What term do you want to search? Search with google
Leishman gets one to come back on the slope. Wow, would you look at that. Woods out of the bunker goes over for the flag and will have to come back for a birdie.
Birdie for Leishman, while Woods settles for par.
Leader: V Singh (-3)
So far, not bad. (Tannen Maury / REX / Shutterstock)
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods, clad from head to toe in black, stepped to the tee for his first shot at 10:42 a.m. local time and, gulp, sent it straight it the gallery on the left side of the first fairway.
Woods recovered on his second shot, which rolled up right to the edge of the green, and he parred the hole. However, on No. 2 his approach found the sand and his chip skated about 12 feet past the hole. Woods’s birdie try just missed and he settled for his second par.
The four-time champion is playing with Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and Australian Marc Leishman.
Tiger Woods makes his way to the practice area. pic.twitter.com/naQnDiBHuD — CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) April 5, 2018
Overall, Vijay Singh, the 2000 Masters champion who has not finished higher than a tie for 27th in his last eight appearances, set the very early pace with birdies on Nos. 1, 2 and 4 before giving one back with a bogey at No. 6. Singh, 55, missed the cut the last two years in Augusta. He’s now splitting his time between the main PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions for older players (he ranks fifth on the latter tour’s money list this season).
[ Live Masters leaderboard ]
While you wait for further updates, here’s a look at a new Nike spot looking back at Woods’s career.
FIRST LOOK: Nike's new Tiger spot called "Welcome Back." pic.twitter.com/fWrokiQJdC — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 5, 2018
Gary and Jack get things going
Before 8 a.m. Thursday, the gallery around the first tee at Augusta National Golf Club was five, eight, even 10 deep. And when the two men emerged from the clubhouse — Jack Nicklaus in a red sweater, Gary Player in all black — they rose as if at church, pew after pew after pew.
Player, the South African legend who won three Masters, and Nicklaus, the all-time great who has six green jackets among his record 18 major titles, opened the 82nd Masters as honorary starters Thursday morning, each hitting a straight and true tee shot 15 minutes before the tournament began.
“It’s always a thrill to come out to the first tee,” Nicklaus said. “It’s always a thrill to be part of the golf tournament.”
Fred Ridley, Augusta National’s new chairman, introduced each man — “two of the greatest golfers who have ever lived,” he said — to an adoring crowd. The sign at the tee, which normally lists the players in each group, read “82 Gary Player” above “78 Jack Nicklaus,” indicating each man’s age.
Watch the complete 2018 Honorary Starters ceremony. #themasters pic.twitter.com/SpY5NNCY7y — Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 5, 2018
Nicklaus’s ball didn’t quite reach Player’s halfway up the hill at the first.
“Don’t worry about me outhitting you now,” Player said at a news conference later. “You out-drove me for 50 damn years.”
This is the second year Nicklaus and Player performed the duty of opening the Masters since the death of Arnold Palmer. In 2016, the four-time Masters champion joined Nicklaus and Player one final time, though he simply sat in a chair, no longer able to hit the shot. Last year, some six months after Palmer’s death, the chair remained, draped with Palmer’s green jacket.
The tournament began soon after with the first of 29 threesomes — Austin Cook, Ted Potter Jr. and Wesley Bryan. Ryan Moore, in the second group of the day, birdied the first two holes to take the earliest of leads, although he later fell back. Woods, the four-time champion playing here for the first time since 2015, begins his quest at 10:42 a.m. in a group just ahead of defending champion Sergio Garcia, who tees off at 10:53 a.m.
Other key tee times: Phil Mickelson at 1:27 p.m., Rory McIlroy at 1:38 p.m., Jordan Spieth at 1:49 p.m. and Dustin Johnson at 2 p.m. in the final group.
[ Masters preview: At Augusta National this year, an anticipation unlike any other ]
How to watch
This week isn’t just about Woods. Many of the world’s best players enter the week in strong form. Add in the Woods intrigue, and you’ll want to know how to watch starting Thursday morning, a tricky proposition, since this is the tightly controlled Masters. Still, there are a few options. (All times are Eastern.)
ESPN has TV coverage from 3 until 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and on WatchESPN.
has TV coverage from 3 until 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and on WatchESPN. CBS takes over on TV from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 2 to 7 p.m. (or the conclusion of play) Sunday. Its online coverage can be found at CBS AllAccess. The network will have a preview show (“On the Range”) 8:30-10:30 a.m. Thursday and Friday; 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday on CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com.
takes over on TV from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 2 to 7 p.m. (or the conclusion of play) Sunday. Its online coverage can be found at CBS AllAccess. The network will have a preview show (“On the Range”) 8:30-10:30 a.m. Thursday and Friday; 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday on CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com. CBSSports.com will also have live streams of featured groups, as well as coverage from Amen Corner (holes 11, 12, 13) and holes 15 and 16. Featured group coverage starts at roughly 10 a.m. Thursday; Amen Corner coverage begins at 10:45 a.m. and holes 15 and 16 coverage begins at 11:45. Consult the full live stream schedule here.
