Masters 2023: Adam Scott and Jason Day post strong opening rounds but Min Woo Lee struggles at Augusta
It was a third hole to forget for Min Woo Lee on the opening day of the Masters. And it could sink his entire tournament. See how the disaster played out.
Min Woo Lee was only three holes into his US Masters when his quest to make an impact at Augusta National suffered what could be a terminal blow.
It is hard to imagine anyone hitting a better drive than Lee on the 3rd hole at the famed layout. Not just in the opening round, but perhaps throughout the four days of the US Masters.
Lee sized up the 350 yards from tee to green and blasted his drive to the fringe of the putting surface. A birdie looked a formality, an eagle a possibility.
In this case, looks were deceiving - somehow Lee walked off with a bogey, taking four putts from the fringe of the green to get his ball in the hole.
Lee was furious and for the next few holes, off came his head and on went a pumpkin. He followed up with successive bogeys and his promising start had been frittered away, summing up a day which ended with Lee signing for a three over par 75.
He finished the opening round 10 shots off the pace and has some work to do to make it to the weekend.
“I just thought it was a really fast putt and the last thing you want to do is race it that far past, and I just slowed down on it and hit it,” Lee said.
“So it wasn’t great, and then obviously it’s the Masters, it’s a really quick downhill putt. So it gets you quickly.
“You’ve got to concentrate on those ones. I guess I didn’t really get over it. I went bogey- bogey afterwards.
“It is one of the tougher holes and a tough stretch of golf on this course, so you just have to suck it up and go play some better golf.
“It is tough. It’s not easy.”
As for his round, Lee conceded it was a mixed bag.
“Yeah, it was a bit of a bag of emotions - some really good and then some bad,” Lee said.
“A few more birdies tomorrow and it should be okay. It’s obviously tough out there. It’s one of the toughest rounds I’ve played.”
Lee played with former Masters champion Larry Mize (82) and Australian amateur Harrison Crowe (75). A nervous Crowe sprayed his opening drive onto the adjacent fairway and like Lee, will have to do something special to make the cut.
“It was definitely nerve wracking,” Crowe said.
“I had to definitely take a couple of deep breaths. But after a few holes it started to settle in and started to feel a little more normal out there and started to feel real cool.”
RECAP ALL THE NEWS FROM A MASSIVE DAY ONE AT THE MASTERS
IS THIS THE END FOR TIGER?
Tiger Woods is sore. The pain is constant. It feels like the end is nigh. Woods bounced back from a poor start to finish the opening round of the US Masters at two over, a whopping nine shots behind joint leaders Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm.
Woods’ days of being competitive with the big guns looks like a thing of the past. Even around Augusta National, a place he loves more than any other, he is struggling to keep pace, both on the fairways and the scoreboard.
He limped through the opening day and acknowledged afterward that pain was a constant playing partner. Asked how his leg felt, Woods simply replied: “Sore.” He was then asked whether the pain was focused or constant.
“It’s constant,” he replied.
Woods scored a fairytale win at Augusta National only four years ago but the chances of that happening again appear somewhere between slim and none. Woods was lucky to keep his leg after a car accident two years ago but every round is a battle. Nevertheless, he refuses to give up the fight.
“I felt like I drove it good,” Woods said.
“I just didn’t do the job I need to do to get the ball close. Today was the opportune time to get the round under par, and I didn’t do that today.
“Most of the guys are going low today. This was the day to do it. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be a little bit better, a little bit sharper, and kind of inch my way through it.
“This is going to be an interesting finish to the tournament with the weather coming in. If I can just kind of hang in there, maybe kind of inch my way back, hopefully it will be positive towards the end.”
‘YEAH, IT WAS DEFINITELY GOOD’: DAY THRILLED
Jason Day has finished the opening round of the US Masters only two shots off the pace after making a crucial par putt at the 18th hole at Augusta National.
Day made birdie at two of his final three holes as he shot a five under par 67, finishing round one in a share of fourth place behind co-leaders Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka.
“Yeah, it was definitely good,” Day said of his putt at 18.
“It was big. The putt was very important. Yeah, I had a lot of good looks out there for birdie early on, missed ‘em.
“I just couldn’t quite get the speed right at the start. I just kind of kept on blowing it through the break.
“And then the back side, things kind of started easing back into where I could see the ball go into the hole a lot better and, obviously, it was nice to be able to get up-and-down on the last hole.”
SCOTT WINDS BACK CLOCK TO LEAD AUSSIE CHARGE
Adam Scott has celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his win at Augusta National by firing a four-under par 68 in the opening round of the US Masters.
Scott began the day with two birdies in his opening three holes and then added another birdie and an eagle on the back nine as he finished his opening round three shots behind clubhouse leaders Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm.
“I don’t know for a fact but it is probably my best ever opening round (at the Masters) so I have to be satisfied with that,” Scott said.
”It was ideal conditions, still fairly soft out there. With all the humidity there was going to low scores with no wind. It was nice to get started in the right direction.”
Scott became the first Australian to win the fabled green jacket 10 years ago when he beat Angel Cabrera in a playoff at Augusta National.
He has given himself a chance to repeat that feat with his opening round, the best of the Australians who teed off in the morning groups of the opening round.
World No.5 Cameron Smith finished five shots off the lead after an opening round of 70. Min Woo Lee and amateur Harrison Crowe both have work to do to make the cut after struggling with three-over par 75s.
Lee started well with an early birdie but lost his way after an ugly four putt at the par four 3rd. After smashing his driver to the edge of the green, he walked off with a bogey and lost his composure thereafter.
Crowe struggled to contain his nerves on the opening hole, hooking his tee shot on to the neighbouring fairway. He regained his composure but will need to go low in the second round if he is to play on the weekend.
MOMENT OF GREED PROVES COSTLY FOR SMITH
Cameron Smith’s front nine went to plan but a moment of greed and a poor swing on the back nine cost him as he finished the opening round of the US Masters five shots off the pace at Augusta National.
Smith was two under at the turn but dropped shots at the 10th and 12th, before recovering with birdies at the 13th and 18th on his way to a two-under par 70.
‘It was all going to plan through the front nine and I just got a little bit greedy on 10 and it was a poor swing on 12,” Smith said.
“I made a couple of crappy errors that cost me a couple of shots. All in all it was really good, pretty solid. The course started to firm up a little bit and it was nice to see. I don’t think we’re going to get that the next few days.
“I love this place, I love coming back here. There’s just something I feel really comfortable with. I haven’t felt good about my game, but the last couple of days it started to feel really nice again.”
Smith has had a mixed start to the year but he has at least given himself a chance to contend with his performance on day one of the Masters.
Asked whether he had a favourite moment in his round, Smith said: “Just being on the first tee. It’s always really cool. I like the way they introduce you here, it’s always very different with the patrons around you. It’s always a pretty cool first shot.”
LEGENDS GET 2023 MASTERS UNDER WAY
The US Masters is up and running at Augusta National. Legends Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson signalled the start of the 2023 Masters when they hit their ceremonial tee shots off the opening tee.
Between them, the trio have more than a dozen green jackets. Australian amateur Harrison Crowe and young star Min Woo Lee will be the first Australians to hit the course at 11pm (AEST) when they play alongside Larry Mize, the American who stunned Greg Norman at the 1987 Masters.
Adam Scott, celebrating the 10th anniversary of his Masters win, will begin his opening round at 12.30pm (AEST). Cameron Smith will follow 12.54am before Jason Day becomes the final Australian in the field to take to the course at 2.48am (AEST).
Tiger Woods tees off at 12.18am (AEST) while defending champion Scottie Scheffler will tee off at 3.36am (AEST).
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