Thanks for reading and join us again for round two. Rory McIlroy has the opportunity to join a very elite club this week because only three men have successfully defended the Green Jacket. The three current members of that club are Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. What an incentive and what a prospect. Here’s Ewan Murray’s report of the first round.
And that’s it for the first round of the 90th Masters. Rory McIlroy chose the appetizers, starters, main and dessert for Tuesday night’s Champion’s Dinner – and on Thursday he had all but Sam Burns for afters.
Only 16 golfers beat par today. That figure might matter because last year Rory McIlroy was the first Masters winner since Tiger Woods in 2005 to not break par in the first round (McIlroy equalled par with a 72, Woods needed 74 blows). And, in all, 25 of the last 30 Masters winners broke 72 in round one. The difficult conditions today might impact on that trend but, if not, there are now only 16 golfers who can win the Green Jacket this week.
-5: Burns (F), McIlroy (F)
-3: Kitayama (F), Day (F), Reed (F)
-2: Lowry (F), Schauffele (F), Rose (F), Scheffler (17)
-1: Li (F), Taylor (F), Fleetwood (F), Campbell (F), Rai (F), Bridgeman (F), Woodland (F)
Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns claim the first round lead
The pair set the pace early in the afternoon with 67s and no-one could catch them. In fact, they are two shots clear of the field. The course dried up throughout the day and it is predicted to continue doing so as the week goes on.
Gary Woodland completes a round of 71. A popular effort for the man who had a brain tumour in 2024 and has suffered PTSD subsequently. Playing partner Robert MacIntyre can only manage a painful 80, but Scottie Scheffler has carded a solid 70.
Justin Rose on his round of 70: “I’m a little hot right now, but I’ll look at the bigger picture. I was staying patient, but the course was getting harder and I got the wind wrong a few times. A few miscues, but that’s the nature of the beast here. Small margins. Overall, a good start to the tournament. There is no real lesson (from the three second placed finishes he has made). I just know I can win here and you just can’t force it.”
Scottie Scheffler makes par at 17 to stay at -2. His approach shot was excellent, but the birdie putt was less assured and only dribbled towards, and not quite to, the hole. He heads to the funnel that is the 18th tee, now entirely in shadow, but for the exact spot Scheffler stands. Like so many others, he drives into sand.
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Jon Rahm was understandably downbeat after his 78. “It’s a hard golf course,” he said. “Some of the players might have been able to manage a respectable round, but when you have no feel with the swing whatsoever, it’s just not an easy one.
“It sucks to be in this position, to need a Herculean effort the next two days to give myself the sniff of a chance to win. It’s just frustrating.”
After the bogey at 17 Justin Rose doesn’t want to drop another shot at 18. But he facing that prospect. His third shot from under the scoreboard found the front of the green. Unfortunately, the hole has been cut at the back of it. The distant par effort pulls up short and left of the target. It’s not quite a gimme yet he knocks it in. A day of promise ends with him on -2. Still in it, but he probably thinks it could have been so much better.
Justin Rose joins the long list of those who have found the fairway bunkers at 18. His escape shot has flared wide right and settled near the scoreboard. You don’t often see anyone play shots from over there and it will be tricky to save par.
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Talking of bad scores. Jon Rahm’s round today was his 37th at Augusta National and his worst (78).
A 74 for Ludvig Åberg and guess what? It’s his ninth round at Augusta National and the first time he’s needed that many strokes.
Scottie Scheffler’s birdie putt at 15 was a little longer than it first appeared. More like eight feet and it didn’t drop. He remains -2 and three back of the lead. Rose also misses his putt on 17, but his was for par.
-5: Burns (F), McIlroy (F)
-3: Kitayama (F), Day (F), Reed (F), Rose (17)
-2: Lowry (F), Schauffele (F), Scheffler (15)
Justin Rose lines up his approach to 17. He does so in classic Rose fashion, standing behind the ball, one eye closed, using his club to identify that line. The shot itself comes up short of the green and his chip leaves him another testy par putt.
Back at 15 Robert MacIntyre, who is +3, has dumped two balls in the water. He’s so beaten up, he’s stopped grunting naughty words the commentators have to apologise for.
His playing partner Scottie Scheffler shows short game skills to set up a six foot birdie try.
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Playing in the last group, Harris English is on a mini-charge. After a double bogey-6 at the 7th he was +3 for his round, but he’s made five birdies since then, including three in a row at 12, 13 and 14. He’s now -1 with the par-5 15th to come.
Justin Rose needs to dig deep. His tee shot at the par-3 16th found the lower tier and his first putt comes up 6 feet short. On commentary Rich Beem and Andrew Coltart noticed that a zip line camera cast a shadow across him as he was preparing to hit that first putt but there was no reaction from Rose. There are big cheers from elsewhere on the course as Rose lines up the tricky par putt but he holes it. Two nasty putts. Two potential distractions. All of them negotiated. Chest out, shoulders back, on to the next tee.
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Let’s have a little reminder of how impressive Justin Rose has been in recent major championships. He was sixth in the 2024 PGA Championship when he spent much of the weekend within two or three shots of the lead. Two months later, he was tied second in the Open, putting in a performance that would have won other majors, but which was topped by Xander Schauffele. Many thought that was his last hurrah. But no, he led after 18 holes at Augusta last year and then fell back. Again, he was doubted. Again, he bounced back, setting a 72-hole target no-one bettered and only Rory McIlroy equalled. And since then? He’s won twice on the PGA Tour and starred for Europe in the Ryder Cup. He’s 45 going on 30.
Justin Rose has played two magnificent shots into the green at the par-5 15th. But his eagle putt is a nasty, sliding prospect and he can’t help but treat it like something unpleasant he’s found in the garden, all finger tips and nose scrunched up. It dribbles to the right of the hole and he mops up the birdie putt. He’s back to -4 and has hit 13 of 15 greens in regulation today.
As mentioned earlier, the pin position at 14 has fooled many today. Nick Faldo has talked of it being unusual which partly explains it. The putting surface has many swales and few have caught the right ones. Scottie Scheffler just has, however. He’ll have about 15 feet for birdie shortly.
Andy Bull has written about Rory McIlroy’s first round. In the past, it was “like watching a man try to carry a Ming vase across a wet marble floor” but now he’s made it to the other side.
Jon Rahm update. It’s not good. Following those four front nine bogeys, he’s added a double bogey-7 at 15. He’s +6 through 14.
