The Masters 2023: first round – live | The Masters

It looks as though the disappointment is beginning to consume McIlroy already. He gives up on his chip, leaving it a good ten feet short, and flushes red as he sizes up his par saver. Before he can putt, Tom Kim makes his par and signs for a 70. But then Rory gathers himself and rolls in his par putt. A level-par 72. One better than last year’s opening round, if nothing else. He smiles grimly. Par for Sam Burns, too, and the Match Play champion signs for a fine 68 that, for a while, promised more.

Rory’s struggles continue. He finds Sandy Lyle’s bunker on 18, only to leave his second short of the green, the ball spinning back down the fairway. He’ll have to get up and down for a level-par 72. He doesn’t look particularly happy as he marches towards his ball. He’ll need to go low tomorrow, else the realisation of that career-slam dream can wait another year.

Leader board? Leader board.

-7: Hovland (F), Rahm (F), Koepka (F)
-5: Young (F), Day (F)
-4: Lowry (F), Schauffele (F), Scott (F), Woodland (F), Scheffler (F), Bennett -a- (F), Burns (17)

Par for the amateur Sam Bennett at the last. A little punch of the air as the 22-year-old Texan rolls in his final putt, and that’s a stunning round of 68. He’ll finish the day in a tie for sixth, which means he becomes the first amateur to finish in the top ten after the first round since Ryan Moore in 2005. His front nine of 32 is a Masters record.

Rory McIlroy splashes out of the sand at 17 to seven feet, but lets the par putt slide by on the right. He’s really not been on it today. That bogey goes a long way to nixing the renewed optimism that came with the birdies at 15 and 16. Back to level par. Meanwhile up on 18, Scottie Scheffler misses yet another putt to the left, and it’s a par that gives him a total of 68. Not bad given his putting was seriously off. Title defence still on!

Another birdie for Jordan Spieth! This one comes at 16 after guiding his tee shot to eight feet, and he’s back to -3 and looking very much happier with the world. There’s no way through the trees at 17 for Rory McIlroy, though, and he’s forced to punch into the bunker at the front of the green, from where he’ll take his chances of getting up and down from sand.

Matt Fitzpatrick has ended the day with a two-under 70. That’s a fine performance after finding himself +2 after 5. Meanwhile there was a staunch finish to the round by 18-year-old amateur Aldrich Potgieter. An unfortunate experience at 13 involved visits to Rhododendron Country at the back of the green, then Rae’s Creek at the front, and ended in a triple-bogey eight. But the young South African, who won the 2022 Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham, kept his head and clipped his approach at 18 to ten feet to set up a closing birdie. He ended the day at +5.

Another green, another putt missed to the left by Scottie Scheffler. Par, and he’s -4 through 17. Back on the tee, Rory McIlroy, having done so much good work to get to -1, hooks into the trees down the side of the penultimate hole. According to Rich Beem on Sky Sports, there is a route to the green from there; it just depends whether McIlroy has been fortunate enough to find it stretching out in front of him. We’ll soon see.

Tiger Woods! Andy Bull! You want them? We got them.

Par for Collin Morikawa at the 18th, and the two-time major winner signs for a 69. Birdies at 13 and 15 for Tony Finau, meanwhile, and the big man, who has yet to miss a cut in five appearances at Augusta, moves to -3.

Jordan Spieth zings his second into the heart of 15, then nearly teases in the 20-foot left-to-right curler for eagle. Just the birdie, but he’s back moving in the right direction at -2. See also Rory McIlroy, who uses the tilt of the green at 16 to bring his ball to ten feet, then curls in the birdie putt. Suddenly he’s in red figures at -1, and while it’s far from ideal, things are looking a whole lot better for him than they were 20 minutes ago.

A fine par at the last for Justin Rose, who gets up and down from the swale to the right of the green. He signs for a three-under 69. He went round today with 2020 champion Dustin Johnson, who shot a one-under 71 without too much interest from the cameras. Tell you what, apart from the unavoidable Brooks Koepka, and occasional snatches of Phil the Thrill, the LIV contingent haven’t had much of an airing. A deliberate snub? You decide, though to be fair, apart from Patrick Reed, they’re the only two to have put anything worthwhile together.

