The Masters 2024: Recap of day one, Australian Cameron Davis in top 10, four shots off the lead
Big-hitting LIV defector Bryson DeChambeau leads the Masters by one from 2022 champion Scottie Scheffler and Australian Cameron Davis has started solidly to put himself in contention.
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Cameron Davis upstaged his big-name Australian compatriots on the first day of the Masters.
A three-under 69 puts Davis within reach of the leaders, tied for sixth place.
Tiger Woods is the only player in the last 20 years to claim a green jacket after being outside the top 10 following the first round.
Davis, 28, said a sub 70 round in swirling conditions “feels like a big win”.
“I battled pretty hard for it, but I honestly felt pretty tidy around the golf course today with the winds like this. It was gusty. It swirled. It did all the things it normally does, but add another 30 miles an hour to it.
“I’m very happy with the way I plotted my way around this place.”
But after a solid start, Augusta’s graveyard 12th hole again got the better of Australia’s Cameron Smith.
Smith, whose Masters dream drowned in Rae’s Creek two years ago, found the same water on Thursday, posting a one under 71.
Coming off a bout of food poisoning, Smith said he was pleased to be in red numbers.
“I struck the ball really well and probably didn’t have my best day with the putter,” Smith said.
“It was pretty tough on the greens, to be fair. Kind of gusty and fast.
“I wouldn’t even say it was a bad round to be honest. I saw a few of the scores out there that were probably a little bit earlier. I know Scottie (Scheffler - six under) was in the group in front of me.
“But other than that, there were a bunch of guys that teed off really early and probably got a good nine or ten holes with not so much wind.
“With the rain yesterday and the greens receptive. You could kind of see that. It was just a little bit tougher this afternoon.”
On his history at 12, Smith said: “Twelve was a bit of a poor shot. It was just a bit of a crappy number and didn’t really commit to the shot. It’s just a tough hole.
“It’s a tough back nine. It’s a tough golf course. It’s going to be a tough week. You’re going to get those. It was kind of hard to take, given that I’d played pretty good leading up into that, and to hand a couple shots back on a 130m hole is -- yeah …
“You’ve just got to stay in it around here. The course is going to get firmer and faster. You have that kind of hot moment where you have four or five under par for nine holes and you’re right back in it. It’s just kind of waiting for that to happen … just waiting for the putts to drop.”
Jason Day, playing alongside Tiger Woods, was even par through 13 holes and will return early on Friday to complete his first round.
Bogeys at 11 and 12 cost 2013 winner Adam Scott, who was at one over when play was suspended.
A string of front-nine bogeys saw rising star Min Woo Lee fall to four over before fighting back to shoot 74.
Lee broke a finger in a gym mishap last week.
Rookie Victorian amateur Jasper Stubbs had a horror finish to card an eight-over 80.
“I was pretty nervous walking on to the tee of No. 1,” he said.
“But it wasn’t as bad as I was kind of expecting. I’ll do my best to still make the cut.”
LIV DEFECTOR LEADS BY ONE FROM SCHEFFLER
Former US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who once boldly declared that Augusta National was really a “par 67”, has stormed to the lead at the Masters, but that lead has now been curtailed with a number of golfers making moves late on day one, led by Scottie Scheffler’s charge.
DeChambeau fired eight birdies and a bogey to card a stunning seven under 65 to launch his Masters campaign.
World No. 1 Scheffler finished with six birdies to card a 66 and Nicolai Hojgaard is hot on his heels after he reeled off consecutive birdies at 11, 12, and 13 to move to outright third at five-under,where he finished round one. 2016 champion Danny Willett, coming off serious shoulder surgery, fired four-under and is equal fourth with American Max Homa.
Scheffler, the 2022 US Masters champion, birdied the 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th holes as he shot up to six under par during the latter stages of his round to sit just one back from the lead.
“Anytime you can get around the golf course bogey-free, you’re going to have a pretty good day out there,” Scheffler said.
“I think going to any tournament, you want to get off to a good start, and yeah, so mission accomplished for today.”
Poor weather delayed the start of the Masters by more than two hours, meaning late starters including Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Jason Day and Brooks Koepka will finish their first rounds on Friday morning.
Adam Scott was one over par after 13 holes, Day dropped a shot in his first five but is back at level par after 13.
And there’s still some prowl left in the Tiger.
With five holes to play, five-time Masters winner Tiger Woods was just six shots off the pace when day one was suspended for darkness.
Woods, 48, got the worst of the conditions but showed trademark grit to stay in red figures at one under.
Defending champion Jon Rahm battled and finished one over the card.
Scheffler got his putter going early with two front-nine birdies, but Rory McIlroy again started slowly.
Australia’s Cameron Smith was two under after seven holes and has finished one under six shots behind DeChambeau. While, a busted ring finger has cruelled Min Woo Lee’s bid for a green jacket and is two over par after round one at Augusta.
Lee — described this week as “the most exciting young player in the game” — made four front nine bogeys, but has got it back to even par with eagle on 13.
DECHAMBEAU READY TO EXECUTE HIS FIRST MASTERS
Only four players have ever gone lower on opening day then DeChambeau did on Friday morning, Australian time.
And he did so with clarity.
“I’m in a place now where I’ve figured some stuff out with my golf game,” DeChambeau said.
“I’m not trying new things, not doing new things. I’m just doing more of the same … and that’s what I feel like has accumulated into playing some really good golf.”
Golf’s civil war raged on when Greg Norman’s son confirmed on social media that his dad had been denied a formal invite to Augusta.
“All this is true,” Norman Jr wrote.
