Ryan Fox has some work to do to retain his cut streak at the Masters while defending champion Rory McIlroy made an early charge at Augusta today.
McIlroy shares the lead clubhouse lead with American Sam Burns after both carded opening rounds of 67.
Fox is some distance off the pace after carding a five-over 77 with a lack of tournament golf in the lead-up to the Masters, due to kidney stones, evident in the early holes.
All the damage came on the first nine with Fox starting his round with bogeys at the first two holes.
His opening shot of the tournament found the fairway bunker and a chip past the hole left him around 2m for par which pushed right. Fox’s drive on the par five second hole went well left forcing him to take a drop. His par attempt just off the green rolled by the hole.
Fox missed a birdie chance at three before three dropped shots at five, six and seven saw him five-over through nine.
First, he three-putted the par four fifth hole when his uphill birdie putt was left well short, before a crafty chip with his second shot at the par three sixth was wasted when he couldn’t sink the 3m putt for par. That was followed by another three-putt bogey at the par four seventh, including a miss for par from close range.
Another bogey at the par four 10th after finding the pinestraw with his drive pushed him back to six-over before he shook off the rust at Amen Corner.
He had birdie looks at the 11th, 12th and 13th, but none of them dropped, which could have easily turned his day around.
Eventually, his first birdie of the day came at the par four 17th after his approach from 146m out landed within 3.5m.
Fox sits in a share of 65th with the top 50 and ties making the cut, which currently sits at three-over. He tees off at 3.39am NZT (11.39 EDT) tomorrow.
Burns was the early clubhouse leader including an eagle at the second hole along with three birdies on the second nine. McIlroy cemented his charge with consecutive birdies at 13, 14 and 15. He had six birdies on the day with his only blemish coming at the par four third.
The Northern Irishman said the pressure was off coming to Augusta as a champion.
“I said this when I came in on Tuesday, I think winning a Masters makes it easier to win your second one. I do. It’s hard to say because there’s still shots out there that you feel a little bit tight with, and you just have to stand up and commit to making a good swing and not worry about really where it goes,” McIlroy said.
“But I think it’s easier for me to make those swings and not worry about where it goes when I know that I can go to the Champions Locker Room and put my green jacket on and have a Coke Zero at the end of the day,”
Aussie Jason Day, American Kurt Kitayama and 2018 champion Patrick Reed all shot 69 to share third two shots back from the leaders.
World No 1 and two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler opened with a two-under 70, as did Justin Rose a three-time runner who lost a playoff to McIlroy last year. Also at two-under were fellow major winners Shane Lowry and Xander Schauffele.
LIV Golf duo Bryson DeChambeau (four-over) and Jon Rahm (six-over) were well back.
1992 winner Fred Couples, playing in his 41st Masters, was two-under through 14 holes before a quadruple bogey nine at the par five 15th after finding the water twice. He eventually carded a six-over 78.
Masters leaderboard
-5 Sam Burns (USA), Rory McIlroy (NIR).
-3 Kurt Kitayama (USA), Jason Day (AUS), Patrick Reed (USA).
-2 Shane Lowry (IRE), Xander Schauffele (USA), Scottie Scheffler (USA), Justin Rose (ENG).
-1 Haotong Li (CHN), Nick Taylor (CAN), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Brian Campbell (USA), Aaron Rai (ENG), Jacob Bridgeman (USA), Gary Woodland (USA).
Other scores: Jordan Speith Even (USA), Brooks Koepka Even (USA), Cameron Young +1 (USA), J.J Spaun +2 (USA), Colin Morikawa +2 (F), Bryson DeChambeau +4 (F), Jon Rahm +6 (F), Robert MacIntyre +8 (SCO).