Sam Burns has been quiet since his dropped shot at 10. A row of pars. That’s brought to an end by birdie at 15, though he was only one turn away from making eagle. He rises to -5. Rory McIlroy rolls in his birdie putt to get back to level par. But it’s a double-bogey seven for Tom Kim, caused by underhitting a bunker shot, his ball breaking weakly to the left before disappearing down the bank and into the drink. He’s -2. Meanwhile on 16, Scottie Scheffler nearly misses another short putt high on the left, but the hole grabs the ball and sucks it in. Just. The defending champion really doesn’t look confident on the greens today, but he’s still -4 regardless.

Jason Day makes his tricky downhill ten-footer on 18 for par, and he signs for a blemish-free 67. He’s back, baby! Meanwhile back on 15, Rory McIlroy lays up in front of the water, before wedging from 90 yards to ten feet. What he’d give to drain the birdie putt he’s left himself.

Scottie Scheffler is good. Facing a treacherous chip up the swale and down the green, with water on the other side, he lobs up from 40 yards to four feet, and knocks in the birdie putt. He’s -4 and moving in the right direction again thanks to the two par-fives on the back nine.

Matt Fitzpatrick follows up another birdie at 15 by lipping out unluckily on 16. That could so easily have been a fourth birdie in five holes. As it is, he’s happy enough at -2, having salvaged his round after a slow start. Meanwhile it’s back-to-back birdies for his playing partner Collin Morikawa at 15 and 16. He’s -3 – and while found guilty in the court of social media over an alleged ball-placement violation on the 6th green, the authorities are more than happy with his actions. His ball had rolled backwards as he addressed it and he was replacing it.

Trouble for Jason Day on 18. He’s not dropped a shot yet, but is in serious danger of stumbling at the last. He pulls his drive into the trees down the left. There’s a window through the branches, and he shoots his way through it, but doesn’t quite reach the green. He fails to get any spin with his chip up, and he’ll be left with a testing ten-footer coming back. Meanwhile back on 15, a rush of blood for Scottie Scheffler, who blooters his second through the green and down the slope at the back. That’ll give him a puzzle to solve.

Tom Kim very nearly drains a 40-footer from the fringe at the back of 14 for par. Not quite. He remains at -4. Meanwhile back on 13, Jordan Spieth’s poor course management costs him dearly with double bogey. He slips to -1. But up on 16, Justin Rose uses the slope of the green to gather his ball to four feet, then rolls in the birdie putt. He’s -3, having picked up four shots over the last five holes! Hartley Wintney’s finest in very good nick.

Jordan Spieth likes a gamble, and having sent his tee shot at 13 into the pine straw down the right, goes for the green in two. It’s the sort of Hail Mary most would only throw when a couple of shots adrift on Sunday afternoon, but Spieth is made of different stuff. However, this roll of the dice doesn’t pay off, and he carves a long iron into Rae’s Creek. That’s his second wet ball in three holes. He has the good grace to look slightly sheepish as his Titleist bounces around the rocks before plopping into the drink. He’s always watchable, you have to give him that.

Another birdie for Jason Day! This one comes at 17, his second in a row and his third in five holes. Reward for knocking his second pin high to 20 feet, then pouring in the putt. He’s -5. Meanwhile back on 13, as Rory faffs, Tom Kim arrows his second from 220 yards to ten feet, and makes an eagle that brings him all the way up the leaderboard and into a tie for sixth!

-7: Hovland (F), Rahm (F), Koepjka (F)
-5: Young (F), Day (17)
-4: Lowry (F), Schauffele (F), Scott (F), Woodland (F), Bennett -a- (13), Kim (13), Burns (13)
-3: Scheffler (13), Spieth (12)

Rory McIlroy clatters a monster drive down the middle of 13, only to pull his second into the bunkers by the flowers at the back of the green, then decelerate as he hits his sand shot. His ball only just squirts onto the green. Two putts from distance salvages his par, but at +1 it’s still not happening for the career-slam-hunting 33-year-old. He looks thoroughly miserable as he slopes off to the next tee.

Phil Mickelson is back in the clubhouse with a one-under 71. Sepp Straka couldn’t keep that birdie run going, but five-in-a-row isn’t half bad, and it means the Austrian is signing for a two-under 70. And the par-three contest winner Tom Hoge cards 74, so it’s not looking particularly likely that the curse of that particular prize is going to be lifted this year.

Birdie for Jason Day at 16. There’d be few more popular winners than the amiable Aussie, who moves to -4. His 2023 renaissance continues. Meanwhile back on 13, Scottie Scheffler misses his ten-foot eagle putt. The birdie takes him to -3, but he doesn’t look happy on the greens, and on Sky Sports, Sir Nick Faldo notes that he’s missing all of his putts high on the left. That’s golf for you: even the world number one can’t complete the puzzle. Golf!

One of the shots of the day by Scottie Scheffler on the par-five 13th. He whips his second from 216 yards into the heart of the green, using the left-to-right camber to gather his ball to ten feet. He’ll have a great look at an eagle that would catapult him back into the thick of it. Meanwhile on 11, Jordan Spieth rattles in his 12-footer to limit the sodden damage to bogey. He walks off looking happy enough, all told, even if he does drop back to -3.

Jordan Spieth gets a bit too aggressive at 11. In going for the flag with his second, he sends his ball into the drink. He briefly considers sitting on his club to break the shaft, but thinks better of it. From the drop zone, he wedges to 12 feet, so he’ll have half a chance of saving his bogey. Meanwhile on 13, Matt Fitzpatrick follows up the near-ace on 12 with another birdie, and suddenly the reigning US Open champ is in red figures at -1.

Koepka becomes the third player to shoot a seven-under round today, following up his birdie on 17 with a textbook no-fuss birdie at the last. Out in 32, back in 33, with just the one blemish coming at the par-five 13th, a hole you’d normally expect him to pick up a shot or two. He smiles contentedly. VAR stories ahoy! Meanwhile his playing partner Gary Woodland, the 2019 US Open champion, also birdies 18 without fuss and scribbles his name at the bottom of a 68.

-7: Hovland (F), Rahm (F), Koepka (F)
-5: Young (F)
-4: Lowry (F), Schauffele (F), Scott (F), Woodland (F), Bennett -a- (12), Burns (11), Spieth (10)
-3: Day (15)

Rory leaves his long birdie putt 15 feet short. It was from the best part of 100 feet, to be fair, but he can’t make the par saver and smiles wryly as he topples back into debit at +1. Better news for Europhiles comes courtesy of Justin Rose, the 2017 runner-up following birdie at 12 with eagle at 13, reward for a brave second arrowed straight at the flag, an approach where the risk of getting wet is much higher. He’s -2, and if nothing else it illustrates that McIlroy isn’t out of this yet providing he gets a wriggle on soon.

Rory McIlroy tests his luck on 11. He shoves his tee shot into the trees down the right, then nearly sends his second into the water guarding the front-left of the green. The ball squirms onto the dancefloor, from where he’ll have a chance to save his par from distance with two putts. He kind of doesn’t deserve the break, but then again everyone needs a bit of luck if you’re going to win the Masters.

Scottie Scheffler finds the safe, meaty portion of the 11th green, well away from the water on the left. But he leaves his long birdie putt four feet short, then tugs at the par putt. It horseshoes out, and the reigning champ slips back to -2. It’s not easy to defend the Masters: that’s why it’s only ever been achieved by Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.

Brooks Koepka fires a dart into the centre of the 17th green, then rolls in the birdie putt to move to -6, one shot off the lead. Meanwhile back on 10, Rory McIlroy drains his birdie effort to return to level par. He’ll feel a lot better after two birdies in three holes. Perhaps he should ring up CBS mid-round more often.

Sam Burns finds himself stuck up the side of a grassy hill to the side of 10. He doesn’t commit to his chip down, and only just reaches the fringe. That results in a bogey that sends him back to -4. Meanwhile how about this from Sepp Straka?! Birdies at 12, 13, 14, 15 and now 16, and the 29-year-old Austrian is suddenly -2 for his round. He needs two more to match the record set by Steve Pate in 1999 and matched by Tiger in 2005, both of whom made seven in a row from hole 7.

