The Masters began Thursday with its largest field in 10 years and a feeling that only two players were at the centre of attention at Augusta National, and one of them wasted no time in going straight to the top of the leaderboard.
Scottie Scheffler, a natural choice as the No. 1 player in the world for the last two years, played his first nine in 3 under to match the tournament record for a defending champion. The highlight was a 60-footer for birdie at the par-3 fourth.
Scheffler is trying to become the youngest player since Jack Nicklaus with three green jackets.
The other favourite is Rory McIlroy, the sentimental choice as one of the best of his generation, with only a Masters title keeping him from the career Grand Slam. He was among those with an afternoon tee time on a warm, sunny day in Georgia.
It began as the sun was coming up and Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Gary Player hit honorary tee shots to get the 89th edition of the Masters underway. The trio were asked who they wanted to win and who they thought would win — two quite different questions — and McIlroy was a unanimous choice among three players who have combined for 11 green jackets.
“I think Rory McIlroy will win the Masters this year, and I hope he does,” Players said, “because it would give golf a great boost to have another winner of the Grand Slam.”
Watson concurred, saying it was his “gut feeling.”
Nicklaus revealed that McIlroy came to see him in Florida last week. There has been a long line of players who have tried to tap into the knowledge of the six-time Masters champion, but it turned out that McIlroy didn’t really need the help.
“We went through it shot for shot,” Nicklaus said. “And he got done with the round, and I didn’t open my mouth. And I said: `Well, I wouldn’t change a thing. That’s exactly the way I would try to play the golf course.’
McIlroy has leaned on that discipline this year, purposely playing more conservative unless shots clearly allowed for aggressive play. That was his strategy when he won at Pebble Beach in February. A month later, he added The Players Championship.
Scheffler and others were setting quite a target for the 35-year-old from Northern Ireland.
The two-time champion was able to take advantage of the par-5s, getting up and down for birdie at the second and eighth, to go with that long birdie putt Scheffler made at the fourth. Tyrell Hatton also made the turn at 3 under, while Justin Rose birdied his first three holes and joined them atop the early leaderboard.
Aaron Rai briefly got to 4 under before three straight bogeys on the back nine, while 65-year-old Fred Couples was turning back time. The 1992 champion birdied the opening hole and spent most of the day in the red.
