A pair of former U.S. Ryder Cup teammates discover themselves out in entrance of the sector after the primary day of play on the 2024 Masters. Spherical 1 motion was suspended at 7:51 p.m. ET on account of darkness, however it’s Bryson DeChambeau who places head to pillow with the clubhouse lead in a single day.
Catching fireplace in the course of the early wave Thursday and using eight birdies to card a 7-under 65, DeChambeau was scientific round Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership. Rating second from tee to inexperienced and first with the putter in hand, the 2020 U.S. Open champion put himself in a superb place to say one other of golf’s grandest prizes.
So as to take action, DeChambeau should take down the person who stood alongside him at Whistling Straits a number of years in the past, Scottie Scheffler. The world No. 1 appeared precisely just like the world No. 1 ought to look Thursday as he navigated the tough situations at Augusta Nationwide in bogey-free vogue en path to a 6-under 66.
Racing to the end line with 4 birdies over his final seven holes, Scheffler received by way of the worst of the situations unblemished; as a substitute of shriveling, he thrived. Whereas he was unable to tack on one last birdie on the final to catch DeChambeau, he’s undoubtedly the favourite so as to add another main to his belt.
Scheffler was not the one Masters champion to search out his stride Thursday as Danny Willett sits in third within the clubhouse at 4 below in his first begin since September 2023 on account of damage. Main staples like Will Zalatoris, Brian Harman, Tommy Fleetwood and Patrick Reed are lurking, whereas Rory McIlroy fired an under-par spherical to maintain himself within the combine in his newest chase for the profession grand slam.
Watch the ultimate three rounds of the 2024 Masters persevering with Friday with Masters Reside as we observe the most effective golfers on the planet by way of Augusta Nationwide with Featured Teams, examine in on the famed Amen Nook and see leaders around the activate holes 15 & 16. Watch reside on CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports activities app and Paramount+.
2024 Masters leaderboard, Spherical 1 in progress
1. Bryson DeChambeau (-7): It was a managed spherical for Bryson after he received off to a dream begin with three straight birdies out of the gate. He hit 10 fairways, 15 greens in regulation and received up and down at an 86% clip. DeChambeau putted the ball superbly on high of that, experiencing a renewed sense of persistence on the golf course. He completed T29 within the 2019 Masters after holding the first-round lead.
“Successful at Winged Foot helped me perceive tips on how to win large tournaments,” DeChambeau mentioned. “However loads of persistence, particularly out right here on this golf course the place you’re feeling prefer it’s gettable, you see it is proper in entrance of you, however it’s simply tough out right here. It may be tremendous tough. Ensuring that you simply play aggressively however in a secure method to the place it is not going to get you into an excessive amount of hassle. So, for me, as my sport has progressed, I’ve realized to be a — I’ve tried to be a bit bit smarter on the market on the golf course and never attempt to go for broke and go for each flag however place it in the precise place.”
2. Scottie Scheffler (-6): There simply aren’t sufficient phrases to explain this man. Scheffler led the sector from tee to inexperienced, was barely above common on the greens and received round a troublesome Augusta Nationwide with out dropping a shot. Now, it was not with out a little luck as he holed a bunker shot on the par-3 twelfth for birdie and obtained an excellent break on the subsequent when it appeared his second was destined for Rae’s Creek. He skirted the water and as a substitute added one other birdie earlier than choosing up two extra on his second 9, however that is what the good ones do. Scheffler’s 66 was the bottom of his Masters profession and his first bogey-free effort at Augusta Nationwide.
3. Nicolai Hojgaard (-5): Three holes nonetheless to play.
T4. Danny Willett, Max Homa (-4): Homa got here into this week with out a lot on his main résumé, and he’s on tempo to publish his finest ever opening spherical in a significant championship with 5 holes left in his spherical. He impressed alongside Tiger Woods on Thursday and capped a powerful day with a pleasant up-and-down birdie on the par-5 thirteenth to navigate Amen Nook in even-par vogue.
T6. Ryan Fox, Cameron Davis, Tyrrell Hatton (-3): Hatton has 4 holes nonetheless to play.
T9. Will Zalatoris, Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood, Joaquin Niemann and 4 others (-2): One yr faraway from withdrawing for the Masters and choosing again surgical procedure, Zalatoris finds himself within the main combine as soon as once more. Arriving with a stellar historical past at Augusta Nationwide that consisted of a runner-up efficiency in his debut and T6 in his second stroll, the wiry proper hander is at it once more. He kickstarted his spherical because of taking part in the second-nine par 5s in 3 below, however dropped pictures on his last two holes left him at 2 below and with a foul style in his mouth.
“That is the factor about this place, is that you simply get a lot wind, a lot swirling,” Zalatoris mentioned. “I hit 10 nice golf pictures on the final two holes coming in. That is simply a part of what it’s round this place. It is taking part in brutal however it’s loads of enjoyable proper now. The course was particularly reasonable. Even with every thing that we have gone by way of. General, yeah, more than happy.”
Aberg and Fleetwood each have holes nonetheless to play.
T17. Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau, Matt Fitzpatrick and eight others (-1): There’s loads of excellent news for McIlroy, who signed for his first under-par opening spherical on the Masters in six years. He performed the par 5s in even par, missed a brief birdie probability on the sixteenth and will have simply squeezed out a pair extra pictures right here or there. McIlroy’s wedge play was a smidge sloppy resulting in a dropped shot on the par-5 2nd and never aiding him in up-and-down efforts on two different events. Woods opened with a birdie, went again to par after the 4th after which birdied the eighth to take care of his rating with 5 holes left to play.
T32. Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry, Tom Kim and 5 others (E): That is in all probability a upset bunch, particularly somebody like Schauffele who got here into the week driving a lot momentum. The world No. 5 made dropped two pictures in his first 4 holes and slugged his approach again to even par on the second 9. Exterior of his iron play, Schauffele struggled, however he isn’t completely out of this event if he can publish a low one on Friday. Koepka is simply by way of the eleventh.
T42. Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Wyndham Clark, Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa and 7 others (+1): The defending champion received off to a pleasant begin taking part in his first 9 in 2 below, however it fell aside from there. A second-nine 39 was the results of free iron swings and a bit frustration boiling over. He dropped pictures on 17 and 18 to come back in proper across the course common on Thursday.
“It is a troublesome golf course,” Rahm mentioned. “That is all I can say. It isn’t straightforward. You are probably not having the posh on the market of with the ability to miss pictures, particularly tee pictures. Sadly, on that again 9 I missed a number of too many pictures.”
Rick Gehman, Greg DuCharme and Patrick McDonald recap Spherical 1 of the Masters from Augusta Nationwide. Comply with & take heed to The First Minimize on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.