Wayne Riley has just said: “We’re in for the greatest Masters ever on Sunday.” He’s talking of the difficulty that trio had playing 13 which is clearly firming up. Scheffler and MacIntyre putted close with their fourth shots, and Woodland scraped a five with a long par putt.
Rose misses his par putt at 14. He exits the green with shoulders back and his head shaking.
Back at 13, both Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland left themselves short pitches over the creek to the green with their second shots. Neither one of them hold the green. Their playing partner Robert MacIntyre went for the green with his second and found it. But guess what? He can’t keep his third short on the green either! The three of them are in the gully at the back of the putting surface.
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It’s not often you see Justin Rose furious. But his experiences at 14 are getting to him. The chip he is faced with is a nasty one, needing to negotiate a steep front to the green and his ball only just climbs up it. He moves forward quickly to mark it, eyes narrowed, lips pursed.
Justin Rose found the fairway at 14. The pin is in an unusual position on the right and it fools the Augusta veteran. Nick Faldo suggests there is no wind, but the ball comes up short of the humped putting surface and Rose wanders down the fairway huffing and puffing to himself. With his shirt flapping in the breeze, Faldo admits he got it wrong.
After his round Rory McIlroy talked of how he has learned to manage expectations.
“I still have high expectations, but my expectations are more ‘Did I make good decisions today? Was I committed? Was I trusting?’ It wasn’t, ‘I’m going to go out and shoot 65 and did I do it?’
“It took me a while to focus on the process and the little mini goals of not compounding errors. If I can live up to those expectations, then the scores and the results should take care of themselves.”
Birdie putts coming up at 13. Jordan Spieth’s stays up from 10 feet so he remains at -2. Now Justin Rose steps up. He’s got 2-feet for his birdie and to hit -4, breaking the logjam at -3. He drains it and strides off to the 14th tee with his chin down and his “concentrating hard” face on.
-5: Burns (F), McIlroy (F)
-4: Rose (13)
-3: Kitayama (F), Day (F), Reed (F)
Augusta National is looking its very best right now. The light is crisp and clear. The 12th green is currently in the shadow of the canopy of one tree. Up above, drones provide views that only a few years ago we never had. It was actually quite strange how, for so long, we always had the same camera positions which provided somewhat limited coverage.
Up ahead, Justin Rose’s pitch to 13, his third shot, leaves him a short birdie putt to creep closer to the pacesetters. He couldn’t pinch the outright lead could he?!
We’ve hit a little bit of a flat spot. But the next hour will impact on many rounds - and with it potentially define the week for many. Justin Rose (-3), Jordan Spieth (-2) and Justin Thomas (-1) are playing the par-5 13th. Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland (both -2) will be on it soon.
Scheffler’s attempt to save par at 11 fails. He drops back to -2. He’ll feel confident about the coming stretch, however. Find the green at 12 and then he can chase birdies at the par-5 13th and 15th.
There was so much chatter earlier this year that Scottie Scheffler had lost it. The stats men used stats. TV folk had footage of him fighting his swing on the range. Wayne Riley of Sky Sports was in a video comparing him to golfers of the past who wowed the world for a short period before dropping their high standards. Others looked at his results: 18 straight top 10s followed by an absolutely desperate run of T12-T24-T22.
Then, awaiting the birth of his second child, he hadn’t played for three weeks. More grist for the doubter’s mill. But maybe it was the best thing for him? Time will tell about that. What we know is that he’s been very good so far today in playing the opening 10 holes in -3. He has, however, missed the 11th a long way to the right. Saving par will be tricky from there.
The Scot Robert MacIntyre enjoyed success in the final two majors of 2025. He was second in the US Open and then T7 in the Open at Royal Portrush. Masters winners often drop big hints in the majors ahead of their win so MacIntyre had every reason to feel confident this week. But he’s had a tough front nine. He made birdie at 3, but added bogeys at 5 and 6, and a double bogey at 9. A big curving birdie putt at 10 would have put wind in his sails, but it swings across the front of the hole.
It’s not been a turn to remember for Ludvig Åberg. The Swedish tyro had opened his Masters account with two top 10 finishes and when he was -3 through the 8th he must have been feeling chipper. But he scratched a double bogey-6 on his card at 9 and has since then added bogeys at 10 and 11. A par at 12 has righted the ship, but he’s now +1 and needs to take advantage of the par-5s to come.
Jon Rahm, +4 through 10, has a birdie chance at 11 but misses it. He’s cutting a downbeat figure and in the majors it has been going on a long time. Since winning the 2023 Masters he has only one top five finish in the championships that define a career – and even that was T2 behind the runaway winner of the 2024 Open, Brian Harman. At his best he was like a big angry wild Basque bear. Too often now he’s like a sad bear in a bad zoo. We want roaring Rahm.
After his round of 70 Shane Lowry talked about conditions. “I think this could be the toughest Masters we’ve played in a while,” he said. “You look at the forecast. They can do whatever they want with the golf course this weekend. Over the last few years we’ve had a day every year where it’s been raining or it’s been heavy rains. It’s kind of helped us a little bit, but I think before the week is out, it’s going to get very, very crusty around here.”
The lowlight of Bryson DeChambeau’s opening 76 was a triple bogey-7 at the 11th. It took him three shots to leave the greenside bunker and his explanation was brief after the round: “Bunker was softer than I anticipated.”
Exactly how much does Justin Rose enjoy a Masters Thursday? Consider this: he’s played the tournament 20 times, and he’s claimed three solo first round leads and two shared ones. He’s also 9-for-20 at going sub-70 which is extraordinary. Rory McIlroy, by contrast, is now 3-for-17.
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Rory McIlroy on his opening round: “I thought I would feel different, but then I put my ball on the tee and felt the same nerves. I’m glad I felt that way. Something would be wrong if I didn’t.
“I settled really quickly. I’ve said all week there’s a certain freedom now. If I hit it in the trees? Okay! I’ve seen it all. I did that a bit on the front nine and found my game on the back. I swung freely and kept doing so even on the front nine. It’s a great start but a long way to go. I’m feeling good with where I’m at, though.”
A reminder that Tom Watson and Gary Player had plenty to say after they hit the honorary first drives earlier today – on Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, and also Tiger Woods.
Jon Rahm has had a terrible front nine. The 2023 champion entered this week in startlingly good form on LIV. His last nine starts there had reaped one win (in Hong Kong at the start of March), half a dozen seconds (three after extra holes) and a pair of fifths. But today? He’s +4 through the turn. Back at the 8th, Scheffler misses his short birdie putt to stay at -3.
