Justin Rose leads The Masters by four shots after carding his best ever score at Augusta National on Thursday.
Five months ago, when The Masters was postponed to November because of the coronavirus pandemic, 53 players broke par in the first round. With the tournament now back in its traditional April slot, the picture was vastly different on Thursday, with only 12 players finishing the first round below par and an average score of 74.5.
While others struggled, Rose carded a 7-under-par 65, which included seven birdies and an eagle over a 10-hole stretch and gave him a four-shot lead over Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama.
The score of 65 was Rose's best in 59 rounds at Augusta and marked the sixth time the Englishman has either led or co-led the leaderboard at the end of a round at The Masters. Frustratingly for him, however, the Green Jacket has hitherto proved elusive.
"It's incredible," Rose said after his round. "It's a good reminder that you just never know what can happen out there."
Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, is five shots behind Rose along with Will Zalatoris, Webb Simpson and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Jordan Spieth, who donned the Green Jacket in 2015, is a shot further back along with Shane Lowry, the 2019 British Open champion, Jason Kokrak, Tyler Hatton and Kim Si-woo.
World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who won The Masters in November with a record 20-under-par 268 carded a 2-over-par 74, as did four-time major winner Brooks Koepka.
Collin Morikawa, last year's US PGA Championship winner, and world No. 2 Justin Thomas are both 1-over-par, while world No. 3 Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele are among the seven players to finish even par on Thursday.
The first round delivered a far worse result for Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy, who both finished with a 4-over-par 76.
Here's all you need to know about the second round on Friday.
The Masters round 1 leaderboard
- Justin Rose -7
- Brian Harman, Hideki Matsuyama -3
- Will Zalatoris, Webb Simpson, Patrick Reed, Christiaan Bezuidenhout -2
- Jordan Spieth, Shane Lowry, Jason Kokrak, Tyler Hatton, Kim Si-woo -1
How to watch The Masters round 2 live on TV
- Live coverage: ESPN, 3 p.m.—7 p.m.
- Replay: ESPN, 8 p.m.—11 p.m.
- Highlights: CBS, 11:35 p.m.—11:50 p.m.
How to watch The Masters round 2 live online
- Featured Groups: 9:15 a.m.—7:30 p.m., ESPN+, Masters.com
- Featured Holes (4,5 and 6): 9:25 a.m.—6:45 p.m., ESPN+, Masters.com
- Featured Holes, Amen Corner (11, 12 and 13): 10:45 a.m.—6 p.m., ESPN+, Masters.com
- Featured Holes (15, 16): 11:45 p.m.—7 p.m., ESPN+, Masters.com
- Broadcast: 3 p.m.—7:30 p.m., Masters.com
Round 2 selected tee times (All times EDT)
- 9:36 a.m.—Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar
- 9:48 a.m.—Billy Horschel, Tyrrell Hatton, Ryan Palmer
- 10:06 a.m.—Phil Mickelson, Tommy Fleetwood, Scottie Scheffler
- 10:30 a.m.—Adam Scott, Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa
- 10:42 a.m.—Tony Finau, Louis Oosthuizen, Justin Thomas
- 10:54 a.m.—Jordan Spieth, Cameron Smith, Collin Morikawa
- 1:24 p.m.—Sergio Garcia, Webb Simpson, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
- 1:36 p.m.—Dustin Johnson, Lee Westwood, Tyler Strafaci
- 1:48 p.m.—Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy
- 2 p.m.—Patrick Reed, Daniel Berger, Paul Casey
Projected cut line
The projected cut line currently sits at 2-over-par, meaning 52 players would currently make the cut. Beginning from last year, the top 50-ranked players—including any ties—after the first two rounds make the cut for the final 36 holes at The Masters.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
