The Masters :: Round 1 Re-Cap

THE MASTERS: ROUND 1 TALKING POINTS

• Adam Scott made a strong start to his defence The Masters and, at three-under, is just a shot behind first round leader Bill Haas. Scott is out to become only the fourth player in Masters history to successfully defend the title.

• The 12th hole might be easy on the eye but it was had on the scores of players in round one. It yielded only six birdies, as 26 players bogeyed it, six doubled it and three others did, well, worse than that.

• Phil Mickelson was his usual entertaining self in round one of The Masters, carding two birdies, one bogey, one double and one triple. The three-time champ is four-over-par and, in all likelihood, needs something in the 60s to make the weekend.

• Of the current top 20 players on the world rankings, only seven are in the top 20 (and ties) after round one: Adam Scott, Bubba Watson, Brandt Snedeker, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Graeme McDowell, and Steve Stricker.

• Was Tiger Woods missed? Discuss amongst yourselves…

MAN OF THE ROUND

Lots of contenders but we’re going to give this one to Stephen Gallacher. Call us parochial but the Scot played that front nine like it was his hundredth time in The Masters, not his first. Out in three-under 33, the wheels could easily have come off when he gave all the shots back by the time he walked off 13. However, a birdie at 15 – which ought really to have been an eagle – got him back on track and left the Augusta debutant as one of only 19 players in red numbers.

PAINFUL TO WATCH

Plenty people were backing Jason Dufner to win back-to-back majors this week but the PGA champ played his way out of The Masters on the par-5 13th. He carded a quadruple-bogey nine after a wayward second shot, which flew through the green, left him in trouble. He then chipped across the green and into Rae’s Creek. He was able to hit his shot from the hazard but left it in there after making a poor connection. From there, he took a penalty drop, hit another poor chip, and then managed to knock his seventh shot onto the green, from where he two putted.

TIP OF THE CAP

It shouldn’t really be necessary to praise a golfer for calling a penalty on himself (it’s a bit like praising water for being wet) but after last year’s event was overshadowed by multiple rules controversies, fair play to Brandt Snedeker for calling foul on himself on the 13th hole. Going along nicely, the American was assessed with a one-stroke penalty after he noticed his ball move when he took a pair of practice swings. Karma repaid him with birdies at 15 and 16.

STATS OF THE DAY

• Three players – Sang Moon Bae, Ken Duke and Matt Jones – can look forward to getting a pair of crystal goblets from the Masters Tournament Committee after carding the only eagles on day one.

• If you thought it looked like a tough first day out there for the players, you’d be right. The field’s cumulative scoring average was 2.47 shots over par.

• Bet Phil Mickelson wishes the Masters was just the 13th at Augusta National 72 times over. The three-time winner is a combined 66-under for his career on that hole.

• Luke Donald had an eventful front nine, going out in 41. Was his lack of distance a factor? He averaged 20 yards less off the tee compared with the field average and hit just over half of the fairways.

SOUNDBITES

“It was a bad draw being out last. You sort of sigh when you see the draw.”

Lee Westwood

“You don’t go for flags, you go for positions.”

Stephen Gallacher 

“If I was to design a golf course for me to win a major championship, it probably would not look like this.”

Graeme McDowell 

“Um, no.”

Ben Crenshaw, in response to being asked if he’s enjoying the tournament… after carding an 83

OH DEAR…

Bruce Critchley is rather poor behind the mic, isn’t he? To describe him as a bit error-prone would be like saying Jack Nicklaus was ‘alright’ at golf. His best cock-up in round one? Telling viewers that Patrick Reed had shot a 71 … as the TV displayed his actual  score – 73 – next to his name. He’s the weak link in an otherwise pretty sound Sky Sports team.

THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR

• Eleven players are currently within two shots of the lead. Expect that to thin out a little by the end of round two.

• What will be the next latest fluorescent number Lee Westwood, above, picks from his wardrobe? We’re guessing it’ll be either bright green or bright orange.

• More warm weather is forecast for Friday’s second round of The Masters. So expect the already-slick greens to become firmer, faster, fierier, and harder.

LIVE! In-play The Masters chat at bunkered.co.uk/forums this week!

Chat LIVE! with the bunkered team tonight during live coverage of round two of The Masters at www.bunkered.co.uk/forums. You will need to be registered with the site in order to comment. You can use your Fantasy Golf log-in to go on the bunkered Forum.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor