Spieth Red-Hot at Masters; Bubba & Rory Card 71s & Woods 73


Ascendant star Jordan Spieth fired an 8-under 64 to take the first-round lead in the Masters. Golf's first major championship of the year started Thursday at a sunny and hot Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

Playing in only his second Masters, the 21-year-old Spieth almost matched the all-time tournament record of 63 by Nick Price and Greg Norman, set in the third round in 1986 and opening round in 1996, respectively. After four birdies on the front nine, Spieth was well on his way to establishing a new mark thanks to four birdies in the first five holes on the back nine. He was also threatening to set the all-time major record of 62.

But after hitting a fine drive on the par-5 15th, he overcooked the approach and his ball almost ended up in the pond behind the green. From the rough, Spieth pitched up short and chipped to 12 feet before missing a slick downhill putt for par, settling for his only bogey of the day.

But Spieth birdied the difficult par-4 18th, which had yielded only five birdies before him, en route to forging a three-stroke lead over Ernie Els, Charley Hoffman, Justin Rose and Jason Day.

Spieth's day was so special that, from the second cut of rough bordering the 14th fairway, he rifled a shot through the trees to a blind green. His ball landed on the putting surface, slammed into the pin and stopped a foot away, setting up a tap-in birdie.

"Certainly played well; excited how I struck the ball," said Spieth, who had a remarkable 10 one-putts in 18 holes on Augusta's notoriously slick and tilted greens. "Had a couple (shots) go my way in the middle of the round. Excited about my start."

After playing partner Billy Horschel just missed his birdie try on the 18th, Spieth - lying a bit nearer the cup than Horschel and on the same line - rolled in his final birdie of the day from 18 feet. Last year he tied for second with Sweden's Jonas Blixt, three strokes behind champion Bubba Watson.

Spieth, in his usual low-key manner, was pleased with his commanding performance. "Capped off a really good round," said the Dallas native of his ninth and final birdie Thursday. "Never broke 70 (here) before, so I'm thrilled with the round. Eight-under out here is nothing to complain about."

As for his chances of setting an all-time tournament and major record, he remarked, "I've never shot 10-under in a professional round in my life. I didn't know how many under par I was on 13, just kind of in the zone."

Hoffman, playing in the cooler morning wave, had five birdies, an eagle on the par-5 15th, and two bogeys. Despite enjoying slightly softer conditions, the course still played tough, according to the 38-year-old from San Diego. "There are still those pins that are hard to get at, no matter if (the greens) are soft, hard, or in the middle. But I think you'll see some low scores out there.

"Obviously, I was lucky enough to get out there before the heat. I think the heat is going to be more of an issue than the actual condition of the golf course. I'm going to take it all in and get out there and get after it tomorrow. I still have 54 more holes to play and, obviously, it's nice to be in this position after 18 of them, but there's a lot of golf left."

Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open winner at Merion, posted six birdies and a bogey. The 34-year-old Brit said the key to his round came early on at the par-3 fourth when he got up and down from a greenside bunker for a par. "That really settled everything down. I played good golf from there."

Els, in his 21st Masters, posted five birdies, an eagle on the par-5 15th and two bogeys. The four-time major winner said he was pleased with his round. "Drove it nicely," Els said. "I've been working hard on my game and making a lot of birdies. Been feeling very comfortable on the greens."

As for his thoughts about Spieth, the "Big Easy" added, "He's special. It's so great to see. He's the most magnificent guy. He's going to be hard to beat."

The 27-year-old Day made two birdies on the front nine. After a bogey on the par-4 11th, the Aussie threatened to catch Spieth, reeling off five straight birdies on Nos. 12-16.

"To shoot 9-under out here is an impressive score," Day said of Spieth's outing. As for his round, the three-time PGA Tour winner added, "The greens weren't as fast as they usually are. I really grinded to get the score I got. I'm pretty proud of it."

Sharing sixth after 68s are Russell Henley and Spaniard Sergio Garcia, who played in Thursday's final group with Day and Rickie Fowler. Tied for eighth following 69s are Americans Bill Haas, Webb Simpson and Ryan Palmer, and England's Paul Casey.

