Yesterday’s first round of the Masters Tournament was quite entertaining, despite world #1 Tiger Woods’s absence. There were many surprises, both in the form of players near or at the top and players who didn’t quite play up to expectations.
Bill Haas holds solo first place after the first round with a great round of -4 68. Many casual golf fans may not know who Haas is, as he’s not a household name. Haas is not unfamiliar with pressure golf. As you may recall, he won the FedEx Cup and the $10 million with the shot of the year back in 2011 when he blasted out of the water on the 17th hole at East Lake Golf Club in a playoff against Hunter Mahan. See photo.
Another player near the top of the leaderboard who is a bit of a surprise is Jonas Blixt. At one point Blixt held the solo lead, but finished tied for 5th place with a round of -2 70.
Another fun player who held the lead for a short time was golf’s most interesting man, Miguel Angel Jimenez. He finished tied for 12th Thursday with a round of -1 71.
Players we expected to see near the top of the leaderboard and have made their way there after one round include Adam Scott, tied for 2nd place one shot behind Haas. Scott fired a first round -3 69 as did Louis Oosthuizen and 2012 champ Bubba Watson.
Notables finishing at -1 Thursday includ Rory McIlory, Fred Couples, Rickie Fowler and Masters rookie 20-year-old Jordan Spieth.
In the “not out of it but need a great round Friday” crowd at four over par are Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, and Justin Rose.
Too far gone are players Luke Donald (79), Tom Watson (79), Trevor Immelman (79), Jason Dufner (80).
The highest round from Thursday belongs to Branden Grace, a +12 80.
The weekend will prove to be exciting as the Masters Tournament always does. Enjoy!
