The 89th edition of the Masters Tournament began this morning with players vying for the year’s first major championship.
For today’s trio, I am focusing on Scottie Scheffler’s first-round performance, Max Homa’s return to the Masters, and the not-so-unsuspecting leader of the event.
Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler returns to Augusta National looking to reach rare air. If he wins this week, he’ll become the second competitor in Masters history to win three out of four tournaments. Dating back, Jack Nicklaus won three of his four wins in 1963, 1965, and 1966.
Coming into this major, Scheffler feels as prepared as best he can.
After making a routine par on the first, Scheffler kicked off his title defense with an up-and-down birdie on No. 2. Walking off the green in conversation with caddie Ted Scott, Scheffler looked relaxed to start. On the fourth, Scheffler drained a 62-foot-long putt to reach two under through four holes. It was an early roar that the rest of the field might not be able to shake off.
Scheffler entered cruise control on the difficult stretch from the fifth to the seventh holes. He carded three straight pars to maintain momentum. On his approach into the par-5 eighth, Scheffler’s ball rolled into a divot. Instead of responding negatively, the two-time Masters champion pitched up from 52 yards to 14 feet from the hole. Scottie converted the birdie putt and carried on with his business. He rounded out the first nine with six pars and three birdies, a blemish-free opening stretch.
MORE: Justin Rose leads day 1 of the Masters Tournament at 7 under par
On the second nine, Scheffler hummed along with a string of pars until he reached the 16th green. From 40 feet away, Scheffler drained a birdie putt that produced another roar, similar to the reaction from the fourth green. Pars on the final two holes resulted in a bogey-free 68 for the Texan.
He told the media after his round, “The golf course was in front of me most of the day, I kept the ball in play and did a lot of really good things out there.” The Texan patiently marched toward an advantageous position today, and this performance should worry the rest of the field.
Max Homa
If you recall, Max Homa shared the lead on Sunday afternoon during last year’s tournament. He birdied the par-five eighth to join Scottie atop the leaderboard, eventually finishing in a tie for third.
Since then, so many things have changed in Homa’s golfing life that he appears to be lost. The six-time PGA Tour winner left Titleist and Footjoy to join the likes of Puma, Cobra, and Lululemon clothing. He switched coaches to work with John Scott Rattan. More recently, Homa and his longtime caddie, Joe Greiner, mutually parted ways. This week Homa finds himself walking Augusta’s fairways with Bill Harke on the bag. With all this turmoil surrounding his golf game, Homa’s year has been disappointing. He ranks 81st in the official world golf ranking with zero cuts made this season.
On Thursday, playing alongside Justin Rose and J.J. Spaun, Homa got off to a great start with two birdies. On No. 2, Homa converted a nine-foot putt after a flop shot up and over the front-right bunker. On No. 3, he did more of the same with a crisp pitch shot that came to rest five feet from the hole. Unfortunately, bogeys on No. 5 and 6 halted his strong start. Homa flashed on the ninth when he hit his approach from 104 yards to two feet from the hole. Unfortunately, again, this birdie was quickly erased with a bogey on No. 10. His drive blew wide right into the pinestraw, resulting in the dropped shot before entering Amen Corner.
Homa earned a rare birdie on the 12th, but this would be the only bright spot on the second nine. A double-bogey seven on the 13th followed by a bogey on the 16th saw him slip down the leaderboard. Homa finished the day at two over par.
If we learned anything today about Max Homa’s competitive spirit, I think we have to respect how hard he’s working. There were great flashes early in the round, but he let those highlights slip coming home. Only Max knows how close he truly is, and we all hope his game is near. He’s always been a fighter, though, and I expect more of that spirit tomorrow as he grinds to make the weekend.
Justin Rose
The Englishman, Justin Rose, once again stole early headlines at the Masters Tournament with a great first-round performance. This should not come as a surprise as Rose has twice been a runner-up at Augusta National, in 2015 and 2017.
During this season, Rose has shown streaky form. A third-place finish at Pebble and an eighth-place finish at Bay Hill are the two efforts to highlight from Rose ahead of this year’s Masters.
On the first hole this morning, Rose sent a message to the field. Taking a 3 wood off the tee, Rose split the fairway, left himself 154 yards into the green, and found the green in approach. For his birdie putt, Rose perfectly paced his 24-foot effort, gently moving right to left.
Rose made the turn at five under par with Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners, and others at his heels. He navigated a windy and difficult Amen Corner at even par, often standing over shots while the wind whipped his sleeves back and forth.
Trouble came on the 14th when his drive found the left rough with trees blocking his approach into the green. His second shot caught branches, fell short of the putting surface, and left him with a dicey up and down. Rose played his pitch shot low, sweeping left to right, and rolling like a putt toward the hole. He made the par putt and maintained his well-earned momentum. I’d encourage you all to go back and watch this par save as it required a lot of touch and imagination.
Rose’s play on 15 deserves tremendous recognition as well. His drive found the right side of the fairway, leaving a lengthy and intricate approach down the hill. Before pulling the trigger, Rose and his caddie “Fooch” decided on “a little 7 wood” into the wind. Rose’s strike fell right of the green, leaving a touchy downhill chip shot toward the hole. He pitched well out to the right, resulting in 10 feet remaining for a birdie. Rose nailed the putt and extended his lead. In a moment where trouble loomed everywhere, the 44-year-old veteran navigated the hole like a skiier weaving between moguls.
Rose moved birdie-par-bogey through 16,17, and 18 en route to an opening 65, seven under par.
He told Scott Van Pelt after his round, “Everything was just going my way. I actually felt on the front foot.”
This is Rose’s 20th appearance at the Masters, another chapter in his pursuit of the green jacket. Follow along as Justin Rose attempts to stay on the front foot and become the oldest first-time winner of the Masters Tournament.
