The Masters Tournament is underway at Augusta National Golf Club. The action from Thursday's round did not disappointed, with the cream of the crop rising to the top of the leaderboard.
Let's break down what's already transpired at Augusta on Day 1.
Rory's dream start
Defending the green jacket isn't easy, which is why only three players in the tournament's history have ever done it. But Rory McIlroy took the first step toward becoming the fourth to do it with a fantastic 5-under 67. The round marks McIlroy's first score under 70 on a Thursday at Augusta since 2018. It's a major improvement on last year's opener when he was seven off the pace. You'd have to think McIlroy couldn't have drawn up a better start to his title defense, and is feeling confident in his ability to repeat.
Scheffler quickly erases concerns
Scottie Scheffler made doubters look foolish on Thursday, as he eagled the second hole and made the turn at 3-under. The two-time Masters champ has not played since The Players Championship, and has not been living up to extremely high expectations this year. However, Scheffler is the +325 favorite on theScore Bet to win the Masters, narrowly ahead of McIlroy. Scheffler finished with a 2-under 70 to sit tied for sixth after 18 holes. It's the fifth year in a row that he's been sixth or better after Day at at Augusta.
What's up with Rahm?
Jon Rahm entered as the second favorite to win the green jacket behind Scheffler, but is putting together one of the most disappointing rounds of the day. The 2023 Masters champ failed to make a birdie and posted a 6-over 78 for the tournament. The biggest issue for Rahm was on the greens, as he ranked 89th of 91 players in the field in putting.
Reed's early run
Patrick Reed came out of the gates firing with a birdie-eagle start, and then added his second eagle of the round on No. 8 to claim the early lead. He became just the second man ever to card two eagles over his first nine holes of a Masters in the process. After finishing the round at 3-under, two back of McIlroy's co-lead, the 2018 champion appears to be a serious contender this week, despite being one of the few players in the field who isn't playing a full PGA TOUR or LIV Golf schedule. There's still a long way to go, but Reed's early-season dominance on the DP World Tour, where he sits first in the Race to Dubai, has carried into the season's first major and has immediately put him into contention.
Strong starts
Jason Day, Xander Schauffele and Tommy Fleetwood posted respectable rounds of 69, 70 and 71, respectively. Carding early under-par rounds is crucial for keeping yourself in the tournament, as the adage goes: Tournaments are not won on Thursdays, but they can be lost. The scoring average for Round 1 is 2.64 strokes over par.
Disappointing DeChambeau
Bryson DeChambeau was among the favorites entering the week, but did not get off to a good start. He bogeyed the par-5 second, a hole on which he should have routine birdie putts given his length. He made a single front-nine birdie and was hit with disaster on No. 11. DeChambeau took three to get out of the greenside bunker, eventually setting for a sloppy triple-bogey. The two-time U.S. Open champion bogeyed two of his final three holes, leading to a 4-over 76 and a battle with the cutline coming on Friday.
Young's struggles
While many of the pre-tournament favorites enjoyed strong opening rounds, Cameron Young did not. The reigning Players champion, and a popular pick to win the Masters, made four bogeys and zero birdies on his front nine to plummet down the leaderboard. He rebounded with a clean 3-birdie closing nine to finish at 1-over. He also has his right wrist taped, which he did not have when he won at TPC Sawgrass, adding health concerns and potentially contributing to his mediocre play.
A win for the olds
Augusta is truly a one-of-a-kind venue, one that allows a player like Jose Maria Olazabal, who ranks at the bottom of the field with a 272-yard average off the tee, to beat someone 39 years younger than him by 10 shots.
The two-time Masters winner played alongside the long-hitting Aldrich Potgieter and took the 21-year-old to school. Olazabal shot a respectable 74 to Potgieter's 84, despite hitting the ball 60 yards shorter on average than his playing partner. This pair's scores highlight one of the most fascinating aspects about Augusta National, in which course experience and patience will always trump brute force.