Nathan Cavin emails: “Is this the first round of Justin Rose’s march to the Green jacket?” It could be. He’s sneaked into a share of third with a typically neat and tidy first round. The three-time Masters runner-up is apparently ageless. Scottie Scheffler is in the same pack but has hit the par-5 8th green in two and has a lengthy eagle putt which he has left just outside gimme range.
-5: Burns (F), McIlroy (F)
-3: Kitayama (F), Day (F), Reed (F), Rose (9), Scheffler (7)
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Rory McIlroy ties the -5 clubhouse lead
A lovely lag putt secures his 67 and ties Sam Burns. It’s the defending champion’s second-best first round score (the best was a 65 in 2011 which had him tied at the top after 18 holes). Such a different departure from the green to the last time he was competitive at Augusta 12 months ago, but what a feeling today must have been. He was far from perfect. His driving was poor at times. You sense he played with a weight lifted from his shoulders.
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The fairway bunkers on 18 are proving very popular. Is this a case of the fast-running conditions allowing balls to bound forward where previously they have held up? Rory McIlroy is the latest man to find them. Readers with long memories will recall Sandy Lyle playing a 7-iron from this sand. It was such a sensational shot it gave him the chance to win the tournament which he took and then danced a little Highland jig, arms above his head, sweaty armpits on show to the world and then swiftly covered up by his new Green Jacket.
How will McIlroy fare? No Green Jacket on the line today, but he’d like to match the clubhouse lead of Sam Burns. He has 149 yards and it’s solid. Very solid. Middle of the green solid.
A limp finish for Bryson DeChambeau. A bogey at 18 sees him complete a 76. It’s the fifth time, in 10 starts, that he has failed to break 74 in the first round at the Masters. He’ll need a strong fightback to avoid returning to old ways. In his first seven visits to Augusta he failed to record one top 20 then finished T6 and T5 in the last two years.
Rory McIlroy hits a lovely shot into 17, giving himself about 15 feet for birdie and the solo lead. It is 10 years since a defending champion held the first round lead.
-5: Burns (F), McIlroy (17)
-3: Kitayama (F), Day (F), Reed (F), Rai (9), Åberg (8), Scheffler (6)
Aaron Rai continues to potter along nicely. In winning the Par-3 Contest yesterday he maintained an unlikely trend because he is, like Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam, a former Shropshire county player. Who would ever have thought such an unheralded county would enjoy such success at Augusta National? Could Rai match his two black gloves with a Green Jacket? He’s currently -3 and has just made the turn.
Matthew Fitzpatrick and Bryson DeChambeau were both favoured by many as contenders this week. But both have laboured. The Englishman is level through 17, the American +3. Both find sand from the 18th tee. Fitzpatrick finds more of it near the green, DeChambeau doesn’t even get that far and cries: “Hooking it! Every time!” The third man in their group is Xander Schauffele. He also found the fairway bunker but makes the green and has 20-feet for birdie to get to -3.
2018 champion Patrick Reed reaches the clubhouse on -3. He opened with a birdie and added two par-5 eagles on the front nine. On the way home, he only added two bogeys, but it could have been worse. His short game saved him time and again. Moreover, he putted well which is interesting because he left the course last year (when he finished third) saying: “The putter killed me this week. Really lost my opportunity to win a green jacket because of the putter.” Playing partner Tommy Fleetwood finishes on -1. He was briefly -4 but couldn’t hold his score together as Reed did.
Rory McIlroy hits a nice shot into the par-3 16th. But he knew immediately that he wanted it to sit tight, ushering with his hand for it to hold. It landed on top of the ridge that runs through the green and didn’t hold, instead sliding to the lower tier. He’s not the first to suffer that fate today and he won’t be the last. The putting surface is large enough, the target area is tiny.
Hello, hello – Rory McIlroy had tied the lead at -5! He curls his birdie putt in, letting it slip down the treacherous 15th green. He greets it with a trademark quiet, head high fist pump. The big question ahead of this week was “Would winning the first Green Jacket would free him?” We have an early indication. But it is only that. Let’s not get carried away.
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Sam Burns on his 67: “You need to be in the fairway. Driving the ball well was key. It’s perfect out there. With the forecast – wind and no rain – it’s only going to get faster and harder.”
Rory McIlroy is back on 15, scene of the sensational approach shot that revived his victory bid 12 months ago. After a neat birdie at 14 he is -4 and has the first round lead in his cross hairs. There’s no repeat of last year, however. Then, he had one tree to bend his ball around. Now, he has a curtain of them in front of him. As with the 13th, earlier in the round, he bunts his ball forward. It’s a good job he wasn’t this sensible last April or we’d have missed out on the drama of that final round.
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English debutant Marco Penge is in the last group out today. His life has changed significantly in recent times. 18 months ago, he had to hole a birdie putt on the final round of the final regular event on the 2024 DP World Tour to save his card. 12 months ago, he was watching the Masters on TV. Two weeks later, he won for the first time on the DP World Tour. Six months ago, he won for a third time in the season at the Open de Espana - and the victory came with an invite to Augusta. He also earned a PGA Tour card and has made a solid start to his career in the States. All good. But he’s made a triple bogey-8 at the 2nd. A tough start.
Sam Burns set a new and strong clubhouse target of -5.
A round of 67 for the 29-year-old. He averages 73.33 in the first round over his last three visits to Augusta National, but he’s found a very quirky way to do it, carding rounds of 80, 73 and now 67. Remember, he led last year’s US Open through 36 and 54 holes before tumbling away with a final round 78 for T7. Back on 3, his good friend Scottie Scheffler completes a two-putt birdie. He’s -3. “Ominous start,” says Rich Beem on TV.
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McIlroy drains the birdie putt at 13 and Reed misses his par putt at 15. We now have a seven-way tie for second. And Scheffler’s drive at the short par-4 3rd has found the edge of the putting surface. Some start from the World No. 1.
-5: Burns (17)
-3: Kitayama (F), Lowry (17), Day (17), Reed (15), Fleetwood (15), McIlroy (13), Rai (6)
“Pretty straightforward shot, this,” says on-course commentator Wayne Riley of the McIlroy pitch at 13. Riley does have a habit of setting McIlroy up for a prat fall, but he’s spot on this time. McIlroy has about 12 feet for birdie. Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler has opened his account with an eagle-3 at the 2nd.
Rory McIlroy has seen a lot of the trees today and he’s back in them on the par-5 13th. He’s overshot the fairway and is in among the pine straw. He doesn’t try anything fancy. A nice little bunt forward with draw spin into the fairway. It does, however, set up something of a repeat of the duffed pitch into water that threatened to derail his tournament challenge 12 months ago.
