In just his second Masters appearance, the 21-year-old Jordan Spieth became the youngest player in Masters history to lead after the first round.
Every year, we are treated to stellar performances and defining moments at the Augusta National golf course, this year is not different.
From last year’s winner Bubba Watson, to Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson, the world’s best golfers are all on display in pursuit for the coveted green jacket.
The Leaderboard for Round 1:
1. Jordan Spieth (-8) 64
T2. Charley Hoffman (-5) 67
T2. Justin Rose (-5) 67
T2. Ernie Els (-5) 67
T2. Jason Day (-5) 67
T12. Phil Mickelson (-2) 70
T12. Dustin Johnson (-2) 70
T18. Bubba Watson (-1) 71
T18. Rory McIlroy (-1) 71
T31. Adam Scott (E) 72
T31. Angel Cabrera (E) 72
T41. Tiger Woods (+1) 73
Jordan Spieth has never broke 70 in a major, but in today’s opening round, he shattered it by scoring a 64 round. Spieth had nine birdies and just one bogey on the 15th hole.
Spieth recovered from the bogey by getting par on the 16th and 17th holes, then finished off the 18th hole with a difficult putt for birdie.
Mickelson had three bogeys and three birdies, but his eagle on the 8th hole helped him receive his 2-under-par score.
The next two players probably have the most pressure of anybody at Augusta and both had productive days
Last year’s Masters Winner Bubba Watson and this year’s favorite Rory McIlroy finished with one-under-par, pacing themselves for a good opportunity in the next three rounds.
Tiger Woods, on the other hand, hasn’t played in a major tournament in about two months and looked quite rusty. He was one-over-par for the day, but Woods feels today was a good day and he explained why, in an interview with ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi.
The 45-year-old Ernie Els shared the lead with Justin Rose and Charley Hoffman for most of the day, but Jason Day who was in the final group, made a strong push late, creeping his way into the tie for second.
Though Spieth is only in his second Masters appearance, it’s easy to forget he finished tied for second (-5) in last year’s Masters.
Can Spieth continue this level of dominance for three more days to win his first green jacket or will McIlroy and the rest of the field catch up to the front runner?
That question will be answered eventually, but what we do know is the 2015 Masters has already started with drama and dozens of enticing story-lines, so it looks like there will be yet another unbelievable finish at Augusta.