The Golf Channel has “Morning Drive” on TV and online from 6 to 8 a.m. Thursday and Friday, and “Live from the Masters” on TV and online beginning at 8 a.m.
has “Morning Drive” on TV and online from 6 to 8 a.m. Thursday and Friday, and “Live from the Masters” on TV and online beginning at 8 a.m. AT&T/DIRECTV has coverage of featured groups, Amen Corner and the 15th and 16th holes starting at 3 p.m. each day (at 2 p.m. Sunday) on Channels 703, 704 and 705. There’s a 4K package from Amen Corner on Channel 105 and the 15th and 16th holes on Channel 106 starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday and Friday; at noon Saturday and Sunday for Amen Corner and 12:30 for the 15th and 16th holes. You also can stream the coverage.
has coverage of featured groups, Amen Corner and the 15th and 16th holes starting at 3 p.m. each day (at 2 p.m. Sunday) on Channels 703, 704 and 705. There’s a 4K package from Amen Corner on Channel 105 and the 15th and 16th holes on Channel 106 starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday and Friday; at noon Saturday and Sunday for Amen Corner and 12:30 for the 15th and 16th holes. You also can stream the coverage. Masters.com offers much of the same live coverage, too.
Tee times
The full list of tee times for Thursday and Friday is here, along with breakdowns of the top groups.
Pin placement information for the first round of #themasters. pic.twitter.com/LPnP8H3XSN — Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 5, 2018
Woods, one of the betting favorites to win his fifth Masters, will be followed on the tee at 10:53 by Sergio Garcia, the 2017 champion, and his group of Justin Thomas and 20-year-old amateur and Clemson sophomore Doc Redman.
Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar will tee off at 1:27 p.m. A trio of international stars in Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm will tee off at 1:38 p.m. Jordan Spieth’s group will tee off at 1:49 p.m. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson is in the day’s final group, teeing off at 2 p.m.; he’ll play with Justin Rose and Rafael Cabrera-Bello.
The weather report
Temperatures were in the in the low 40s at the start Thursday, and you could see everyone’s breath as Nicklaus and Player got things started with their honorary tee shots. But things should warm up to about 70 before all is said and done in the first round, with sunny skies and winds 5 to 10 mph.
It will remain sunny and should be even warmer Friday, though the winds will pick up a bit. Saturday’s third round could get a little dicey with rain and even more wind in the forecast, especially in the morning. Whether it will be enough to halt play remains to be seen, but it very well could. The wet weather should help soften Augusta’s notoriously tricky greens.
The skies will clear a bit for Sunday’s final round, though it will be cool with highs in the mid-60s.
Favorites
The Post’s Barry Svrluga identifies five players who could win this weekend, including Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, and yes, Woods. Who could win but won’t? Jason Day heads that list. Read the rest of Svrluga’s breakdown here. The Post’s Neil Greenberg, meantime, gives the highest win probabilities to Johnson, Justin Thomas and Garcia. His explanation is here. Josh Planos analyzes which six holes may decide Woods’s fate.
You might want to wait until the end of the first round to make your choice. As Kyle Porter of CBS Sports points out, the last 12 Masters winners have been in the top 10 after the first 18 holes. The last one outside the top 10? Woods, who was tied for 30th after the first round in 2005 before storming back to win his fourth and most recent Green Jacket.
Dilly Dilly
Although a report earlier this week indicated that Masters officials were threatening to expel fans who yelled anything from a list of banned phrases, like “Dilly Dilly” or (we hope) “get in the hole,” but a Yahoo investigation reveals that there is no list. Which means that those phrases, and perennial favorites like “mashed potatoes” and “Baba Booey” still might randomly echo across Augusta.
“Yelling ‘Get in the hole’ from the tee box of a par five might get a hole punched in your badge — two punches and you’re gone — or it might get you heaved out of the course with no warning. Same with a group chant,” the report states.
Re Dilly Dilly ban:
I remember at the height of Tiger covering a tournament at Pebble Beach, and a guy standing near the tee box bellowing the tired, "YOU THE MAN!" at the moment driver touched ball.
Silence.
Then another fan, calmly, softly: "You the idiot."
Golf clap. — Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) April 4, 2018
A fist pump is a better way to celebrate
Tony Finau scored a hole-in-one during Wednesday’s Par-3 contest and celebrated so darn hard that he dislocated his left ankle. And popped it into place. Read all about it and how Jack Nicklaus’s grandson scored a hole-in-one that reduced his proud grandpa to tears.
