AUGUST, Ga. Augusta National was in an indulgent mood on Thursday.
Mother Nature is not expected to be so kind for the next two days, threatening to wreak havoc on the second and third rounds of the Masters after a warm and windless Thursday that led to a litany of scores in the red numbers.
Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Brooks Koepka took advantage of the calm conditions with seven under 65s to take the lead early in the match ahead of the approaching inclement weather.
Cameron Young, who shone with a pair of 77 and a failed cut ultimately yr’s Masters, his first, is just behind the three at 5 under 67 alongside resurgent Australian Jason Day.
Shane Lowry of Ireland, Adam Scott of Australia and Americans Xander Schauffele, Gary Woodland, Sam Burns, US Amateur Champion Sam Bennett and defending champion Scottie Scheffler are 4 under after shooting 68 seconds.
Tiger Woods fought to 2-over 74.
Nobody took advantage of the friendly conditions higher than Hovland early on when he hit an eagle on the par 5 second hole and commenced playing from there.
“Today was very fun,” said Hovland. “I began off well in fact I hit heads on number 2 and I used to be just hitting great shots in the top nine and I made a few putts and before I knew it I used to be by some means going from 6 under to 11 [and] I just got to 65. In order that was amazing.”
Hovland, Rahm, Koepka and others got while the weather was advantageous, with Friday’s forecast predicting a virtually one hundred pc likelihood of rain with thunderstorms expected and Saturday a one hundred pc likelihood of rain with over an inch of precipitation and a high of fifty degrees – over 30 degrees colder than in the last two days.
Forecasts indicate that it is very likely that the second round will not end on Friday, which will move it to Saturday, although the forecast for Saturday looks more ominous than for Friday. Only a slight likelihood of showers is predicted on Sunday.
“Obviously, we do not understand how bad it’ll be, but I feel it’s easier to atone for easier days,” Hovland said of potential stalkers. “So, when you start with a extremely low round and it gets really hard, it’s just a little bit easier to guard the rating in comparison with when you might have five, six, seven shots back. It’s really hard to make up for so many losses if this place is playing very hard.
“So obviously getting off to an excellent start is crucial this week.”
Hovland, paired with Woods and Schauffele, have had success playing for Woods in the past. He was a low amateur when Woods won the 2019 Masters and won Woods’ Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas twice.
“Yeah, I do not know what it’s,” Hovland said of the Woods coincidence. “It just happened. But in fact it’s nice to simply be around him.”
Hovland was at the training ground on Tuesday when the draw for the tournament was announced, as he was briefed by his caddy, Shay Knight.
“My heart was in my throat a bit and I just thought, ‘Wow, that is going to be exciting,'” said Hovland. “After that, I calmed down. You only need to handle it. You may’t be afraid or anything. If you would like to win this tournament, you possibly can’t be afraid to play with Tiger.”
Rahm began the day by putting a 4 on the first green and taking a double bogey. He played the remainder of the round with confidence, scoring 9-under on the final 17 holes.
“That is pretty impressive… not 4 strokes, but a golf left over,” Hovland said when he heard about Rahm’s round.
“In case you’re going to make a double or 4-put, it would as well be the first hole [with] 71 holes to catch up,” said Rahm, ranked No. 3 in the world. “Then I focused on the proven fact that all the shots were good. The readings were good. The roll was good. In fact, the speed dropped on the first two strokes, so after I accepted that there was really nothing to have a look at, I just started working and had 17 holes to make up.
“I played very well this yr. Possibly not the last few tournaments, but I feel confident. I hope I can proceed this. I realize it’s the first day and I actually have an extended method to go.”