We have a new clubhouse leader. Kurt Kitayama ties up a par at 18 for a round of 69 and he’ll take lunch on -3. It’s his third Masters appearance and his best finish is T35 in 2024. Back on the par-5 15th, Patrick Reed hit a fairway wood into the green and he loved it. Full on club twirl, but it clattered through the green and found the water behind, rather than in front of, the putting surface.
The final group has left the first tee and it included Harris English who might better be known as ‘The Nearly Man of Major Golf in 2025’. He was tied second at the PGA Championship and solo second at the Open - both times denied by the World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Did he miss his big chance last year? Or can he revive those memories? He was T12 at Augusta last year and he does hail from Georgia. He has quite a vibe, ambling along, chewing gum, giving very little away.
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Thanks Scott. Tommy Fleetwood has been labouring after the turn, with two bogeys and a failure to break par at the long 13th. But he’s back on track with a lovely birdie at 14. He’s back to -3 and his playing partner, Patrick Reed, who has also lost his mojo after the turn, saves par after missing the green. He remains -4.
Jordan Spieth is this close to steering home a huge 55-foot eagle snake from the front of 2. The 2015 champ moves to -1. Birdie as well for Justin Rose, who joins him in the red. And making it three out of three, Brooks Koepka, who repairs the damage of a three-putt bogey on the opening hole by nearly chipping in for eagle. His birdie takes him back to level par.
… and with that, I’ll hand you over to Matt Cooper, who is champing at the bit to take this baby home. Enjoy the rest of today’s golf, and see you tomorrow afternoon.
Sam Burns finds the heart of 15 with two big blows. He’s left with a treacherous downhill 40-footer for eagle, and does very well to tickle it pin high, before tidying up from three feet. Meanwhile we were misinformed about Patrick Reed on 13: turns out he hadn’t laid up, was in fact hitting his third shot with his wedge … and so when he rolls in the aforementioned putt he’s left himself, does so for par! That’s a fine scramble in the end. But he’s no longer leading the Masters.
-5: Burns (15)
-4: Reed (13)
-3: Kitayama (17), Lowry (14), Rai (5)
The world number one Scottie Scheffler takes to the tee! The 2022 and 2024 champion finds the second cut down the left. He’s going round with last year’s US Open runner-up, Robert MacIntyre, who sends a fairway wood in a similar direction. The final member of the match is the 2019 US Open winner Gary Woodland, whose recent win in Houston was so life-affirming. There’d be few more popular winners if Woodland made it this week. He sends one down the middle.
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A spot of bother for the co-leader Patrick Reed on 13. He lays up in front of Rae’s Creek. The conservative play, but you’ve got to get your wedge close … and Reed hits a skinny one over the back. He putts up from the swale, and seriously overcooks it. The ball rolls 15 feet past, and suddenly a double is staring him in the face.
Another birdie for the Par 3 Contest champ Aaron Rai! This one a tramliner across the par-three 4th. Back-to-back birdies for the 2011 runner-up Jason Day at 12 and 13. A careless bogey for Tommy Fleetwood at 12, as he fails to get up and down from greenside. And Justin Rose has a route to the green from the trees down the left of 1. He finds the front of the dancefloor, then nearly drains the monster putt for birdie. All happening at the top of the Leader Board.
-4: Burns (14), Reed (12)
-3: Lowry (13), Rai (4)
-2: Kitayama (16), Taylor (14), Day (13), Fleetwood (12), Schauffele (12), McIlroy (10), Couples (4)
-1: Li (F), Bhatia (12), Campbell (8), Garcia (4)
Shane Lowry holes out from 99 yards on the par-five 13th! A gentle wedge straight at the flag, a couple of bounces, and in! A huge grin and a high-five with his caddie to celebrate the eagle! But disaster for Bryson DeChambeau on 11, where he takes three to get out of a bunker, on his way to a triple-bogey seven. Lowry is -3, DeChambeau +3.
The group that follows is also not short of star power. Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose, with nine majors between them. It’s not the ideal start for Rose, last year’s runner-up, as he pulls his opening tee shot and may well have snookered himself behind a tree.
Jon Rahm has been hotly tipped to add to his 2023 win this week. But the 31-year-old Spaniard starts out with bogey at Tea Olive. Pars meanwhile for his playing partners, Ludvig Åberg, who came second here on debut two years ago and briefly led on Sunday last year, and the promising Chris Gotterup, who came third at last year’s Open. Now that is a stellar group.
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A disappointing end to Jose Maria Olazabal’s round. The 1994 and 1999 champion flew out of the traps with birdies at 2 and 3, and kept parring his way around until finally dropping a shot at 14. Then he found the water at 15 on his way to a double, and failed to make a sandy par at 16. Four shots gone in the blink of an eye, and the 60-year-old living legend signs for a two-over 74. Just for the record, he’s making his 37th start here this week. Godspeed tomorrow, Ollie, hope you make it to the weekend.
Rory McIlroy took a while to get going. But now he’s motoring. His second into 9, from 116 yards, lands past the bunker front-left and uses the camber of the green to the left of the pin to bring his ball round to ten feet. That’s such a clever and well-executed shot. In goes the birdie putt, and all of a sudden he’s right in the mix!
-4: Burns (13), Reed (11)
-3: Reitan (14), Fleetwood (11)
-2: Taylor (12), Bhatia (11), Schauffele (10), McIlroy (9), Couples (2), Rai (2)
-1: Li (F), Kitayama (14), Lowry (11), Campbell (7), N Hojgaard (5), Fang -a- (4), Garcia (2)
Aaron Rai won the Par 3 Contest last night. And he doesn’t appear particularly worried about the Contest’s hex: nobody has ever won both Contest and Masters Tournament in the same year. But the 31-year-old from Wolverhampton has opened with birdies at 1 and 2. Could Rai go better than these gentlemen, the Par 3 Contest winners who came closest to Masters glory days later?
Runner-up (lost in play-off): Raymond Floyd (1990)
Runner-up: Chip Beck (1993)
Fourth: Arnold Palmer (1967)
Tied fourth: Ben Crenshaw (1987), Luke Donald (2011)
Tied fifth: Tom Watson (1982)
Sam Burns grabs a share of the lead with birdie at the par-five 13th. Xander Schauffele is also heading in the right direction, fizzing his second at 10 from 200 yards to ten feet, and walking in the putt. Schauffele’s playing partner Bryson DeChambeau does exceptionally well to save his par, putting up from the bank at the back, a delicate effort that only just reaches the green before taking a 90-degree right-hand turn and rolling out towards the hole. Some job just to stop it trundling six feet past. The best he could do, and he tidies up to remain at level par.
