2023 Masters coverage day 1: 6 April 2023
MASTERS TOURNAMENT - Day 1
That's all for day 1 thanks for joining us
We'll be back tomorrow for all of Friday's action
Sam Bennet and Scottie Scheffler finish at 4-under
Impressive rounds for both amateur and defending champion!
Scheffler misses a much-needed eagle on no. 13
He's back to minus-3 and looking to get some momentum.
Spieth manages bogey after finding water
He goes on to face his nemesis at no. 12 and knocks it in the center of the green for a chance at birdie.
Rory is struggling on Thursday
He made birdie on no. 10 to get back to even par, but lost all momentum on the next hole when he made bogey.
Spieth finds the water on no. 11
Jordan Spieth's charge was slowed down on no. 11 when he found water on his second shot.
Scottie Scheffler misses an easy 3-footer and takes a bogey
Scheffler was on cruise control through 10 holes at 3-under-par but a lack of concentration cost him dearly on no. 11.
As the first round is winding down, let's take a look at who's playing tomorrow and when.
Impressive front-nine for Sam Bennett
We're big fans of this amateur who plays for Texas A&M. Let's hope he can keep it up on the back nine.
Jordan Spieth looking good at 4-under after eight holes
Spieth has been sporadic this year, but this is the Masters and he likes to play at Augusta National.
We're going to be talking about this round of golf for ages
Absolutely crazy what Rahm did today. If he can play like this tomorrow and through the weekend, he'll be unstoppable.
Jon Rahm shows his mental toughness
What incredible golf by Rahm. Can't wait to watch him play tomorrow!
Max Homa, Scottie Scheffler chasing Sam Bennett (A)
Through eight holes the young man who plays for Texas A&M is leading this featured group. What an impressive display of golf by Bennett and what a story!
Incredible Jon Rahm!
We can't say it enough: What mental toughness to bounce back froma 4-putt on no. 1. He went 9 under after that to finish tied for the lead at 7-under. What an imprressive display of golf!
Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Cameron Young finish their rounds
Jon Rahm: Tied for lead at minus-7 (65)
Cameron Young 3rd place at minus-5 (67)
Justin Thomas T11 at minus-2 (70)
Impressive first round for the Norweigan
Solid from start to finish and with fashion sense. Impressive play and wardrobe from the 25-year-old.
Tiger Woods, Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland finish their rounds
Viktor Hovland: Leader at minus-7 (65)
Xander Schauffele T6 at minus-4 (68)
Tiger Woods T55 at plus-2 (74)
Jon Rahm has got some cool kicks!
VAMOS!!! Let's go Jon, he's looking to finish strong here on day 1
Rahm sinks the putt at 16 for birdie goes to -5
He has gone 7-under-par since the first hole. He's playing some great golf. What is it about this course and the Spanish players? Can't help but think of Seve Ballesteros and Olazabal.
Jon Rahm at -5 is in position to birdie 16.
The Spaniard is playing great and has left himself with a chance for birdie at the par-3 number 16.
Adam Scott is quietly moving up the leaderboard
The Aussie is playing great and making little noise as he sneaks up on the leaders.
Cameron Young is T5 after birdie at 15
The morning featured groups are looking good as they finish up their rounds: Hovland -7, Schauffele -5, Jon Rahm - 5 are playing great.
Tiger goes birdie-birdie to get back to one-over par
Woods would be thrilled to get it back to even before the end of the day. Definitely gaining momentum in these final holes.
Shane Lowry in the clubhouse at 4-under
The Irishman is resting after an impressive 18 holes of golf placing him at T-4 for the moment.
Incredible Masters merchandise numbers
They're expecting to do sales of around $70 million this week, Incredible!
What a story this could be for Sam Bennett
It'd be great to see this young man keep up this level of play. He's looking really good at the start.
Jon Rahm forgot quickly about that double-bogey
The Spaniard has been on fire ever since the disaster on no. 1. As Ted Lasso would say, "he's playing like a goldfish - forgetting that mess."
Jon Rahm birdies and smashes drive at 14
The Spaniard is tied at 2nd place at minus-4 after birdie at no. 13.
Sam Bennett has words from Dad tatooed on his arm
Interesting story about the young golfer who had to overcome his father's early death. He has "Don't wait to do something" tatooed on his arm and he's definitely following his father's advice early on at the Masters
Sam Bennett (A) starts birdie, eagle
Impressive stuff from the young man to go minus-3 after two holes playing with Scottie Scheffler and Max Homa
LIV golf update - How are they doing so far?
Koepka is looking good at -3.
Patrick Reed is -2 through 16 holes
Varner III is also at -2 through seven holes
Niemann is 1-under
Mickelson is even par
So is Dustin Johnson
Then things get ugly:
Sergio García is +2
Schwartzel is also +2
Along with Dechambeau
At +3 are Pereira and Oosthuizen
Kevin Na is WD
Amateur Sam Bennett is off to a good start
Impressive stuff from the young guy under a lot of pressure with all eyes on his group.
Hovland is definitely dialed in.
The 25-year-old Norwegian is out there having fun, looking good and playing good. He's making it look easy.
