The first round of the 2014 Masters is in the books and while Bill Haas is in front, three major championship winners are one off the lead.
It was a picturesque day at Augusta National on Thursday, and while blue skies and plenty of sun make for a great setting, it created some challenging playing conditions for the 2014 Masters field. Firm and fast conditions combined with some devilish pin placements led to the course having the upper hand in the first round. Bill Haas was one of a few players to find some success, and he's the leader in the clubhouse after shooting a 4-under 68.
Haas didn't get off to a very good start with a bogey on No. 1, but quickly rebounded with a birdie on No. 2. Two more birdies on the front nine allowed him to make the turn at 2-under. His best stretch came early on the back nine when he successfully navigated Amen Corner. Many players struggled through Amen Corner, with No. 11 and No. 12 being the hardest and second-hardest holes on the course. Haas parred the 11th and 12th, then followed those holes up with back-to-back birdies. His only dropped shot after the opening bogey came on No. 17. He got that shot right back, however, closing the round with a birdie at the 18th. That was good enough for sole possession of first place.
While Haas is in the lead, an impressive stable of players is nipping at his heels, including three major champions tied for second place. Defending Masters champion Adam Scott opened up strong with a 3-under 68. He's tied for second place, joined by 2011 Masters champion Bubba Watson and 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen. Scott was 4-under at one point, but ran into some issues on No. 12. After the round, he said he only hit one poor shot all day -- the only problem was that poor shot ended up in Rae's Creek.
The double bogey was the only blemish on an otherwise solid round that included five birdies. Watson only carded three birdies in his round, but never dropped a shot. According to the ESPN broadcast, Thursday was just the second time Watson has played a bogey free round in 81 major championship rounds. Watson had the most success of any player playing in the late groups. He'll hit the course in the morning on Friday, possibly giving him an advantage over the other leaders.
With the course playing difficult, only 19 of the 97 players shot under par in the first round. That group includes several big names. Brandt Snedeker and Jimmy Walker are tied for fifth place at 2-under while Rickie Fowler, Fred Couples, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy are among the players in at 1-under. McIlroy nearly joined the group at 2-under before he ran into trouble on the final hole. McIlroy's tee shot at No. 18 found a fairway bunker. He was able to get his second shot on the green, but it landed on the lower tier and he three-putted for a closing bogey.
Phil Mickelson didn't fare as well, finishing the day at 4-over. He first ran into trouble at No. 7 when a subpar chip and a three-putt led to a triple bogey. Mickelson got a stroke back at No. 10 with arguably the best shot of the day. His approach at No. 10 came up well left of the pin, leaving him a nearly impossible birdie try. Mickelson read the speed and break of the putt perfectly, watching the 60-foot putt break nearly 10 feet into the cup.
Dustin Johnson at 5-over, Zach Johnson at 6-over and Jason Dufner at 8-over are well off the lead and will need a solid Friday to avoid the cut.