A quiet day for Matt Fitzpatrick. He takes to the 12th tee at +1 … then pitches inches from the cup and nearly spins in for an ace! A tap-in birdie will take the reigning US Open champion back to level par.

Scottie Scheffler sends his second at 10 over the flag, setting up a glorious birdie chance. But it’s downhill, and he tickles the treacherous eight-footer wide right. Overly tentative, if that’s possible. He remains at -3. Coming behind, Rory McIlroy lands his approach to 12 feet, and will have his own look at birdie. Meanwhile in the very last group, Jordan Spieth pars 9 and hits the turn in 32.

Jon Rahm is asked by Sky Sports about that four-putt farce. “If we forget about what happened on the green on 1, that felt about as comfortable as I’ve felt all year … I was a lot less frustrated than people will think … I hit every putt on the line I wanted … obviously three were not at the speed I wanted … but that sometimes happens … every single putt, the stroke was good … if you can get over that, if you put in good strokes, they’re eventually going to go in … I hit another good putt on 2 and another on 3 and that kinda got me going.”

Jordan Spieth larrups his second at the par-five 8th wide right of the green. No matter! He whips his chip to five feet, and walks the birdie putt in. He’s now -4, having made just two pars in the first eight holes, and this leaderboard is studded with star names. Look!

-7: Hovland (F), Rahm (F)
-5: Young (F), Koepka (15), Burns (9)
-4: Lowry (F), Schauffele (F), Scott (F), Bennett -a- (9), Spieth (8)
-3: Woodland (15), Day (13), Niemann (12), Scheffler (9)

Birdies for a couple of the in-form big hitters. Scottie Scheffler at 9, the champion turning in 33, almost with cat-like stealth. Brooks Koepka at 15, moving to within a couple of the leaders. Then back on 9, Rory McIlroy leaves his approach well short of the flag, and is remotely pestered by the CBS commentators again! “Aw, I eased off on it,” is his disappointed analysis. Hats off to him for not telling them to chip off, though to be fair he seems more than content to have broken new Masters ground. “Pleasure! Happy to be the first one to do it!” It’s then pointed out that there’s “an amazing record” regarding the players who have done this in previous tournaments: almost all of them went on to win. “I think that’s why I wanted to do it!” he laughs, before leaving his long birdie putt short. Par, and he turns in 35.

CBS engage Rory McIlroy in a mid-round walk’n’talk as he makes his way down 9! “It’s been a little bit of a struggle … it’s still pretty receptive … you’re seeing guys go after it … hopefully I can do the same on the back nine … I’ll stick to the gameplan … I just want to be as patient as possible … we’ve still got 64 more holes left … plenty of time to make some birdies … I’m just going to play golf until they tell us not to … it’s spitting a bit right now … the weather is going to be a little dicy … you have to adapt the best as you possibly can.”

You don’t need a time machine to know what Clifford Roberts would have thought about this particular innovation, do you.

Say what you will about Phil Mickelson, but the man’s a showman. Having turned in 34, the 52-year-old LIVeteran dunked his approach at 11 into the drink, running up a double bogey in the process. He’s since followed that up with birdie at 12, and an eagle putt on 13 that turned right on its last turn and shaved the side of the cup. All of which mean the three-time champ is back to -2, and he couldn’t, could he? No, he won’t, don’t be daft. But he could!

It’s that usual first-day-of-a-major mantra: Rory McIlroy needs something to happen quicksmart. He draws a fine approach at the par-five 8th around the trees and into the heart of the green, then the eagle putt from 20 feet shaves the side of the cup. Birdie is better than nothing, and he’s moving the right way, back up to +1. Birdie meanwhile for his playing partner Sam Burns as well, and he moves to -5.

Cam Smith plays the 18th in textbook fashion. A drive down the middle. An iron into the heart of the green. A 15-footer rolled across it and in. A birdie that gives the Open champion an opening round of 70. He’s -2.

