Brooks Koepka walks to the 13th green at Augusta National on Thursday during the first round of the Masters. Koepka shot a 6-under-par 66 and was tied with Bryson DeChambeau for the lead.
Bryson DeChambeau tees off on the 18th hole during the first round of the Masters on Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club.AUGUSTA, Ga. – Bryson DeChambeau believes science was at work late in the afternoon at Augusta National Golf Club, creating a force in the atmosphere where big roars from great shots filter through the back nine.
An easier description: Another exciting finish at the Masters, this time on a Thursday.
Brooks Koepka got it started, adding to his reputation of playing his best golf in the major tournaments. He rolled in a 20-foot putt from behind the 12th green, the first of four straight birdies to take the lead. DeChambeau answered with four straight birdies at the end of his round, with two shots inches away from being even better.
His 8-iron shot on the par-3 16th grazed the edge of the cup. His 6-iron shot into the 18th was superior, to the point that the ball rolled smack into the middle of the pin and bounced back an inch or two.
DeChambeau and Koepka shared the lead at 6-under-par 66 with day one of the year’s first major in the books.
“Absolutely, there is an energy and there is something in science that does talk about that,” said the 25-year-old DeChambeau, who seems to have a scientific answer for everything. “It’s great to have momentum and great atmosphere, and it gets you all pumped up, creates adrenaline flow. I believe that’s partially what happened today.”
He and Koepka, 28, were one shot ahead of 48-year-old Phil Mickelson, who delivered thrills of his own.
Mickelson found some momentum after shots in the pine trees at No. 10 and in the water on No. 11, both leading to bogey when he thought it could have been worse. He answered with three birdies on the next four holes, including a shot into the 16th that stopped inches from the cup.
He had a 67, his best start at the Masters since 2010, when he won his third green jacket.
“It looked like, after bogeying 10 and 11, that would kill some momentum. It was the other way around, because I made two great bogeys that should have and could have been doubles,” Mickelson said. “And then when I got to the holes that I could birdie, I took advantage of it with some good shots.”
Tiger Woods missed all the action. He played earlier in the round and methodically scored a solid 70. It was a good start for Woods in his quest to end 11 years without a major victory, and he was atop the leaderboard briefly until a late bogey. He sounded satisfied.
“I’ve shot this number and won four coats, so hopefully, I can do it again,” said Woods, who slightly miscalculated. The most recent green jacket he won in 2005 began with a 74.
The goal was to not fall too far behind early, and he was just four shots behind, tied for 11th in a group that included Canada’s Corey Conners, who won the Valero Texas Open on Sunday – after qualifying for that tournament the Monday before – and earned the last spot in the Masters.
Rory McIlroy’s bid for the last leg of the career Grand Slam began with a 73 that included six bogeys.
“I made five birdies – that wasn’t the problem,” McIlroy said. “I just made too many mistakes.”
England’s Ian Poulter was tied for fourth with second-ranked Dustin Johnson at 68, with an international assortment of five golfers another stroke back in sixth: Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, South Africa’s Justin Harding, Kevin Kisner of the United States, Spain’s Jon Rahm and Australia’s Adam Scott.
Former Baylor School and University of Georgia standout Keith Mitchell was tied for 29th in his first Masters after shooting par. The 27-year-old Chattanooga native was 1 over at the turn after a bogey on the par-3 fourth hole, and he opened the back nine with four straight pars before finding trouble with a double bogey on the par-4 14th.
He made up for it quickly. On the par-5 15th, his second shot was 223 yards from the hole, and he used a 4-iron to set up a 14-putt that he made to land the eagle. On the par-3 16th, his tee shot left the ball within 15 feet of the cup, and he made the putt to get back to even.
“I was pretty excited,” Mitchell told the Athens Banner-Herald regarding his eagle. “I had a pretty good club on 15, and thank goodness it covered the water. It probably covered by only a foot or two, but you know what, that’s what happens out here. There are a lot of shots where the greens are so fast and have so much undulation, and all that it takes is a foot or two out here, so I was pretty pleased.”
Mitchell may be new to the Masters, but he played at Augusta National once a year while at Georgia – and his Bulldogs credentials have earned him plenty of support so far.
“It’s great hearing, ‘Go Dawgs!'” Mitchell told the Athens Banner-Herald. “I wish I could say ‘Go Dawgs!’ back to every single one of them. You get so many of them out there that you just kind of acknowledge them and maybe get one or two good ones in. It’s great to have a good support system out here, and Georgia has had a great golf program.
“You can really see it this week.”
Justin Rose, who returned to No. 1 in the world and was among the favorites this week because of his recent history at the Masters, opened with a 75. He was tied for 63rd.
“It’s just a great test of golf to start out the first round of Masters,” DeChambeau said. “And to be honest, it’s great to sift through some of the really good players and maybe not-so-great players in this event right now. And look, it’s not to say they are bad players. It’s just very difficult out there, and every aspect of your game has to be on point.”