-4: Burns (13), Reed (10)
-3: Reitan (14), Fleetwood (10)
If you’ve been hanging around here all day, you’ll recall the early travails of poor Carlos Ortiz. The 34-year-old Mexican, on just his second appearance at the Masters, started 5-7-5-4-6, a run of three bogeys and two doubles. He was +7 through 5. So he’s done very well to finish the day with an 80, +8 overall. That’s two strokes better than his opening round of 82 on debut in 2021, so onwards and upwards.
Another loose drive by Rory, this time down the right of 8. But this time it doesn’t cost him. He fires a stinger under some overhanging branches and into the heart of the green, twirling his fairway wood afterwards in contented fashion. His ball scampers up to 20 feet, and though he timidly underhits the eagle putt, he gets close enough to make birdie and move into red figures again. He’s not brought his best stuff this morning, but he’s still only three off the lead at -1.
Bogeys for the leading pair of Patrick Reed and Tommy Fleetwood at 10. Neither found the green in regulation; neither could chip up close from the bottom of the swale. Meanwhile a bounceback birdie for Kurt Kitayama on 13 – plus a birdie-birdie start for the 1992 champion Freddie Couples! – and the top of the League Board suddenly looks rather different.
-4: Reed (10)
-3: Reitan (13), Burns (12), Fleetwood (10)
-2: Kitayama (13), Taylor (12), Bhatia (10), Harman (2), Couples (2)
Kristoffer Reitan is making his Masters debut today. The 28-year-old from Oslo becomes just the second Norwegian to compete at Augusta National, following Viktor Hovland, and he’s just catapulted himself up the Leader Board by nearly slam-dunking his second into the cup at 13, then rolling in the 25-footer from the fringe at the back for eagle! He’s -3.
Sam Burns makes a move towards the leaders. He sends his tee shot at the famous par-three 12th, Golden Bell, to 20 feet. In goes the downhill left-to-right slider, and he rises to -3. Meanwhile it’s a birdie-birdie start for Brian Harman, the 2023 Open champion becoming the latest of the shorter hitters to make a mark this week. Just the 70 more holes to go.
Xander Schauffele nearly holes out from a deep bunker to the left of 9. He whips out elegantly, the ball dropping almost on the shoulder of the trap, kicking straight left and rolling gently towards the hole. It stops one dimple short of dropping for birdie. But that’s a sandy save he’d have grabbed with both hands a moment ago. The two-time major winner turns in 35.
Birdie for Tommy Fleetwood at 9! It comes after an approach from 150 yards to 13 feet. Pin high, not too much movement in the putt, and he’s out in 32. His playing partner Patrick Reed pars to hit the turn in 31 of your golfing strokes.
-5: Reed (9)
-4: Fleetwood (9)
-2: Burns (11), Taylor (10), Bhatia (9), Stevens (6), Campbell (5)
-1: Li (F), Kitayama (12), Reitan (12), Lowry (10), Schauffele (8), M Kim (3), Harman (1), Couples (1)
Rory McIlroy hit one of the shots of his life last year from the 17th fairway on Sunday. He hits another fine one from there now … though he’s playing the 7th hole at the time. His driver is seriously misbehaving today. But he finds the fringe of the green with his second back over the trees, before getting up and down for par. The defending champion remains at level par.
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Kurt Kitayama becomes the first highly visible victim of Rae’s Creek. From the back of 12, he clunks a wedge through the green, down the bank, and in. He does very well to limit the resulting damage to double bogey by taking his drop, chipping to 15 feet, and sinking the putt. But having briefly led the Masters all on his own, he’s now back in the pack at -1.
Xander Schauffele sends his tee shot at the par-five 8th into the patrons down the left … and into someone’s shopping bag. Let’s hope that hasn’t broken their gnome. It’s kinda broken Schauffele’s concentration, though. Once it’s all sorted out, he sends a poor chip into the green, followed by a weak putt. Just a par. He remains at -1.
Shane Lowry has done very well to bounce back from those miserable par-threes. Having doubled 4 and bogeyed 6, he’s just carded back-to-back birdies at 8 and 9 to move back into red figures. Meanwhile, having given short-hitting Brian Campbell the big-up, he misses the 4th green short and right, en route to his first dropped shot of the day. He’s back to -2.
All change at the top! A three-putt bogey for Kurt Kitayama on 11. Meanwhile, Patrick Reed finds the front of the par-five 8th in two big hits … then sends a big right-to-left swinger from downtown for eagle! His second eagle of the day! That putt from 56 feet. Hope he’s got plenty of space on his shelves for all the crystal he’ll be getting from the Club this evening. And it’s a birdie-birdie-birdie start now for Brian Campbell, taking full advantage of the fiery conditions that benefit the shorter hitters.
-5: Reed (8)
-3: Kitayama (11), Fleetwood (8), Campbell (3)
-2: Burns (10), Bhatia (8)
Haotong Li doesn’t have much of a record at the Masters. A tie for 32nd on debut in 2018 is the Chinese star’s best result so far. But he does have a third-place finish at the 2017 Open to his name, plus a tie for fourth at the same event last year, and that latter effort gained him entry to this Masters. He was out first this morning, and was going along quietly until crashing his second at the par-five 15th from 233 yards to 18 feet. It wasn’t quite up there with Rory’s famous shot last Sunday … but the eagle putt was better. In it went, and Li has ended the day with a one-under 71. Thursday’s very, very, very, very, very early clubhouse leader.
Anyone for memories of the 1980 and 1983 champion, the legendary Seve Ballesteros? Yes, me too, so please let me recommend this episode of This Golfing Life, a wonderful new golf podcast hosted by the award-winning journalist and author Dan Davies. (Fans of Paddington and Maurice Flitcroft may enjoy this episode too.) Get on it.
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Another birdie for Kurt Kitayama, who snatches the lead for himself! He batters his drive downhill at the par-four 10th, then arrows his second back uphill from 187 yards to six feet! An outrageously good approach, and it gets the reward it deserves. Meanwhile … remember what we were saying about the conditions, and how they could help some of the shorter hitters? Well, here’s the shortest hitter on the PGA Tour last year, Brian Campbell, with birdies at 1 and 2. It’ll be within reach for one and all this week.
