Scottie Scheffler surges early at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The Masters started Thursday with its largest area in 10 years and a sense that solely two gamers had been on the focus at Augusta Nationwide, and one in every of them wasted no time in going straight to the highest of the leaderboard.

Scottie Scheffler, a pure alternative because the No. 1 participant on this planet for the final two years, performed his first 9 in 3 underneath to match the match file for a defending champion. The spotlight was a 60-footer for birdie on the par-3 fourth.

Scheffler is attempting to develop into the youngest participant since Jack Nicklaus with three inexperienced jackets.

The opposite favourite is Rory McIlroy, the sentimental alternative as among the finest of his era, with solely a Masters title protecting him from the profession Grand Slam. He was amongst these with a day tee time on a heat, sunny day in Georgia.

It started because the solar was arising and Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Gary Participant hit honorary tee photographs to get the 89th version of the Masters underway. The trio had been requested who they needed to win and who they thought would win — two fairly completely different questions — and McIlroy was a unanimous alternative amongst three gamers who’ve mixed for 11 inexperienced jackets.

“I believe Rory McIlroy will win the Masters this 12 months, and I hope he does,” Gamers mentioned, “as a result of it might give golf a terrific enhance to have one other winner of the Grand Slam.”

Watson concurred, saying it was his “intestine feeling.”

Nicklaus revealed that McIlroy got here to see him in Florida final week. There was an extended line of gamers who’ve tried to faucet into the data of the six-time Masters champion, nevertheless it turned out that McIlroy did not really want the assistance.

“We went by way of it shot for shot,” Nicklaus mentioned. “And he received finished with the spherical, and I didn’t open my mouth. And I mentioned: ‘Properly, I wouldn’t change a factor. That’s precisely the way in which I might attempt to play the golf course.’

“The self-discipline to do this is — the self-discipline is what Rory has lacked for my part,” Nicklaus mentioned. “He’s received all of the photographs. He’s received all the sport. He definitely is as proficient as anyone within the sport.”

McIlroy has leaned on that self-discipline this 12 months, purposely enjoying extra conservative until photographs clearly allowed for aggressive play. That was his technique when he received at Pebble Seaside in February. A month later, he added The Gamers Championship.

Scheffler and others had been setting fairly a goal for the 35-year-old from Northern Eire.

The 2-time champion was capable of make the most of the par-5s, getting up and down for birdie on the second and eighth, to go along with that lengthy birdie putt Scheffler made on the fourth. Tyrell Hatton additionally made the flip at 3 underneath, whereas Justin Rose birdied his first three holes and joined them atop the early leaderboard.

Aaron Rai briefly received to 4 underneath earlier than three straight bogeys on the again 9, whereas 65-year-old Fred {Couples} was turning again time. The 1992 champion birdied the opening gap and spent many of the day within the pink.