Rainy day at quiet Masters has plenty of silver linings

AP photo by Charlie Riedel / Paul Casey tees off on the ninth hole at Augusta National Golf Club during the first round of the 84th Masters on Thursday in Georgia.
AP photo by Charlie Riedel / Paul Casey tees off on the ninth hole at Augusta National Golf Club during the first round of the 84th Masters on Thursday in Georgia.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Already seven months behind schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic, the most unusual edition of the Masters was 30 minutes old Thursday when the silence at Augusta National Golf Club was interrupted by a rumble down near Amen Corner.

No roars this week. Just thunder. And then a weather delay of nearly three hours.

All that, and it was still worth the wait.

Paul Casey matched his lowest score at the Masters with a 7-under-par 65, giving him a two-shot lead among half the field fortunate to play in perfect scoring conditions. Tiger Woods shot a 68 to match his lowest score in an opening round at Augusta, and he kept a bogey-free card in a major tournament for the first time in 11 years.

The course was different than what they expected, a result of the rain and the calendar. The silence was exactly what they expected because majors haven't had spectators in 16 months. It was still the Masters.

"So many people like myself are just excited to play this," said Casey, a 43-year-old Englishman in his 14th Masters. "This is a treat. It always has been and always will be a real treat."

No doubt, the absence of roars was as eerie as the sound of a drone that approached the first tee as Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player prepared to hit their ceremonial tee shots. The Masters is using two drones for video this year, a first.

"A lot of firsts today. That's kind of the way this entire year has been," said Woods, the reigning champion whose fifth Masters victory came all the way back in April 2019. "The fact that we're able to compete for a Masters this year, considering all that's been going on, it's a great opportunity for all of us."

Casey found energy from the familiarity of the course, from the history, from the mystique. And it was enough to carry him to a round he needed on a day - well, at least part of a day - of low scoring. Twelve of the 48 players who finished shot in the 60s.

Woods, a notorious slow starter despite his multiple green jackets, had one moment when he thought trouble might lurk. It was the fifth hole, which he bogeyed all four rounds last year. He hit a low fade off the tee that left him 227 yards to the hole.

"Hit a 4-iron to the back edge and it only rolled out a foot," Woods said. "That doesn't happen here."

photo AP photo by Charlie Riedel / Tiger Woods shot a 4-under-par 68 Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club, his best opening score at the Masters. The five-time winner of the tournament is also the reigning champion, with the April 2019 victory his 15th major title.

The biggest crowd - about 100 people in this case - was two groups ahead of Woods watching bulky Bryson DeChambeau smash shots into trees and one shot into the azaleas bushes behind the 13th green. He was lucky to find it because his provisional shot went into the creek. He still made double bogey, though he managed to scratch out a 70.

So much action, typical of the Masters - and so little volume without spectators save staff, club members and one significant other and one coach per golfer. Yet so many players wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

"I was vocal earlier in the year about not enjoying golf in a pandemic," Casey said. "I didn't know how the fan-less experience would be, and so far I've not enjoyed it. I've had nothing, or very little, to draw on from being out playing tournament golf. The Masters, though, this week it still has a buzz to it. There's an energy and a little bit of vibe.

"Yes, it's clearly a lot less than what we're used to. But there's something about this place. I felt excited to be here."

The excitement for Casey began on the fearsome 10th hole when he hit his approach shot to a front pin about five feet away for birdie. He had eagle chances on both par 5s on the back nine and settled for birdies. He took on a left pin at the par-5 second with a 6-iron and watched the ball plop six feet away for eagle.

"You can't hit that shot in April," he said. "It pitched and stopped instantly, and that shot in April would have one-hopped over into the patrons."

Webb Simpson played a tidy round, making eagle on No. 2 after the turn and finishing with seven pars for a 67. He was joined by Xander Schauffele, a runner-up to Woods last year, who had seven birdies in his round of 67.

"You're going at pins that you wouldn't really feel that comfortable with," Schauffele said. "There's so many spots where your ball will stay. It was just really strange."

Lee Westwood wasn't sure he would ever make it back to the Masters, earning a ticket this time with his tie for fourth in the British Open in July 2019. The best player without a major championship showed he still has some life on the course at age 47. The Englishman shot 31 on the front and limited the damage on the back for a 68, joining the group that included Woods, former Masters champion Patrick Reed, Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama and 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa.

Dustin Johnson, No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, was among those who played in the afternoon and was unable to finish his round. He opened with an eagle on No. 2 and was 3 under at the turn. Third-ranked Justin Thomas started with three straight birdies and was at 5 under through 10 holes.

Rory McIlroy, the four-time major champ from Northern Ireland, also played in the afternoon, made bogey on his first hole and was struggling to make birdies. He was at par at the turn, which felt worse on a day like this.

The delay was the last thing the Masters needed with limited daylight hours already leading to a two-tee start. Every minute counts, and it was doubtful 36 holes could be completed by dark Friday evening.

The loudest cheer - applause, certainly not a roar - came for Nicklaus and Player hitting tee shots so early that they couldn't see where they landed. Five groups got through one hole before the siren sounded to stop play for 2 hours, 45 minutes. And then players began to light up the course as the clouds moved to the east and those famous shadows from Georgia pines stretched across the fairways.

It looked just the Masters, minus the spring blooms, even if it didn't sound like one.

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