-4: Kitayama (10)
-3: Reed (7), Fleetwood (7)
-2: Olazabal (13), Burns (9), Campbell (2)
Bryson DeChambeau tugs his tee shot at 6 into the gallery down the left. It hits some poor patron slap bang in the special section of his trousers: the shot felt ‘round the world. The brave chap doesn’t crumple to the ground, while Bryson’s ball screws back off the cluster and onto the edge of the green. Unlucky for the patron, who gets a signed ball by way of apology, but lucky for Bryson, who chips up to three feet and tidies up for par.
Kurt Kitayama joins the leaders at -3! He makes his third birdie in four holes, the latest at 9 being reward for landing his approach pin high to six feet. Out in 33. This is an unexpected charge from the 33-year-old from California, whose best result at Augusta is a tie for 35th a couple of years ago; his only notable result in a major championship is a tie for fourth at the 2023 PGA Championship, thanks to a final round of 65 that whisked him up the standings from nowhere. And even that went pretty much unnoticed, with everyone talking about 46-year-old club pro Michael Block’s ace that day. Well, he’s in our line of sight now.
-3: Kitayama (9), Reed (6), Fleetwood (6)
-2: Olazabal (12), Burns (8)
Shane Lowry comes a cropper at another par-three. This time he drops a stroke at 6, sending his tee shot over the back to the left, and only managing to chip up to the fringe. Two putts later, and that’s three shots gone in two short holes. He’s +1 and that birdie-birdie start already feels like an awfully long time ago.
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Before Rory can take his putt, some news of a fine par save up on 5. The co-leader Patrick Reed races a birdie effort eight feet past the hole … but he makes the one coming back. A similar dilemma for his playing partner Tommy Fleetwood … and that one goes into the centre of the cup too. Both remain at -3. But it’s bad news for McIlroy at 3. He dribbles his nine-foot par putt to the edge of the cup … where it stubbornly stays short, one dimple shy of dropping. He gives it the full ten seconds, plus the casting of his shadow in the hope of wilting the grass, but there’s nothing doing. A careless bogey to drop the champ back to level par.
Some bother for Rory McIlroy on the short par-four 3rd. Another misfire from the tee box, off to the left. His chip up onto the raised green is woefully heavy handed by his stratospheric standard: the flag’s front left, and his ball nearly topples off back right. The 40-foot putt he’s left himself is treacherous, because if he overhits it even a smidgen, the ball could trundle off past the cup and off the front of the green, back down the huge bank. So that explains his leaving it nine feet short. Big par putt coming up.
Bryson DeChambeau hits perhaps the shot of the day so far, a high draw into the par-three 4th, over the flag to six feet. But he doesn’t take advantage, his birdie putt dribbling past the right-hand edge of the cup. That’s a shame. He remains at level par and wanders off in a slightly deflated fashion.
More trouble for Rory off the tee. Down the right of 2 this time. Missing both ways. He manufactures a way out, sending his ball to the front left of the green … then from 66 yards, floats a wedge over the bunker, rolling out to three feet. He makes the birdie putt and the defending champ is in business at -1. Meanwhile his playing partner Cameron Young goes from bunker to bunker and needs a testing five-footer to save his par. In it goes, to avoid the ignominy of a 5-6 start. He’s +1.
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Bryson bounces back with birdie at 3. He absolutely rattles in a straight ten-footer; the ball would be halfway to Alabama had it not been dead on line. Given the aggressive whip he sent out of the trees on 2, it would appear DeChambeau is in carpe-diem mode. No point dying wondering! He’s back to level par. Meanwhile up on 4, the willowy and always-entertaining left-hander Akshay Bhatia and Tommy Fleetwood take turns to walk in monster birdie putts! This Masters is already heating up. It’s Thursday morning!
-3: Reed (4), Fleetwood (4)
-2: Olazabal (10), Kitayama (7), Bhatia (4)
So much for Shane Lowry’s fast start. He makes an awful balls of the par-three 4th. The tee shot looked good enough, landing just past the pin and rolling off the back edge of the green. But after knocking his second to three feet, he three-putts, and that’s a calamitous double bogey. Back to level par. Better news, however, of his Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood, who flops up from the bank at the front of 3, not particularly adroitly it has to be said … but then rolls in the 20-foot left-to-right slider! Back-to-back birdies, and it’s a flying start for Southport’s finest.
-3: Reed (3)
-2: Olazabal (10), Kitayama (7), Bhatia (4), Fleetwood (3)
Rory sends a low hook out from the trees towards the front edge of 1. His chip up leaves a tricky five-footer across the green. But in it goes. A staunch par after that drive. His partner Cameron Young meanwhile lands his approach in the middle of the green … but in the wrong place. The slope takes his ball all the way back to the fairway. He doesn’t get up and down, and that’s an opening bogey for the Players champion. And a brilliant par for the third member of the bunch, Mason Howell, who followed up his hat-juggling antics on the tee box by finding the fringe of the green from the trees. Up, down, and a huge smile to celebrate his par. Lovely to see.
Bryson DeChambeau sends his drive at 2 into creek-based trouble down the left. He’s forced to take a drop and does pretty well to find the centre of the fairway with his whip out of the woods. But his wedge in stops way short of the flag, and two putts later that’s a bogey on a hole he’d have been looking to birdie. His face betrays his feelings. Not the start he was after. He’s +1.
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It’s a 3-3 start for the 2018 champion Patrick Reed! Having birdied 1, he creams his drive at 2 down the middle, then his approach, which only just gets over the bunker guarding the front left of the green, nearly topples off the back. From the fringe, he tickles a downhill 27-foot putt straight into the cup. That four-week rest seems to have done Reed the power of good. Birdie meanwhile for his partner Tommy Fleetwood, who gets up and down from a tight spot to the right of the green. He’s -1.
-3: Reed (2)
-2: Olazabal (8), Burns (4), Lowry (3)
McIlroy begins defence of Masters crown
Rory McIlroy arrives on the 1st tee … as the defending champion. A huge smile as another box is ticked, another dream realised. A man living his best life. But a look of anxiety as he peers after his drive, which disappears into a line of patrons behind the trees on the left. Rory’s going round today with the new Players champion, Cameron Young, and the 18-year-old amateur Mason Howell, who suffers the indignity of his cap falling off mid-swing, then hitting the head of his driver on the follow through. The ball sails off to the left, just as Rory’s did. The only way is up for the US Amateur champion.
