After the weather in Augusta kept all us eager golf fans waiting for an excruciating two and a half hours, we finally got to see the traditional honorary starters tee off at Augusta. Gary Player, who seems to have done a deal with Father Time, didn't disappoint. At 88 years of age, he stood up and corked a driver right down the center, leading to a customary celebration. He credits his longevity to ice baths and not overeating, worth a go if he's driving the ball like that at his age.
Check Out Our Masters Bundle Here
Anyway, on to the golf. Bryson DeChambeau set the pace early on with an opening round of 65, just two under his self-imposed par of 67. With a round that included 8 birdies and 1 bogey, Bryson will be incredibly happy with how he played. His shot of the day came on the 15th, where he sent a drive way right into the gallery. He had no obvious route to the green, and a layup seemed to be the only option here to everyone except Bryson. He unleashed what must have been a 50-yard cut over the gallery down the left, which found the putting surface, leaving him 40 feet for eagle. Incredible. He closed off the round in good fashion with a birdie on 16 after nearly making an ace, followed by another on 17, capitalizing on a bad drive that hit a tree and made its way back into the fairway.
Danny Willett's round of 68 was the most impressive round of the day. Just six months ago, he underwent incredibly invasive shoulder surgery, with doctors saying his recovery was likely to take 12-18 months. He had two tears in the labrum amongst some other bits that needed 'clearing out'. However, he didn't want to miss playing the Masters and set his sights on making a speedy recovery. He wasted no time showing us that he was ready to play by making birdies on 1 and 3. He displayed veteran course knowledge by making a putt from off the back of the green on 7; he set the ball off in the direction of the greenside bunker and must have come within a foot of it before it began its tumble down towards the hole. Willett finished strongly, making birdies on 15, 16, and a rare one on the hardest hole of the day, the par four 18th.
There's somewhere deep down in all of us that hopes and dreams to see Tiger pull off another miracle and win his sixth green jacket, equalling Jack Nicklaus' record in the process. If there's someone who can defy the odds even further, it's him, and I genuinely believe he means it when he says he wouldn't be there if he didn't think he could win. He didn't disappoint his fans and got off to the races quickly on the 1st, splitting the fairway, flushing his approach, leaving 8 feet for birdie which he made no mistake in holing. He was facing the gusting wind when it was at its worst and it showed as he flew the greens on 2 and 4, guilty of hitting the ball 'too well'. Woods scrambled his way around Amen corner without a scratch, showing off a short game which would excite any golfer. With the wind now biting hard, he started by short-siding himself on 10; he landed a difficult bunker shot an inch or two outside the trap and let the ball roll down the slope and nestle a couple of feet from the pin. On 11, he played his third to perfection, having the ball stop dead at the hole side like it was on a string, and on 12, well, sometimes you really just have to watch in awe. He watched his two playing partners miss off the tee and decided to take a club more. Again, he was guilty of hitting it too well, and the ball flew over the back into the pine straw. He took what looked like a 5 or 6 iron and just gently nudged the ball in the direction of the hole, leaving himself a tester for par. Like the Tiger of old, he found the cup. He will resume his 1st round on the 14th sitting at one under par, and if the same Tiger as yesterday turns up, I can see him making birdie at 15 and 16, which would put him inside the top 10 at three under par. He can't, can he?