"Pictured below" is an image of the scenic Hole 12, Golden Bell, at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. It is the second leg of the trio of holes, holes 11/12/13, that make up the famous Amen Corner at Augusta. The nickname is very fitting because this span of three holes is where players can either make or break their chance at winning the coveted green jacket. Amen Corner is regarded as one of the most exciting stretches of holes in golf, and arguably in sports as well.
Today was the opening round of the 83rd Annual Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Since it's been a while since I wrote my last and only article on this blog, Should We Start Worrying Yet, I decided that it would only be fitting to return with a bang and write a post about the greatest golf event in the world. So without further ado, let's get into the swing of things and recap what went down on this beautiful Thursday at Augusta National.
From what I can recall, the opening round of the Masters typically has a bunch of no name/unexpected names at the top of the leaderboard and usually the leader is only a couple under as well. This is because all the big name guys usually get off to really slow starts, and then tend to pick it up on Day 2, aka moving day. However, this was not the case at the end of the day today. Sitting at atop of the leaderboard in a 2-way tie for 1st place are Bryson DeChambeau, pictured left, and Brooks Koepka, pictured right. Both guys played exceptionally well to start off the tournament by carding a 6-under 66. It took awhile for both of these guys to get it going, as they both made the turn going out at 1-under 35, however they would both go on to come in on the back 9 at 5-under 31 to finish at 6-under 66. It was very exciting watching both of them play today as they were putting on a show, and making a statement to the rest of the field. DeChambeau had a remarkable close to his round as he went 4-under in his last four holes to tie Brooks Koepka for the lead. He was nearly inches away too from being in sole possession of the lead, as his approach shot in number 18, Holly, tracked the pin and hit the center of the flag stick and settled nearly inches away from dropping in the hole. DeChambeau's scorecard consisted of 3 bogeys, 9 birdies, and 6 pars, which is a really great and solid performance. Now moving on to Brooks Koepka, who went the opposite route of his co-leader on the final 9 holes. He started off his back 9 by going 5-under through the first 6 holes, which is truly insane especially because he went a perfect 3/3 on birdie chances on the famous Amen Corner!!! He also had 3 more really good chances on the final 3 holes of his round to add to a exceptional day, including a look from inside 15 ft on 18 to take back sole possession of 1st place. Koepka's scorecard was a sensational bogey free 6-under that consisted of 6 birdies and 12 pars. Now after getting off to a sensational start to the tournament today, I am eager to see what these two have in store tomorrow and hopefully the rest of the weekend.
Moving on from talking about the leaders, let's start getting into some things that surprised me from today's opening round. One thing that really surprised me was the late charge from old lefty, Phil Mickelson, who birdied 3 out of the final 4 holes to currently sit at 5-under and 1 shot back of the lead. This was something that was completely unexpected to see from Phil as he typically starts off a little slow on Day 1. He must've just been in one of those grooves on the back 9 that ultimately put him in a good position to be successful in this tournament moving forward. Another thing that really surprised me was how well Ian Poulter played. The reason being is because this guy is notorious for being more of a match play phenom, and yet he's sitting tied for 4th place with Dustin Johnson and 2 shots back of the lead after Day 1. Not only that, but the guy lost his full playing Tour status 2 years ago after missing the cut at the Valero Texas Open. So, to see him playing well in a major tournament like the Masters is just weird. I accredit both Mickelson and Poulter's good play due to their short games, as their putting has been hovering below average to start off the year. Well see if they can repeat and build upon this momentum into Day 2.
Two big, fan favorite names that got overshadowed on this strange day at the Masters were none other than Rickie Fowler and the GOAT himself, Tiger Woods. Woods and Fowler both had solid outings as the pair carded an opening round score of 2-under 70. Tiger drove the ball really well today as he hit 9/14 fairways and 11/18 greens. His downfall today was on the putting surface, as Tiger had a number of chances to make red figures like on the 6th hole, Juniper, but he couldn't capitalize. However, he was happy with the way he played and the last four times he has started off with an opening round 70 at the Masters, he won 3 times and tied for 4th. Rickie Fowler played well and couldn't really complain either besides his one blemish aka a bogey on the third hole, to go along with three birdies and 14 pars. Last year when he opened with an opening round 70, he ended up finishing as the runner up. So, it's interesting to see what's in store for these two icons on moving day tomorrow.
The last thing that surprised me was how poorly some of the games top players and favorites to win the tournament played yesterday. Justin Rose, the number one golfer in the world, opened up play yesterday by carding a 3-over 74, and currently sits in a tie for 63rd with Jordan Spieth. He is regarded as the favorite to win this tournament this year, however his rough start yesterday has some people having doubts. In order to put himself back in contention, he'll have to play more aggressive and start going after pins to try and get himself into red figures. Jordan Spieth, like Rose, opened up play yesterday with a very disappointing 3-over 74. He just wasn't able to get anything going, especially on the dance floor. However I feel the kid from Texas will come out strong tomorrow, especially because big name players typically don't have back to back bad performances in a row. The final player I am going to mention is Paul Casey. I genuinely feel bad for this man, as he was just very unlucky yesterday. He carded an opening round 9-over 81, which was completely unexpected. He was a dark horse favorite to win this tournament. In order to give himself any shot at making it to the weekend, he'll need to put together the round of his life and defy the odds.
Pictured from left to right: Justin Rose, Paul Casey, and Jordan Spieth. After getting off to disappointing starts to the tournament, these three look to capitalize on moving day to get themselves back into contending for the coveted green jacket.