Kevin Streelman - winner of Wednesday's Par-3 Contest - recorded a 70 to share 12th with fellow Yanks Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson and Horschel, and South Korean Seung-yul Noh.

Mickelson, who has three green jackets, eagled the par-5 eighth and had two birdies and two bogeys for a 34 on the outward half. But the 44-year-old could only manage a birdie and bogey on the back nine for a 70.

Bubba Watson started out okay with three birdies and a bogey to make the turn in 2-under 34. The defending champion and winner of two of the past three Masters came home with two more bogeys and a birdie for a 71.

No. 1-ranked Rory McIlroy also started with a 71. The 25-year-old is vying for his third straight major title after winning the 2014 British Open and PGA Championship. The Northern Irishman - a four-time major winner in search of the elusive career Grand Slam - had three birdies and a pair of bogeys on what was a relatively uneventful day.

McIlroy, paired with Mickelson and Ryan Moore, told reporters later that he was "pretty satisfied" with his round. "It was nice to get out there and finally play," he said during a TV interview.

McIlroy drove the ball well, hitting 13 of 14 fairways, but found only 12 of 18 greens in regulation, leading him to say, "I felt like it was a solid start. Anything under par today is a decent score. If I can drive the ball like I did today and maybe just hit a few iron shots closer, I should be right there."

The season's FedEx Cup points' leader Jimmy Walker had an off-day. The only two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year, playing in the same group with Tiger Woods, shot a 1-over 73.

Four-time Masters' winner Woods participated in his first competitive round since February when, after suffering stiffness in his surgically repaired back, he withdrew on the 12th hole in the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.

The short-game woes that had plagued him earlier this year, which led to the highest score he's ever recorded, a 10-over 82 and a missed cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, looked to be fixed Thursday. But Woods was erratic with many shots, particularly his irons, and couldn't get many putts to fall as he carded three birdies and four bogeys - including a dunked tee shot into Rae's Creek on the famed par-3 12th hole - for a 73.

When asked during a brief TV interview afterward about how he felt, the 14-time major winner said, "It was a good day. Felt good out there." The only caveat for Woods was that he couldn't figure out the speed of the putting surfaces. "I couldn't get the pace of the greens."

As for his improved chips and pitches around the greens, Woods noted somewhat defiantly, "That's the strength of my game. That's why I worked my butt off and hit thousands of shots the past few months to get that part of my game back."

2013 Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia opened with a 72. J.B. Holmes, who won last week's Shell Houston Open, shot a 76.

Two-time Masters' winner Tom Watson had an impressive opening round. The 65-year-old Missourian carded four birdies and three bogeys for a 71. With the temperatures rising to near 90 degrees Watson said he struggled at times.

"I was just tired," said the eight-time major winner. "I was not committed, not focused. Other than that, it was a good day. If you take those two three-putts away, two shots better, I'd be in the 60s. Not too bad. I didn't play my way out of it and I'm not too far behind, so I'm happy with it."

Other scores by previous Masters' champions included a 71 by Charl Schwartzel, 72s by Zach Johnson and Angel Cabrera, 73 by Mark O'Meara, 74 by Sandy Lyle, 75s by Vijay Singh and Ian Woosnam, 76 by Trevor Immelman, 78 by Larry Mize, and 79s by Fred Couples and Jose Maria Olazabal.

A pair of other two-time green jacket winners, Bernhard Langer and Ben Crenshaw, shot 73 and 91, respectively. Crenshaw played without his longtime Augusta National caddie, Carl Jackson, who was injured and couldn't carry the bag. He was replaced by his younger brother, Bud Jackson, a caddie at the club for 49 years.

In his 44th and final Masters, the 63-year-old Crenshaw said afterward, "The course has outgrown me by leaps and bounds, and that's fine. I'm just so very thankful to go around this many times at this place. But it's time to hang the spurs up."

2003 Masters' champion Mike Weir also had issues, mainly with his health. The 44-year-old Canadian, who has experienced recent arm troubles, recorded a 10-over 82. "Oh, a ball of laughs," he quipped after his career-worst round at Augusta National.

"It's just getting the strength and endurance in this (right) arm to last longer. It just seems to fatigue. In my mind I want to keep my swing short but the arm just keeps bending - and that's just the ligament and the strength in my forearm."

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