AUSTRALIAN GOLFER MARC LEISHMAN shot a superb opening round of 66 to lead the US Masters, where he was joined by Sergio Garcia of Spain.
Leishman’s -6 round is four better than Tiger Woods could manage. Garcia slid in six birdies and did not drop a shot in an impressive round.
England’s David Lynn fired a four-under par 68 to grab the early clubhouse lead at Augusta National before Leishman, then Garcia, set a new mark.
The Aussie began his round with a bogey on the first but hit the turn at -1. He dropped five birdies on the back nine and finished with pars on 17 and 18.
Dustin Johnson is one shot back after he compiled a superb round of 67. His scorecard was boosted by and eagle on the par five 13th and he jointly led before a bogey on 17.
Shot of the day came courtesy of Jamie Donaldson. The Welshman wired in a hole-in-one on the par three sixth hole. He finished on +2.
39-year-old Lynn, who finished runner-up to Rory McIlory in last year’s PGA Championship, got to five-under after 15 holes, but a bogey at 17 pegged him back.
Rickie Fowler, Trevor Immelman and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano all recorded satisfying rounds of 68, as did Fred Couples, a Masters winner in 1992.
US veteran Jim Furyk finished at -3, level with Zach Johnson. Woods is on -2 after 18 holes. The world number one looked well set at -3 with five holes to play but could only manage a bogey and four pars over the closing holes.
Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson both had late starts with the benign early playing conditions forecast to turn into rain and storms late in the afternoon. The Holywood native was cheered on – in a respectful, Augusta manner – by girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki.
McIlroy is Even Par for the championship, having holed a birdie on the second. He hit the turn on -2 but gave the shot back on the next and dropped another on 12 and 17. Fortunes of Padraig Harrington [+6] and Graeme McDowell [+1] were mixed as both men recorded double bogeys on their respective front nines.
Harrington’s round crumbled to mush over the last five holes. He bogeyed 14, doubled 17 and missed a par put on the last and will need to go low tomorrow to make the cut. McDowell battled gamely with the course but will be disappointed with his bogey, bogey finish.
Skier Lindsey Vonn kept an eye out for her main squeeze, Tiger Woods. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Chinese 14-year-old Guan Tianlang made history by becoming the youngest-ever player in the Masters, but he opened with a bogey at the tough first hole. He birdied 18, one of the toughest holes on the course, to finish on +1.
Northern Irish amateur Alan Dunbar finished on +11 after. He triple-bogeyed the second hole but parred the ninth, 10th and 11th holes on Amen Corner.
…. BUT HOPE LIES WITH RORY
And what about GMAC , who is only 1 shot behind Rory with 54 holes to play ??
rory is a self confessed brit! please stop calling him irish….
Can’t you be both? I know a Scottish British man our two.
He’s from northern Ireland. That’s part of the island of Ireland=Irish
wel, tel that to him then, as i recall he once did say that he feels more british than irish. and as far as i know n ireland is part of the united kingdom which means BRITISH!!!
Not entirely true or that simple. Its full name is United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. Under the good friday agreement anyone born in northern ireland can have dual citizenship.
But he doesn’t. He just has British citizenship. Similar for Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell.
Well whatever he is or isn’t. I wish him well & good luck and to anyone whose playing and from this island.