“My dad paid for a ticket on the secondary market to attend the Masters as a patron. He was denied one directly after going through the proper professional channels. He had to be there anyway to support the LIV players.”
Norman Sr was back at Augusta again on Thursday, wandering the fairways to support the 13 LIV players competing this week.
DeChambeau said Norman’s presence “shows he cares”.
“I’ve not had any poor interactions with Greg my entire career,” he said of the LIV boss.
“He was always great to me and he’s been great to me through LIV. I respect him coming out here and showing support.
“People can view it multiple ways. I just look at it as a sign that he cares and nothing more than that. And if people have a different perspective on that, then that’s up for them.”
As for his now infamous “par 67” comment, DeChambeau said: “You’re trying to pigeonhole me into saying that again, aren’t you (laughs)?”
“It was a perspective I had, and it cost me a lot of slack, I guess you could say. But … I shot 65 today, and that was one of the best rounds of golf I’ve played in a long time. There’s three more days to go, and I’m not losing sight of that fact; that it’s right there in front of me. Just got to go execute.”
NORMAN AMONGST THE CROWD AT AUGUSTA
Divisive LIV boss Greg Norman is back at Augusta following key defector and defending Masters champion Jon Rahm in his opening round.
Norman’s son took to social media to confirm his dad had been denied entry “through the proper professional channels” and purchased his own ticket.
“Yes. All this is true,” Greg Norman Jr. posted. “My dad paid for a ticket on the secondary market to attend the Masters as a patron. He was denied one directly after going through the proper professional channels. He had to be there anyway to support the LIV players.
“It was an amazing experience; hundreds of golf fans approached him walking outside the ropes. All positive support of him and LIV. Not one person said anything negative to him.
“And this is exactly the point of me posting this: we have received a lot of hate over the years, but this stems from financially incentivised opposing parties or bottom-of-the-barrel sociopathic online trolls. The vast majority of folks we run into are positive, encouraging, fans of LIV, or simply fans of golf.
“So, in light of this, here’s to an epic Masters. Four days where we put all the BS behind us, sit back, and watch a LIV player take the green jacket.”
Legend Tom Watson says golf is “fractured” and called on the game’s top players to help find a solution.
Watson, a ceremonial starter at Augusta, revealed he took to the floor at this week’s Champions Dinner to laud the coming together of players from the rival tours.
“I got up and I said — I’m looking around the room, and I’m seeing just a wonderful experience everybody is having,” he said. “They are jovial. They are having a great time. They are laughing. I said, “’Ain’t it good to be together again?’
“ … And in a sense, I hope that the players themselves took that to say, you know, we have to do something. We have to do something.
“We all know it’s a difficult situation for professional golf right now. The players really kind of have control I think in a sense. What do they want to do? We’ll see where it goes. We don’t have the information or the answers. I don’t think the PGA Tour or the LIV Tour really have an answer right now.”
EARLIER:
Wild weather has wreaked havoc at Augusta with thunderstorms forecast across the opening round – but that won’t stop an Aussie assault, according to Ian Baker-Finch.
Bad weather has delayed the start of the 88th Masters with world number one Scottie Scheffler and second-ranked Rory McIlroy scheduled to tee off in a dream first-round pairing.
Rain and scattered storms were expected to last until about lunch time, which has caused a three-hour delay causing havoc to the first round schedule.
The first round will begin at 10:30 a.m. off the No. 1 tee. Updated tee times are available below.
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2024
The Honorary Starters Ceremony will begin at 10:10 a.m.
Patron gates will open at 9:30 a.m. #themasters
Honorary starters Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson had been due to get proceedings under way at 7:40am local time, with the first group teeing off 20 minutes later.
It’s been delayed two-and-a-half hours, with Erik van Rooyen and Jake Knapp the first group off the rank at 12.30am (AEST).
Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee enter the tournament under a cloud of ill-health, but Masters broadcaster Baker-Finch expects Smith to fire.
“He’s obviously proven he can play well around here, finishing second and shooting four rounds in the 60s (in 2020),” Baker-Finch said.
“Without the cliche of ‘beware the sick golfer’, he just wanted to make sure he was ready for this week.
“Last week (LIV Miami) didn’t mean as much to him, so he made sure he was ready for this week.
“He’s definitely got the game and he’s always going to be one of those guys who you think will do well around here.
“I haven’t asked him personally, ‘How sick are you?’ but he doesn’t look too sick to me. He played okay yesterday and I think he’ll be fine.
“I think you are quite drained after every day here. It’s a tough walk and a lot of effort goes in.”
Baker-Finch said it was “inevitable” an Australian would win again at Augusta.
“Why did it take 73 years for Scotty (Adam Scott) to win in 2013 and all of the close calls? I forget how many it is, but it’s well over 20 opportunities,” he said.
“Greg (Norman) had seven or eight of them. Pazza (Craig Parry) had a couple of chances, never putted well (on) the back nine.
“It means so much to us – the mystique – the history of it all. Why Australians haven’t won more is nebulous, there’s no direct answer to it. Maybe this year Min Woo Lee fires up and does something creative, Smithy, maybe, comes back and does it. Cam Davis has got the game if he can finish it off.
“They are all really a chance. You’ve got to be a good ball striker …
“You’d think (we were overdue) right? It’s about time an Australian won another green jacket. We certainly have the talent and we keep producing great talent … I think it’s inevitable.”
American Rickie Fowler will have to make history if he’s to win.
Fowler won the traditional par-3 competition on Wednesday — but no winner has ever gone on to claim the Masters after saluting on Augusta’s secondary track.
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Originally published as The Masters 2024: Recap of day one, Australian Cameron Davis in top 10, four shots off the lead
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