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An adventurous start for Matt Fitzpatrick, who sends his opening drive into the trees down the left of Tea Olive, then hits a branch with his punch out. He’s short and left of the green, with a huge bunker to get over, but there’s plenty of green to work with, and he gently lobs to kick-in distance. That’s a great save. Meanwhile his playing partner Bryson DeChambeau sets up a glorious birdie chance, knocking his second pin high, but lets the 12-foot birdie putt dribble past on the low side. Xander Schauffele makes up the all-star three-ball and that’s pars all round.
Shane Lowry joins the leaders at -2. Having birdied 1, he doesn’t look particularly pleased with his high fade into 2 from 200 yards. No idea why, because it’s a doozy, rolling right to left like Sam Burns’ effort before him. The ball rolls 20 feet past, and though he doesn’t get particularly close with the putt coming back, he tidies up for a birdie from four feet.
-2: Olazabal (8), Burns (3), Lowry (2)
-1: Homa (9), Knapp (3), Gerard (3), Taylor (3), D Johnson (2), Reed (1)
Patrick Reed finished last year’s Tournament in style. He holed out from 146 yards on 17 for a one-bounce eagle, signing for a 69 and third spot all to himself. The 2018 champion loves this place – he’s also got top-ten finishes to his name in 2020, 2021 and 2023 – and at 35 “wants that adrenaline back” after time out on the LIV tour. He’s hungry and has just had four weeks off from his current gig, in a holding pattern on the DP World Tour until the PGA Tour allows him back in. An opening birdie, and there’s a fair chance he’ll be in the mix come Sunday evening.
The first eagle of the week! Sam Burns, from the centre of the downhill par-five 2nd, creams an iron from 209 yards to 11 feet, using the camber of the green to gather his ball in from the centre to the pin back-right. He rolls in the putt, and the 29-year-old from Louisiana, who led the US Open after 54 holes last year, joins Ollie at the top of the Leader Board.
-2: Olazabal (7), Burns (3)
-1: Homa (8), Kitayama (4), Knapp (2), Taylor (2), Lowry (1), Reed (1)
Mixed news for Aaron Rai at yesterday’s Par 3 Contest. The 31-year-old from Wolverhampton, who tied for 27th last year on debut, won it, with six birdies for a round of 21, finishing one stroke ahead of Jacob Bridgeman and Johnny Keefer. The only problem, of course, is that nobody has won both the Contest and the Tournament itself in the same year. But which Par 3 winner has come closest to Masters glory four days later? We spoil you …
Runner-up (lost in play-off): Raymond Floyd (1990)
Runner-up: Chip Beck (1993)
Fourth: Arnold Palmer (1967)
Tied fourth: Ben Crenshaw (1987), Luke Donald (2011)
Tied fifth: Tom Watson (1982)
Watson tees off at LIV rebels
Back to the Honorary Starters … and the boys keep swinging. This time they’re taking aim at Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, over their return to the PGA Tour from LIV, and Tiger for, well, y’know. Over to you, Tom and Gary.
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The weather is set fair all week. Temperatures in the low 70s on Thursday and Friday, heating up into the mid 80s during Saturday and Sunday. There’s no rain expected on any of the four days, something that’s not happened at the Masters since 2011, and so the course will almost certainly get even more lively than usual. Springy fairways. Firm and fast greens. Some swirling wind. As a result, length might not be such a deciding factor this week, bringing a lot of the shorter hitters into the equation. Good news for the likes of Brian Harman, Collin Morikawa, Zach Johnson … and Brian Campbell, the shortest hitter on the PGA Tour in 2025, with an average drive of just (!) 278.4 yards. The moral? Don’t get hung up on distance, kids. Campbell won twice on Tour last year, while Harman, Morikawa and Johnson have five majors between them.
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The first amateur to make a mark this week is Jackson Herrington. The 19-year-old from the University of Tennessee is making his first major-championship start, having finished runner-up in last year’s US Amateur. That’s often a springboard to success at the Masters: previous runners-up in the US Amateur to become Low Amateur at Augusta National include Ben Crenshaw (1973), Patrick Cantlay (2012), Doug Ghim (2018) and Neal Shipley (2024). Herrington has this morning carded birdies at 2 and 4, achievements bookended by bogeys at 1 and 5. He’s going along nicely at level par.
At some point today, someone will need to throw a consoling arm around Carlos Ortiz’s shoulder. Especially as he’s been here before, kind of, shooting 82 on his debut round in 2021. Perhaps they should remind him of the struggles of Nick Dunlap just last year. The 22-year-old Dunlap shot an opening day round of 90, a full 18 shots over par. He bounced back on Friday with a staunch round of 71, the best round-to-round improvement since Craig Wood shot 88-67 in 1936 … and Wood went on to win the Tournament in 1941, so these stories can have happy endings. Not that it’ll feel like that right now.
While we’re on the subject of blowouts, spare a thought for poor Carlos Ortiz. The 34-year-old Mexican is making just his second start at the Masters, and his first since 2021. A tie for fourth at last year’s US Open at Oakmont shows the man has proper major-championship game, but Augusta National is capable of besting any man, and Ortiz has suffered a nightmare start. A drive into the creek down the left of 2. A fluffed splash out of a fairway bunker at 5. He’s started 5-7-5-4-6, a run of three bogeys and two doubles. At +7 through 5, he’ll already be wishing he was back in the clubhouse, and a par at 6 to snap that disastrous run won’t do much to help his mood.
It’s also the 30th anniversary of this. Oh Greg.
As Chas and Dave so nearly sung, it’s lucky for Jack Nicklaus when the year ends in six. This year marks the 60th and 40th anniversary of two of his wins at Augusta, and by happy chance we’ve previously covered two of those in the in-depth retro style. If nothing else, these articles should fill in some spare time while we’re waiting for the big guns to come out. Don’t forget to come back.
It may be very early doors, but for now, the old guard are in charge! Jose Maria Olazabal, winner in 1994 and 1999, rolls in a 15-footer for birdie on 2, then a big right-to-left swinger on 3, and the 60-year-old Spaniard leads the Masters! The only other man in red figures during these early moments? The 2009 winner Angel Cabrera, also with birdie at 2. Take a snapshot, because it won’t stay like this for long.
