Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka were tied for first at the conclusion of round one of the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National on Thursday, April 6.
All three shot a 7-under-par 65 at the par-72, 7,510-yard Augusta National Golf Course.
Thursday’s first round of the Masters tournament started as it always does with the ceremonial first tee shots from Masters legends Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson.
Hovland was in one of the featured groups of the day and played like it the whole way through.
The Norwegian eagled the second hole, giving him confidence to continue to play at a high level throughout his round.
“It was very fun today,” said Hovland. “Got off to a nice start, obviously making eagle on No. 2 and just kept hitting great shots on the front nine. I made some putts, and before I knew it, somehow I was 6-under through 11, and, yeah, just kind of coasted in to 65.”
Hovland started off hot and was able to maintain the momentum to give him the early morning lead.
This was not the same story for Rahm, the No. 3 ranked golfer in the world, as he shot a double bogey on the first hole. He was also in one of the featured groups of the day.
“If you’re going to make a double or four-putt or anything, it might as well be the first hole,” said Rahm. “I had 71 holes to make it up.”
The Spaniard quickly birdied holes two and three immediately shaking off the rocky start.
Rahm really gained his momentum on hole No. 8, putting in a eagle on the par 5. He shot a total of seven birdies in the first round, putting him in great position going into the rest of the tournament.
Koepka birdied eight times and only scored over par on hole 13.
“I just pulled my drive (on 14),” he said. “I hit it a little off the toe, so it turned over instead of going straight or slightly fading. At that point we were just trying to play to hopefully make bogey if we could squeak out a par. But, yeah, just a terrible tee shot.”
With Koepka winning his second LIV event last week, he’s carried momentum into this week. He also spoke about how happy he is being healthy. He has suffered with knee and hip injuries in recent years.
“It gives me chills to think about the capabilities [I have] do when I’m healthy,” he said.
Cameron Young and Jason Day were tied for fourth at 67. Seven players were tied for sixth at 4-under-par 68, including defending champion Scottie Scheffler.
Joining Scheffler at 68 were Xander Schauffele, Shane Lowry, Adam Scott, Sam Burns, Gary Woodland and amateur Sam Bennett.
With the rainy, cooler weather coming in, the three leaders will be happy with their slight cushion because, when Augusta National is windy and wet, it’s anyone’s game.