Fred Couples in the clubhouse at minus-1
Frieddie showing the young guys what it's all about. Impressive stuff by the 63-year-old who won at Augusta National back in 1992. Over THIRTY years ago!!!
Jon Rahm is at three under par!!!
Incredible recovery by the Spaniard after his 4-putt double-bogey at no. 1
Freddie Couples knocks it close
It's like riding a bike for Couples. While some of the other veterans are struggling on a course set up for the younger players, Freddie is showing the crowds that he still has it.
Hovland isn't the only one making a fashion statement
Check out these kicks. The playes are stylin' on Thursday at the Masters
Sergio García and Patrick Reed at -2
The two LIV players are one shot back as they try to prove they can compete with their PGA competitors.
Mike Weir is the first one in the clubhouse at even par
The Canadian golfer finished the back-nine on his own after Kevin Na withdrew.
The patrons are enjoying the prices at Augusta National
Thursday is beautiful at Augusta National and the fans are enjoying the sunny weather and drink prices that are three times cheaper than most MLB games!
Cameron Young takes the lead all by himself
Let's see if he can keep it going after tee shot in the bunker short on no. 4
Tiger Woods struggling
He just 3-putt no. 5 for a bogey to go +2 for the day
Jon Rahm back on level par after two birdies
He has forgotten about his 4-putt on no. 1 and is back on track.
Cameron Young on fire!
25-year-old US player Cameron Young off to a hot start with three birdies after three holes for the lead at the top.
Aussie Adam Scott is off to a hot start as well after two birdies in three holes
Scott is looking good with two back-to-back birdies
Young and Schauffele join Hovland at 2-under
Great starts by these three golfers to reach the top of the leaderboard.
Rahm just misses eagle putt on no. 2 after disastrous first hole
That would have been a great come back after four putting no. 1. Don't give up on Jon, he'll battle back for sure. He's back to +1
Tiger bogeys no. 3
Tiger doesn't look comfortable on the greens so far. Could be a long day for Woods.
Jon Rahm 4-putts no. 1 for a double-bogey.
That is not how the Spaniard wanted to get started today.
Here's a video of Hovland's eagle on no. 2
We'll do some research into where he bought that shirt too. We'll be back with that info ASAP ;-)
Hovland eagles no. 2 !!!!!
After a perfect tee shot, almost 350 yards, a great approach and a beautiful left-to-right putt, Hovland makes a statement!
Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Cameron Young get started on no. 1
These three have a chance to be at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday. This group is going to be fun to follow today and tomorrow.
Tiger, Hovland and Schauffele par no. 1
The three players in the first featured group of the day start off even par after taking on no. 1 with a conservative approach.
Tiger outdrives Hovland and Schauffele on no. 1
We'll have to see how the not-so-warm weather affects Tiger's game, but if he's off to a good start, knocking it by the young guys in his group.
LIV golfers Louis Oosthuizen and Patrick Reed are at -1
Although most players and downplaying the rivalry, the golfers that left the PGA are trying to prove they can still compete on the world's most competitive tour. Sergio García is currently at even par after four holes.
LIV defector Kevin Na is struggling after nine holes at +4
Not a good start for Na on the front nine with four bogeys, a double bogey and 2 birdies on a roller coaster first half of round 1.
At 10:18 a.m. Tiger Woods, Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele will tee it up
We have some excellent golf being played now by a mix of veterans, formers winners, amateurs and LIV golfers, but in 30 minutes the first featured group tees off!
Leaders as of 9:45 a.m.
We currently have eight players tied at the top of the scoreboard at -1
Weir
Stallings
McClean (A)
Henley
Meronk
Kisner
Oosthuizen
Lee
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Weather this weekend at the Masters
The forecast for Thursday morning looks good, but the afternoon tee times could be in jeopardy if thunderstorms roll in. There is a 40 percent chance of scattered storms in the afternoon. Temperatures today could reach 84 degrees with light winds.
Friday will bring a 50 percent chance of rain in the morning that will increase in the afternoon.
Saturday will see temperatures drop to around 50 degrees with wind up to 25 mph. Things could get ugly if the 90 percent chance of rain is correct.
Sunday temperatures will remain cool with highs in the low 60s and lows of 47. The weather conditions at Augusta this weekend will be more like British Open weather with 50 percent chance of rain Easter morning.
Masters storylines to follow
We have a lot of storylines at this Masters Tournament: Will Rory McIlroy be able to finally complete the career slam? Will Jon Rahm get his first Masters win and take Spain to the second spot in Masters wins? Will Scottie Scheffler be up to the task of defending his 2022 victory? How will the LIV golfers fair after almost one year outside of the fierce PGA competition? Will Tiger Woods make the cut and be able to compete at the course that brought him his fame and glory? A lot of questions that will be answered over the next couple of days.
2023 Masters Tournament is officially underway
Good morning golf fans. The day has finally arrived. The 2023 Masters at Augusta National is about to begin. This is the first Masters since the creation of the LIV Golf Tour and we have good guys and bad guys (it’s up to you to decide who is who). The tension, rivalry and competition promise to be thrilling over the next four days. So whether you’re at work, can’t stream the golf or just want to follow us along with some shot-by-shot commentary, sit back and join, because we sure will.