-2: Olazabal (3)
-1: Cabrera (3)
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News of another Masters debutant. Naoyuki Kataoka is making his major-championship debut at the age of 28, having earned his place by coming from seven strokes back in the final round to win last year’s Japan Open. That’s a prestigious prize won in the past by Jumbo Ozaki, Isao Aoki, Hideki Matsuyama and Seve (twice). Kataoka now has the distinction of making the first birdie of the week, at the par-five 2nd, steering in a 20-foot left-to-right swinger. That gave him the lead, briefly, though he went on to make a mess of the 3rd, failing to get up the bank at the front with his approach, then toppling off the back of the green with his next effort. Double bogey, and welcome to Augusta National.
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The first shot of the Tournament proper was hit by the 25-year-old Masters debutant John Keefer. He split the fairway at Tea Olive like Gary Player and Tom Watson before him. However he went on to miss a five-foot putt for his par and so registered the first bogey of the week as well. As for the first double bogey … that misfortune befell the 2025 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Adrich Potgieter. The 21-year-old South African zig-zagged his way down the 1st before blading a wedge through the green and into a gathering of startled patrons. He couldn’t get up and down from beside the bleachers at the back of the hole, and it’s very easy to do this at Augusta National. Hey, if Rory can do it on Sunday with everything on the line, then anyone can.
The Honorary Starters. Gary Player, who won this title in 1961, 1974 and 1978, took the first of the ceremonial tee shots down the 1st hole, Tea Olive. The 90-year-old sent his drive down the middle before performing a high kick that would be beyond many men half his age.
The 86-year-old Jack Nicklaus – the record six-time winner of 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975 and 1986 – was up next, and showcased some sharp punditry skills. “Oh boy, watch out, and I don’t mean that facetiously,” he told the assembled patrons before sending a wild hook down the left. No high kick from the Golden Bear, who merely chuckled to himself.
Finally the 76-year-old Tom Watson, winner in 1977 and 1981, took his turn. He spotted that Nicklaus had left his tee stick in the ground. “May I use your tee?” Watson asked. “It’s why I left it,” Nicklaus replied. Watson striped his drive down the middle.
A combined 252 years, 140 Masters appearances and 11 Green Jackets between them. We’ll miss them terribly when they’re gone.
With the important stuff out of the way, let’s turn our attention to the Tournament. Here’s our other man in Augusta, Ewan Murray, with the big preview of the first Masters without either Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods since 1994.
Four long, lovely days stretch out ahead of us. No need to be racing out there first thing, let’s grab a spot of breakfast out on the porch. Here’s what our man in Augusta, Andy Bull, has plumped for. Iced Tea and one of the famous Egg Salad sandwiches. That’ll be $3.50 please. You have a nice day, now.
Preamble
Welcome, patrons, to the 90th staging of the Masters Tournament. And with Rory McIlroy having finally got his hands on his holy grail, as the man himself wondered: what is there left for us all to talk about now?
Well, how about … can world number one Scottie Scheffler, supposedly in crisis with just the one win on Tour this year (!) sort himself out in time to grab a third Green Jacket? Will Jon Rahm or Bryson DeChambeau chalk one up for LIV Golf? Can Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Åberg or Justin Rose, so often there or thereabouts at Augusta National, take the final step? Will Cameron Young repeat Rory’s feat last year of following up victory at the Players with success here? Would Tommy Fleetwood be the most popular winner? Or is that Bob MacIntyre? Oh, and what price Rory becoming only the fourth man, after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods, to successfully defend his title? What about all of that?
It’ll all come out in the wash over the next four days. But first, some admin, and a reminder that the contestants are invited guests and should be treated with courtesy and respect. Although cheering and positive responses to great play are encouraged, unsolicited or consistent calls from the gallery are prohibited. Running is considered to be unacceptable behaviour. Prohibited items include Cell Phones, Beepers, Electronic devices, Tablets, any device with recording and/or transmission capability, Flags, Banners, Signs, Ladders, Periscopes and Weapons of any kind (regardless of permit). Pimento Cheese sandwiches are $1.50 and Iced Tea is two bucks. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is the favourite, all the tee times are below, and this is the famous CBS theme on a looooong loop to get you in the mood. It’s on! Masters fever is real; won’t someone please call Dr Golf?
First-round tee times (USA unless stated, all times BST, a denotes amateur)
1240 Johnny Keefer, Haotong Li (Chn)
1250 Max Homa, Naoyuki Kataoka (Jpn), Carlos Ortiz (Mex)|
1302 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (Den), Jose Maria Olazabal (Spa), Aldrich Potgieter (Rsa)
1314 Angel Cabrera (Arg), (a) Jackson Herrington, Sami Valimaki (Fin)
1326 Ryan Fox (Nzl), Max Greyserman, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa)
1338 Rasmus Hoejgaard (Den), Matt McCarty, Vijay Singh (Fij)
1350 Casey Jarvis (Rsa), Kurt Kitayama, Kristoffer Reitan (Nor)
1402 Nicolas Echavarria (Col), (a) Brandon Holtz, Bubba Watson
1419 Sam Burns, Jake Knapp, Cameron Smith (Aus)
1431 Keegan Bradley, Ryan Gerard, Nick Taylor (Can)
1443 Jason Day (Aus), Dustin Johnson, Shane Lowry (Irl)
1455 Akshay Bhatia, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Patrick Reed
1507 Bryson DeChambeau, Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng), Xander Schauffele
1519 Russell Henley, Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Collin Morikawa
1531 (a) Mason Howell, Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Cameron Young
1543 Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland (Nor), Alexander Noren (Swe)
1603 Sung-Jae Im (Kor), Sam Stevens
1615 Brian Campbell, Tom McKibbin (NIrl), Andrew Novak
1627 Wyndham Clark, (a) Mateo Pulcini (Arg), Mike Weir (Can)
1639 Nicolai Hoejgaard (Den), Zach Johnson, Michael Kim
1651 (a) Ethan Fang, Davis Riley, Danny Willett (Eng)
1703 Daniel Berger, Brian Harman, Adam Scott (Aus)
1715 Fred Couples, (a) Pongsapak Laopakdee (Tha), Min-Woo Lee (Aus)
1727 Jacob Bridgeman, Sergio Garcia (Spa), Aaron Rai (Eng)
1744 Michael Brennan, Corey Conners (Can), Harry Hall (Eng)
1756 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Maverick McNealy, JJ Spaun
1808 Ludvig Aaberg (Swe), Chris Gotterup, Jon Rahm (Spa)
1820 Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose (Eng), Jordan Spieth
1832 Ben Griffin, Sepp Straka (Aut), Justin Thomas
1844 Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Scottie Scheffler, Gary Woodland
1856 Harris English, Si-Woo Kim (Kor), Marco Penge (Eng)
