Norway’s Viktor Hovland, Spain’s Jon Rahm and American Brooks Koepka shared the first round lead on the Masters on Thursday, profiting from easier-than-usual situations to card seven-under par 65s.
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Rain in latest days has softened Augusta National, making the usually speedy and difficult greens far more benign, and the trio seized a two-stroke lead over American Cameron Young and Australian Jason Day.
Favorite, defending champion and world primary Scottie Scheffler was one among seven gamers sitting three strokes behind the leaders after capturing 68.
But five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods regarded extra prone to be combating to keep away from the lower than for the title after he shot a two-over par 74 in a spherical that included 5 bogeys.
Flying start
Hovland, who was enjoying in the identical group as Woods and Shauffele, acquired off to a flying start with an eagle on the par-5 second gap, the place he adopted up an excellent iron shot with a 25-foot putt.
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Further birdies got here on the ninth, eleventh and thirteenth holes, however the Norwegian was much less tidy within the ultimate 5, discovering himself in bother on the par-5 fifteenth, the place he went far to the left however was capable of scramble to make par as he ensured he completed bogey free.
“I would have taken that. That was pretty fun. My game has been feeling good,” Hovland stated.
“But to shoot a 65 bogey-free out here, some things have to go your way… but I also hit a lot of great shots.”
Rahm’s rating was much more spectacular on condition that he began with a four-putt double bogey on the primary gap.
The world quantity three rapidly made amends with successive birdies and an eagle on the par-5 eighth, the place his 249-yard iron shot landed 4 toes from the pin.
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He reached the flip three-under and a very good again 9 left the Spaniard with a share of the lead and within the strongest place of the pre-tournament favorites.
“If you’re going to make a double bogey, might as well do it on the first hole of the tournament when you have plenty of holes to make it up,” quipped Rahm.
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Koepka, who performs within the breakaway LIV Golf League, made eight birdies with a bogey approaching the newly prolonged par-5 thirteenth gap, the place he pulled his drive.
He birdied the ultimate two holes to affix Rahm and Hovland atop the leaderboard.
Rough start for Tiger Woods
Woods made three bogeys in his opening seven holes however he recovered barely with a birdie on the par-5 eighth, the place he virtually chipped in for an eagle.
After a bogey on the eleventh, Woods once more bounced again with birdies on the fifteenth and sixteenth earlier than his efforts have been a little bit undone by a bogey on the 18th, the place he discovered himself in sand bother.
“I felt like I drove it good,” stated Woods,
“I just didn’t do the job I need to do to get the ball close. Today was the opportune time to get the round under par, and I didn’t do that,” he stated.
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Scheffler acquired himself into the groove with an eagle on the second and regardless of lacking some birdie alternatives was effectively positioned for a second-round push.
“I did a good job of controlling my emotions today and staying in check, and I didn’t get too frustrated on the greens. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t,” he stated.
Also on 68 have been Ireland’s Shane Lowry, Americans Xander Shauffele, Sam Burns and Gary Woodland together with Australian Adam Scott.
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Reigning US Amateur champion Sam Bennett had a memorable spherical, matching Sheffler’s rating together with his bogey-free spherical.
World quantity two Rory McIlroy completed on even-par after an inconsistent spherical that noticed him make 5 birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey on the par-4 seventh.
Tee occasions for Friday have been superior half-hour for a 07:30 start with rain and wind forecast for late Friday by way of Saturday, which might damage these caught on the course on the improper time.
First spherical scores within the 87th Masters at Augusta National:
65 – Brooks Koepka (USA), Viktor Hovland (NOR), Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 – Jason Day (AUS), Cameron Young (USA)
68 – Gary Woodland (USA), Scottie Scheffler (USA), Sam Bennett (USA), Sam Burns (USA), Xander Schauffele (USA), Adam Scott (AUS), Shane Lowry (IRL)
69 – Justin Rose (ENG), Tony Finau (USA), Jordan Spieth (USA), Collin Morikawa (USA)
70 – Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG), Keegan Bradley (USA), Scott Stallings (USA), Chris Kirk (USA), Justin Thomas (USA), Tom Kim (KOR), Ryan Fox (NZL), Cameron Smith (AUS), Sepp Straka (AUT)
71 – Joaquin Niemann (CHI), Hideki Matsuyama (JPN), Im Sung-jae (KOR), Dustin Johnson (USA), Patrick Reed (USA), Fred Couples (USA), Phil Mickelson (USA), Harris English (USA), Patrick Cantlay (USA), Max Homa (USA), Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
72 – Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Harold Varner III (USA), Talor Gooch (USA), Kevin Kisner (USA), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Abraham Ancer (MEX), Mike Weir (CAN), Rory McIlroy (NIR)
73 – Corey Conners (CAN), Adrian Meronk (POL), Seamus Power (IRL), Kim Si-woo (KOR), Billy Horschel (USA), Jason Kokrak (USA), Russell Henley (USA), Taylor Moore (USA), Sahith Theegala (USA)
74 – Tiger Woods (USA), Tom Hoge (USA), Bryson DeChambeau (USA), JT Poston (USA), Lee Kyung-hoon (KOR), Charl Schwartzel (RSA), Guillermo Pereira (CHI), Sergio Garcia (ESP), Thomas Pieters (BEL)
75 – Vijay Singh (FIJ), Adam Svensson (CAN), Min Woo Lee (AUS), Harrison Crowe (AUS), Bernhard Langer (GER), Zach Johnson (USA), Ben Carr (USA), Danny Willett (ENG), Kurt Kitayama (USA), Keith Mitchell (USA)
76 – Cameron Champ (USA), Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Kazuki Higa (JPN), Mackenzie Hughes (CAN), Mateo Fernández de Oliveira (ARG)
77 – Jose Maria Olazabal (ESP), Aldrich Potgieter (RSA), Bubba Watson (USA), Brian Harman (USA), Gordon Sargent (USA), Matthew McClean (NIR)
78 – Alexander Noren (SWE)
79 – Larry Mize (USA)
81 – Sandy Lyle (SCO)
Kevin Na (USA) W/D
Will Zalatoris (USA) W/D
By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
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