| Place | Player | Score | Total |
| 1 | Bill Haas | -4 | 68 |
| T2 | Adam Scott | -3 | 69 |
| T2 | Louis Oosthuizen | -3 | 69 |
| T2 | Bubba Watson | -3 | 69 |
| T5 | Kevin Stadler | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | Jonas Blixt | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | Gary Woodland | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | Jimmy Walker | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | K.J. Choi | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | Brandt Snedeker | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | Marc Leishman | -2 | 70 |
| T12 | Fred Couples | -1 | 71 |
| T12 | Rickie Fowler | -1 | 71 |
| T12 | Miguel Jimenez | -1 | 71 |
| T12 | Matteo Manassero | -1 | 71 |
| T12 | Rory McIlroy | -1 | 71 |
| T12 | Jordan Spieth | -1 | 71 |
| T12 | Stephen Gallacher | -1 | 71 |
| T12 | Francesco Molinari | -1 | 71 |
| T20 | John Senden | E | 72 |
| T20 | Graeme McDowell | E | 72 |
| T20 | Steve Stricker | E | 72 |
| T20 | Kevin Streelman | E | 72 |
| T20 | Nick Watney | E | 72 |
| T20 | Sang-Moon Bae | E | 72 |
| T20 | Bernhard Langer | E | 72 |
| T27 | Stewart Cink | 1 | 73 |
| T27 | Boo Weekley | 1 | 73 |
| T27 | Mike Weir | 1 | 73 |
| T27 | Roberto Castro | 1 | 73 |
| T27 | Jamie Donaldson | 1 | 73 |
| T27 | Charl Schwartzel | 1 | 73 |
| T27 | Patrick Reed | 1 | 73 |
| T27 | Thomas Bjorn | 1 | 73 |
| T27 | Matt Kuchar | 1 | 73 |
| T27 | Thongchai Jaidee | 1 | 73 |
| T27 | Henrik Stenson | 1 | 73 |
| T27 | Lee Westwood | 1 | 73 |
| T27 | Russell Henley | 1 | 73 |
| T40 | Steven Bowditch | 2 | 74 |
| T40 | Brendon de Jonge | 2 | 74 |
| T40 | Webb Simpson | 2 | 74 |
| T40 | Jim Furyk | 2 | 74 |
| T40 | Thorbjorn Olesen | 2 | 74 |
| T40 | Larry Mize | 2 | 74 |
| T40 | Matt Jones | 2 | 74 |
| T40 | Jose Maria Olazabal | 2 | 74 |
| T40 | Darren Clarke | 2 | 74 |
| T40 | Sergio Garcia | 2 | 74 |
| T40 | Hunter Mahan | 2 | 74 |
| T40 | Victor Dubuisson | 2 | 74 |
| T40 | Harris English | 2 | 74 |
| T53 | John Huh | 3 | 75 |
| T53 | Mark O'Meara | 3 | 75 |
| T53 | Martin Kaymer | 3 | 75 |
| T53 | Scott Stallings | 3 | 75 |
| T53 | Billy Horschel | 3 | 75 |
| T53 | Ken Duke | 3 | 75 |
| T53 | Lucas Glover | 3 | 75 |
| T53 | Vijay Singh | 3 | 75 |
| T53 | Gonzalo Fdez-Castano | 3 | 75 |
| T53 | Chris Kirk | 3 | 75 |
| T53 | Jason Day | 3 | 75 |
| T53 | Joost Luiten | 3 | 75 |
| T53 | Keegan Bradley | 3 | 75 |
| T53 | Ernie Els | 3 | 75 |
| T67 | Ian Poulter | 4 | 76 |
| T67 | Matthew Fitzpatrick | 4 | 76 |
| T67 | Sandy Lyle | 4 | 76 |
| T67 | Garrick Porteous | 4 | 76 |
| T67 | Oliver Goss | 4 | 76 |
| T67 | Derek Ernst | 4 | 76 |
| T67 | Justin Rose | 4 | 76 |
| T67 | Phil Mickelson | 4 | 76 |
| T75 | Ian Woosnam | 5 | 77 |
| T75 | Y.E. Yang | 5 | 77 |
| T75 | Matt Every | 5 | 77 |
| T75 | Ryan Moore | 5 | 77 |
| T75 | Dustin Johnson | 5 | 77 |
| T80 | David Lynn | 6 | 78 |
| T80 | Tom Watson | 6 | 78 |
| T80 | Angel Cabrera | 6 | 78 |
| T80 | Zach Johnson | 6 | 78 |
| T80 | D.A. Points | 6 | 78 |
| T80 | Michael McCoy | 6 | 78 |
| T80 | Peter Hanson | 6 | 78 |
| T87 | Tim Clark | 7 | 79 |
| T87 | Trevor Immelman | 7 | 79 |
| T87 | Luke Donald | 7 | 79 |
| T90 | Chang-woo Lee | 8 | 80 |
| T90 | Hideki Matsuyama | 8 | 80 |
| T90 | Jason Dufner | 8 | 80 |
| T90 | Graham Delaet | 8 | 80 |
| 94 | Jordan Niebrugge | 9 | 81 |
| 95 | Craig Stadler | 10 | 82 |
| 96 | Ben Crenshaw | 11 | 83 |
| 97 | Branden Grace | 12 | 84 |
No comments:
Post a Comment