Justin Rose leads the Masters after round one after shooting a 7-under-65 to take a three-shot lead. The 65 for Rose marks the second time in his career he has shot that score, making him the only player in Masters history with multiple opening rounds of 65 or better.
This is the fifth time Rose has led or shared the lead after the first round of the Masters, breaking the tie with Jack Nicklaus for most all time. Rose’s only blemish on the scorecard was the bogey on the 18th hole after a wayward tee shot.
Post-round, Rose shared, “Obviously delighted to get off to such a great start, and that start definitely, you know, happened out of the gate. The first few holes, everything was going exactly where I was looking. And certainly the first hole, which is definitely one of the tricky holes on the golf course, to knock in a nice 25-footer down the hill, right to left is exactly what you need to settle yourself into the Masters.”
Scottie Scheffler, Ludvig Aberg and Corey Conners sit three strokes behind at 4-under par. Scheffler became the fourth defending Masters champion to open with a bogey-free round in the last 30 years. LIV golfers Tyrrell Hatton and Bryson DeChambeau are four strokes behind the leader after opening rounds of 69.
One of the favorites heading into the tournament, Rory McIlroy, sat just three shots back after 14 holes. But after chipping into the water on 15 and another rough hole on 17, he made two double bogeys that dropped him to even par.
Nick Dunlap joined a club not many players would want to be a part of by shooting 90, making him only the third player in Masters history under the age of 50 to shoot 90 or higher.
