The Masters: Justin Rose lands in a four-shot lead with an impressive first round of 65

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Justin Rose rode to a four-shot lead on Thursday thanks to an excellent ninth that saw him finish seven under par.

Despite being twice over after seven holes, the Englishman rallied and struck an eagle on the eighth and birdies seven between the ninth and 17th to end four shots ahead of Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama in second.

The first round also saw some pre-tournament contenders struggle.

Defending champion Dustin Johnson took a two-over 74, while last year’s US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau finished with a four-over. DeChambeau is linked to Rory McIlroy, whose job of completing a career grand slam with a Masters victory got off to a rocky start.

“I knew two-over-seven isn’t the end of the world, but I also knew you were going in the wrong direction,” Rose, second twice at the Masters, told reporters about his slow start.

“You can’t win the golf tournament today. Even with a 65 you can’t win it today. You can probably only lose it today.

“I haven’t hit the panic button yet (after seven hours), but I reset just before that and thought if I could get myself around the even par again, that would be a good day.”

Justin Rose shot an astonishing 65 in the opening round of the Masters.

It is the fourth time that Rose has led or co-led the Masters after the first round, a record he now shares with Jack Nicklaus.

The 40-year-old, who played his first tournament since retiring from the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month with a back injury, was one of only three players to finish under 70 alongside Harman and Matsuyama – quite a contrast to last month’s tournament. year when 24 players shot scores below 70 in favorable November conditions.

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Rose’s only previous big win came at the US Open in 2013; The closest he got to getting a Green Jacket at the Masters was in 2017 when he was defeated in a playoff by Sergio Garcia.

“I’ve played this course many, many times, it might be my 15th Masters, and my best so far is 67,” said Rose.

“I felt like today’s conditions were not the day to hit them and have your personal best.

“It was quite windy – windy enough to be tricky – and the greens are clearly incredibly firm and fast. The pin placements were decent, certainly not easy, but decent, and if you hit the right shot at the right time, you could taking advantage. ”

As for those who got further up the standings, DeChambeau got into the Masters armed with a new driver and plenty of expectations, but the big-hitter landed some tee-shots off the fairway in the first round.

Bryson DeChambeau is chasing his ball on the fourth hole.

His 76th included a double bogey on the fourth and bogeys on the fifth, eighth and 12th for his only birdie on the 15th.

DeChambeau was joined by McIlroy out of four, the Northern Irishman had already finished in the top 10 at August National six times, but never managed to get a Green Jacket.

That Masters victory seems likely to elude him again, as he shot six bogeys between the fifth and 13th holes on Thursday. It also turned out to be an eventful day when he hit his father with a foul shot on the seventh.
Globally No. 1 Johnson, who claimed his second major title last year with a record 20-under at the Masters, began his bid to become the fourth player to win consecutive Green Jackets with a 74.

Well-positioned on one-under with three holes to play, Johnson bogeyed the 16th and double bogeyed the 18th after his putt leaked out of the hole.

Another former champion, Jordan Spieth, who returned to the winners’ circle last week with his first win in nearly four years, rallied in the back nine after a triple bogey in ninth to finish in one bottom.

2018 champion Patrick Reed finished the day in a tie for fourth place second-under, while Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm – second and third in the world rankings – finished one-over and par respectively.

CNN’s Ben Morse contributed to the reporting.

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