Joaquin Niemann has won a couple of times on the PGA Tour, but never threatened to come close at a major championship. The 24-year-old Chilean is threatening to right that wrong this week. Birdies at 2, 7, 8 and 9 means he’s turning in 32 strokes. He’s -4. Also very much heading in the right direction: Jordan Spieth, who arrows his approach at 7 over the bunker guarding the front of the green before pouring in from ten feet. He’s -3. Meanwhile on the par-five 8th, a disappointing par for the defending champ Scottie Scheffler, who remains at -2.

Par for Cameron Young at 18. He signs for a five-under 67. Playing partner Justin Thomas, who has never quite been on it this afternoon – his birdie effort from 12 feet never looks like dropping, a microcosm of his round – nevertheless signs for a two-under 70. But the third member of the group, Jon Rahm, having stuck his second to three feet, tidies up for his birdie, and walks off wearing a huge smile. A round of 65. Having doubled the opening hole, where he took four putts, he played the remainder of the course in nine under! That’s one of the great Augusta performances, because Rahm, a notorious hot-head, could easily have careered off the rails after that farcical start. Now he’s joint leader!

-7: Hovland (F), Rahm (F)
-5: Young (F)

Rory McIlroy makes a complete hash of 7. He flubs his chip from behind the bunker into the trap, then after splashing out to give himself a chance to limit the damage from four feet, horseshoes the bogey putt. A double that drops him to +2, and not for the first time at Augusta National, he’s started cold. Last year he was always behind the eight-ball after opening with two rounds of 73. They eventually cost him dear as he finished three behind Scottie Scheffler. History is threatening to repeat itself already.

A downbeat finish to Adam Scott’s round. He slices his drive into the trees down the right of 18, and is forced to take his medicine, chipping out sideways. In the end, he does well to limit the damage to bogey. The 2013 champion signs for a four-under 68. Meanwhile on 13, Brooks Koepka can’t get up and down from distance to save his par, even though he gives it a good go by wedging to 12 feet and shaving the cup with his putt. He slips back to -4.

A fast start for the 2015 winner Jordan Spieth. Birdies at 2 and 3, a bogey at 5, and now a 20-foot putt drained from the fringe on 6 that brings him back up to -2. The 2021 champion Hideki Matsuyama has been going along without fuss: he’s -2 through 16 after birdies at 2 and 9. And the former PGA and Open champion Collin Morikawa has just added birdie at 7 to the one picked up at 2; he’s -2 as well. A lot of big names edging up the leader board … but Rory McIlroy isn’t one of them, and he’s once again out of position, this time at 7, having sent his tee shot into trees on the left, then whistled his next one over a bunker at the back of the green. Good luck getting up and down from there.

Jason Day has been coming back into form after a couple of quiet years. He turns up the volume with a glorious iron over the flag at 9 to set up his second birdie of the front nine, following a two at 4. He turns in 34. Meanwhile some trouble for Brooks Koepka on 13, as he hooks deep into the woods down the left. He’s forced to take his medicine, chipping back out, then laying up on the elongated par-five. He’ll need to get up and down from 110 yards if he’s to salvage his par.

Par for Xander Schauffele at 18, and he signs for a very acceptable opening round of 68. Tiger can only splash out from the bunker to 22 feet, and can’t make the par saver. The bogey means he’s carding a first round of 74; he’s +2. But Viktor Hovland, hitting from the same bunker as Woods, swishes a much more delicate escape to six feet, and tidies up for his par. A blemish-free round of 65 for the 25-year-old Norwegian!

-7: Hovland (F)
-6: Rahm (17)
-5: Scott (17), Young (16), Koepka (12)
-4: Lowry (F), Schauffele (F), Bennett -a- (6), Burns (6)

News of Sergio, who for a while threatened to barge his way into the mix after birdies at 6 and 8 took him to -2. Well, that dream wasn’t destined to last. Bogeys at 10, 13, 14 and 15 meant he came back in 40, and the 2017 winner ended the day with a two-over 74.

Tiger sends his tee shot at 18 just short of Sandy Lyle’s bunker. He’s got to hit his second with his right foot in the sand, supporting most of his body weight; it’s the right ankle that causes him so much bother post-crash. He can only flay the ball into the bunker before hopping around in pain. Not easy to watch. Meanwhile back on 12, Brooks Koepka swishes his tee shot to eight feet, and makes the birdie putt. He joins Scott and Young at -5.