With all due respect to @themasters, allow me to put my 6 Green Jackets in the closet for a moment and say that I don’t know if I have had a more special day on a golf course. To have your grandson make his first hole-in-one on this stage.... WOW! #Family #memoryofalifetime pic.twitter.com/3TSLwlV0m9 — Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) April 4, 2018
According to the Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis, Finau had an MRI exam on his ankle Thursday morning and it revealed no significant damage other than a high-ankle sprain. He plans to gut it out and play his round Thursday.
The champions dinner was tasty
Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia was the winner of last year’s tournament, which meant that he selected the menu for the champions dinner.
He went with a pretty delicious sounding menu that included Arroz Caldono de Bogavante (described as traditional Spanish lobster rice):
So excited and honored to host my first Champions Dinner @TheMasters! I hope everyone will enjoy the food. Can’t wait to sit around all those great champions and listen to their stories! pic.twitter.com/Qcs3Tmj8Oj — Sergio Garcia (@TheSergioGarcia) April 3, 2018
Boren and Bonesteel contributed to this report from Washington.
More Masters coverage from The Post:
Svrluga: When Tiger and Phil play a practice round, it’s anything but meaningless
For 10 bucks, you can eat like a king at the Masters
Augusta National to host a women’s amateur event in 2019
Tiger and Phil teamed up for nine holes of golf. (They won.)
Vijay Singh 2-Under After 2
Vijay Singh sinks a 6-footer to birdie No. 2 and move to 2-under, still alone at the top. Under par starts for Bernd Wiesberger and Satoshi Kodaira too. But even the world’s biggest Bernd Wiesberger and Satoshi Kodaira fans are likely to be turning their attention in another direction in 10 minutes time as Tiger Woods prepares to tee off.
Tiger Woods Warming Up
Tiger countdown: It’s one of the most anticipated tee-offs in years. Tiger Woods, rejuvenated and back at Augusta, site of some of his greatest triumphs. Will he be the Tiger Woods of old, shooting low and daring the field to come after him? Or the Tiger Woods who struggled with injuries and personal demons for years? We’ll find out soon. He’s on the practice tee right now, with a black cap and black sweater. His first swing comes at 10:42 a.m. Eastern.
Injury Update: Tony Finau Will Play
Tony Finau is expected to be among those starting at 12:43, to his relief. Finau celebrated a hole-in-one in the par-3 exhibition on Wednesday a little too jubilantly and dislocated an ankle. He did not finish the event, but word is he will play today.
The First Group Is Off the Tee
The Masters got underway at 8:30 a.m. Eastern with an opening threesome that lacked big names: Austin Cook, Wesley Bryan and Ted Potter Jr. All three qualified by winning a Tour event in the last year, but among them they have only four career Tour wins. Cook is the (very) early leader after making a birdie. Former champ Ian Woosnam is in the second group, and amateur fireman Matt Parziale in group 3. Tiger Woods tees off at 10:42.
What to Expect in Round 1
• Woods loves Augusta National. In 18 professional appearances at the Masters he has four wins and 11 total top-10 finishes.
• Who’s hot? Well, three big names all won important events in March. Phil Mickelson, a three-time Masters winner, won in Mexico for his first PGA victory in almost five years. Rory McIlroy, who has won every major but the Masters, won the Arnold Palmer. And Bubba Watson, a two-time Masters winner, won the match-play event in Texas.
• Who are those guys with Tiger? All eyes will be on Woods in his threesome, especially since his playing partners are relatively unheralded. Marc Leishman, a 34-year-old Australian, has three PGA wins, while 27-year-old Tommy Fleetwood plays mostly in Europe. Each is about 75-1 to win. (Woods is among the favorites at 15-1.)
• At 24, Justin Thomas is the reigning PGA champion, won a Tour event in Florida in February and is the second ranked golfer in the world. But is Augusta his kind of course? He was 39th and 22nd in his two starts here.
Advertisement Continue reading the main story
He acknowledged that he has been picking the brains of veterans to make up for his inexperience. But, he said, “I think that Tiger’s probably going to be a little harder to get stuff out of than when he was hurt and I was asking him questions.”
• The battle for low amateur can be an entertaining sideshow. Joaquin Niemann of Chile, the Latin American Amateur champion, is the favorite of the six amateurs, but firefighter Matt Parziale may be the sentimental choice.
• The Masters has the smallest field of any of the majors, but does allow all ex-champions to play, even those who have not contended in a while. This year those include Bernhard Langer (1985 and ’93), Fred Couples (’92), Ian Woosnam (’91), Sandy Lyle (’88) and Larry Mize (’87). All of them can be had at 1,000-1 odds.
• Jack Nicklaus (six wins) and Gary Player (three) aren’t playing, but were the ceremonial honorary starters.
