bogeyed the first, then missed a four footer for a birdie at the seventh before getting a shot back at the eighth to share 51st on level par through nine holes when play was suspended.
He faces the three toughest holes on the course when play resumes and a tough bunker shot at the 10th while Mallow ace Sugrue (23) will be looking for an improvement on the greens after three-putting three times on the back nine.
He three putted the 10th and found water with his approach to the 11th to open with two bogeys. But while he two-putted from 16 feet for an easy birdie at the 15th, he three-putted the 16th and 17th and missed a two and a half footer at the 18th to drop three shots in a row slip to four-over through the turn.
Spain’s Jon Rahm came back from two-over after three holes to shoot a three-under 69.
