Player Masters opening hole
Despite hardly a breath of wind, just one man managed to birdie the 455-yard opening hole in the first three hours of the Masters today – 70-year-old Gary Player.
A drive and three-wood to 15 feet gave the oldest competitor in the 90-strong field a share of the early lead, but he did then follow it with a double-bogey six at the third.
The first is one of six holes controversially lengthened since last year’s tournament, turning Augusta National into the second-longest course in major championship history at 7,445 yards.
It claimed Ireland’s Paul McGinley as one of its main victims with a double-bogey six and Luke Donald, Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam all bogeyed it.
Tiger Woods walked off with a par, but it was hard work for the world number one and defending champion. He pulled his drive into the trees and, having to punch his approach under the branches, did wonderfully well to get the ball to stop on the putting surface 45 feet from the flag.
McGinley also went left of the tee, but much further back than Woods and the Dubliner, also trying a low runner, hit a trunk only 10 yards in front of him.
The ball could easily have hit and hurt a spectator, but flew through the gallery across the adjoining ninth fairway.
He was then left of the green in three, left his chip 14 feet short and missed.
Donald, third on his debut last year, came up short in the bunker, as did Woosnam, while Faldo, with his son Matthew as his caddie, went through the green and left his chip on the fringe.
McGinley, fighting allergies since arriving in the United States two weeks ago, dropped further shots at the third and fourth, while his compatriot Brian McElhinney, the reigning British amateur champion, bogeyed the first and second.
Pace-setter was Australian Rod Pampling, first man to tee off in the 70th staging of the season’s first major. He birdied the third and ninth and with seven to play remained two under, one ahead of a group which included Miguel Angel Jimenez and US Open champion Michael Campbell.
David Howell and Vijay Singh were alongside Woods on level par.
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