Day 1 at the Masters
April 9, 2021 at 5:51AM
Will Zalatoris: The 24-year-old continued his meteoric rise on the PGA Tour. He shot 2-under 70 in his Masters debut, including an eagle on No. 15, to sit tied for fourth, trailing the red-hot Justin Rose by five strokes.
TOSS THAT CARD
Marc Leishman: After setting a Masters record last November by playing Augusta National's par-5 holes in 15 under, Leishman was 4 under through six holes, then gave everything back with a run of bogeys. He's at even par.
ON THE COURSE WITH:
Viktor Hovland: The low amateur when he last played the Masters in 2019, Hovland opened with a triple-bogey 7 on the first hole. Hovland parred No. 1 his first three times playing at the Masters, then made birdie in the final round two years ago. It was his first triple-bogey in 73 holes of competition at Augusta National.
MASTERS MOMENT
Lee Elder — the first Black man to play the Masters — joined Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as honorary starters. "It's a great honor, and I cherish it very much, and I will always cherish it," Elder said. Added Nicklaus: "It was long overdue."
CHIP SHOTS
• Dustin Johnson made only four bogeys during his record-setting win five months ago at Augusta. He made three bogeys and finished with a double at No. 18 on Thursday to finish 2 over.
• Tommy Fleetwood scored a hole in one on the par-3 16th hole, the 23rd ace at that hole in tournament history.
KEY HOLE
No. 11, 505-yard par-4: On a day many players struggled to hold shots on the greens, more players made double bogey or worse (five) than birdie (three) at the 11th.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Those are the heirlooms that you pass on to your kids. I was very, very excited to make that putt." — 2020 3M Open winner Michael Thompson, making his first Masters start since 2013, on the crystal goblets he'll receive for making an eagle in Round 1.
TWEET OF THE DAY
"Justin Rose was Baylor and the rest of the field was Gonzaga today at Augusta." — Sports Illustrated senior writer Pat Forde (@ByPatForde).
Round 2
The world's top-ranked golfers struggled to open the Masters. What did they learn from the gusty breezes and baked-out greens? Find out when Round 2 takes air Friday (2 p.m., ESPN).
Compiled by BRIAN STENSAAS
about the writer
Frankie Capan III, who will be playing on the PGA Tour next year, finished at 13 under par at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship.
