AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) The newest on the first round of the Experts on Thursday (all times local):
6: 45 l. m.
Jordan Spieth has brought control at Augusta National.
The 2015 Masters champ birdied five straight holes starting at the 13th, pushing his rating to 7 under with a handful of holes to play. He has a three-shot lead over Tony Finau plus Matt Kuchar .
Spieth currently has three major titles in the resume, even though he won’ capital t turn 25 until late This summer.
He’ s definitely off to a good start in their quest for No . 4.
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5 l. m.
It was just a couple hours ago that Tony Finau’ s spot in the Masters is at question. Now his position is apparent: He’ s on the leaderboard.
Finau made five birdies over 12 holes in the starting round at Augusta National plus got to 4 under.
He did it a day after dislocating his left ankle celebrating the hole-in-one in the Par-3 Tournament plus popping it back into place.
X-rays were negative, plus Finau was diagnosed with a high ankle joint sprain.
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4: 35 p. meters.
Doug Ghim carried the particular flag for the seven amateurs in the Masters by holing out for skull cap on the 18th hole for an even-par 72.
Ghim experienced as the runner-up at the U. H. Amateur last summer at Riviera. He was 2 over for your round when his approach got about 10 feet short of the particular flag and rolled into the glass. It was only the sixth eagle to the 18th hole at the Masters, as well as the first since Chris DiMarco within 2006.
British Rookie champion Harry Ellis had a lot tougher time. He opened using a double bogey, started the back 9 with a triple bogey and chance 86. Shiny Parziale , the firefighter through Brockton, Massachusetts, who won the particular U. S. Mid-Amateur, managed 3 birdies but still shot 81.
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four: 15 p. m.
Tiger Woods feels like he played better than he or she scored at the Masters.
Woods shot a 1-over 73 in the opening round Thursday, not being able to make up any ground within the four par 5s. Woods offers feasted on Augusta National’ ersus longest holes over the years, but parred each of them in his return to golf’ ersus first major.
He admits that, ” That was the difference in the circular. ”
The 42-year-old Woods has been away from golf designed for much of the last few years because of their four back surgeries. The Experts is his first major given that playing the PGA Championship within August 2015.
He or she was back in the Masters field the first time in 1, 089 days.
Woods says he ” definitely didn’ t score and also I played, ” noting which he has to be better on the par-5s.
The four-time Masters champ is far from concerned. He’ t typically been a slow beginner at Augusta, having shot below par just once (a 68 within 2010) in the opening round.
Woods says, ” It is a very bunched leaderboard, and by the final of the week, it’ s likely to be really crowded. ”
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a few: 45 p. m.
Defending champion Sergio Garcia produced history – not the good type – in the opening round from the Masters on Thursday.
Garcia carded a 13 in the par-5 15th after hitting 5 shots into the water in front of the eco-friendly.
He matched the greatest single-hole score in Masters background.
Tom Weiskopf a new 13 at No . 12 within 1980 and Tommy Nakajima achieved it at No . 13 in 1978.
Garcia matched prior high scores carded by Mary Weiskopf at No . 12 within 1980 and by Tsuneyuki ” Tommy” Nakajimat No . 13 within 1978.
The crisis left Garciat 10 more than in the opening round and fourteen shots behind the leaders.
Garcia rebounded with a birdie on the par-3 16th, but he’ s now a long shot to help make the cut Friday.
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3: 25 l. m.
Of all the pictures Marc Leishman hit in the starting round at the Masters, his 3rd one at No . 15 may stand out – for all the wrong factors.
Leishman’ s nick from behind the green folded through the putting surface and in to the water. It led to a double-bogey 7 on the 530-yard hole – his lone flaw of the day.
Leishman dropped from four under to 2 under to begin golf’ s first major.
Charley Hoffman sits atop the particular leaderboard at 4 under.
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two: 30 p. m.
Tiger Woods could have used a few praying before taking on Amen Corner.
Woods hit three tennis balls into the gallery and another in to the water at Augusta National’ t famed, three-hole signature section. This individual finished with two bogeys plus a par, and it could have been much even worse.
Still, it remaining him 3 over in the starting round at the Masters and 7 shots behind leader and actively playing partner Marc Leishman.
The slippage started when Forest pushed his drive at the par-4 11th way right. He eliminated hundreds of fans before attempting to enjoy through a spectator walking area. Their second shot squirted right plus into the gallery he just repositioned.
His third photo landed past the hole and still left him with a downhill, 20-foot k?rester putt that he missed left.
His tee shot in the par-3 12th came up brief and rolled into renowned Rae’ s Creek. His third photo stayed on the front fringe, yet he saved bogey by making the 15-footer from there.
This individual seemed to be disgusted with himself when he walked to the 13th tee. He or she pushed his tee shot directly into the pine straw and then forced his next shot into yet another gallery. He flew the back of the green from there and had a 12-footer to salvage the birdie on what has been the easiest pit on the course. He just skipped the putt.
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Tony Finau will be on the course at Augusta Nationwide, playing on a badly sprained still left ankle.
He dislocated his ankle celebrating a hole-in-one during the Par-3 Tournament on Wed and then popped it back into location. X-rays were negative, and Finau was diagnosed with a high ankle twist.
He was intending to play through the pain.
” Crazy day, ” this individual posted on his Twitter account. ” Thanks for thoughts of concern, messages plus prayers from all. I’ meters optimistic. ”
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11: 55 the. m.
Tiger Woods offers his first birdie at the Experts in nearly three years.
Woods almost drove the eco-friendly at the par-4 No . 3, frequency to about 10 feet plus made the putt to set away a huge ” Tiger Roar” with Augusta National.
It had been Woods’ first competitive birdie on the famed course since April twelve, 2015, at No . 15 within the final round of the Masters. This individual finished tied for 17th.
Woods gave the cerebrovascular accident back on the next hole whenever his tee shot found the greenside bunker. He chipped away and missed a 20-footer with regard to par.
Playing companion Marc Leishman was leading the big event at 2 under.
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10: twenty five a. m.
Tony a2z Finau says he is ” optimistic” after a ” crazy day” on the Masters.
Finau dislocated his left ankle celebrating the hole-in-one during the Par-3 Tournament upon Wednesday and then popped it back directly into place.
X-rays had been negative. Finau was scheduled for further tests Thursday before teeing away from (12: 43 p. m. ) in the first round at Augusta National.
” Insane day, ” he posted in the Twitter account. ” Thanks for ideas of concern, messages and prayers through all. I’ m optimistic. ”
Finau flew the rear of the seventh green on the Par-3 course and spun it back to the hole for an ace. He started working toward the hole to commemorate, then turned and backpedaled just before landing awkwardly on his left ankle joint. He dropped to one knee plus ended up pushing the joint back to place.
Finau, positioned No . 34 in the world, stuck close to for the final two holes then gingerly walked to a golf trolley and was driven off the program.
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8: 15 a. m.
The 82nd Masters has started.
Jack Nicklaus plus Gary Player officially got the particular tournament started Thursday morning with all the ceremonial tee shot.
Player, 82, took the first golf swing followed by the 78-year-old Nicklaus within clear, sunny sky with the heat in the 40s. It is expected to take the high 60s by the afternoon.
Augusta National chairman Sally Ridley told the crowd packed around the first tee how happy they were to have the duo with 9 green jackets to start the competition.
Wesley Bryan , Austin Cook , Ted Potter Jr . were the first group to first tee off when play began.
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