Patrons watch Tiger Woods tee off on No. 8. Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Augusta National played relatively easy on Thursday, with calm winds and humid conditions leading to low scores.
Leaderboard: Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka sit atop the leaderboard at 7-under. That's tied for the most scores of 65 or lower in a single round in Masters history.
- Hovland shot a bogey-free round in an azalea-themed floral shirt that had social media buzzing. "I just wear what they tell me to wear," he said.
- Rahm started his day with a four-putt double bogey on No. 1. Then he rallied in spectacular fashion, shooting 9-under over his next 17 holes.
- Koepka had eight birdies en route to his best round ever at Augusta. After years of injuries and pain, the four-time major champion is finally healthy again.
On their heels: Cameron Young and Jason Day are both 5-under, and seven golfers are tied at 4-under, including defending champ Scottie Scheffler and amateur Sam Bennett (more on him below).
Elsewhere:
- Tiger watch: A hobbled Tiger Woods drove the ball reasonably well (10 of 14 fairways) but struggled with his irons and his putter to finish 2-over par.
- Mic'd up: Rory McIlroy and Max Homa were mic'd up and interviewed live in the middle of their rounds.
- Following Phil: What was it like following Phil Mickelson? "I heard plenty of cheers but also endless debates about LIV," writes No Laying Up's Kevin Van Valkenburg. Lefty sits at 1-under.
- Flying solo: After his playing partner Kevin Na withdrew due to illness at the turn, Mike Weir played the back nine by himself. Sounds pretty sweet, honestly.
Looking ahead: Conditions are expected to be drastically different for Round 2, with rain throughout the day and thunderstorms that could upend afternoon play.
- Saturday looks worse, with up to 2 inches of rain and wind gusts of 25 miles per hour expected.
- "Most of the guys are going low today," said Woods following his Thursday round. "This was the day to do it."
Quick links:
- Homepage (Masters.com)
- Tee times (CBS Sports)
- Round 1 highlights (YouTube)
Go deeper: Listen to the Axios Today podcast, where Margaret Talev and Jeff Tracy discuss the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia that wrapped up Sunday evening.