When it was all said and done on day one of the 2025 Masters Tournament, just 26 of the 95 players in the field found themselves the right side of par and a whopping 25 shots cover the field from top to bottom. And no, it’s not an ageing past champion that’s propping them up, but 2023 US Amateur champion and two-time PGA Tour winner Nick Dunlap on +18.
The old moniker of ‘You can’t win it on Thursday but you can certainly lose it’ rang true as Justin Rose set a new record with his fifth opening round lead courtesy of a seven-under 65, and the likes of Brooks Koepka and Patrick Cantlay (+2), Jon Rahm (+3), Billy Horschel and Adam Scott (+5), Sepp Straka (+6) and Russell Henley (+7) are all either scrambling to keep their slim tournament chances alive or simply too far back with just 18 holes played.
At the sharp end of the leaderboard, Rose’s seven-under gives him a three shot lead over world number one and defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, who’d been among the early starters and held a share of the clubhouse lead with Corey Conners until Rose usurped them an hour-and-a-half later.
Alongside them at -4 is Ludvig Åberg, who birdied four of his final seven holes to take a big step forward, with LIV stars Tyrrell Hatton and Bryson DeChambeau one further back on -3.
It looked as though Rory McIlroy was the most likely candidate to chase down Rose’s clubhouse target when he faced an eight-footer for birdie on 14 – a putt that would’ve taken him to -5 with four to play – but that putt broke a shade further right than he’d anticipated and he went on to double bogey two of his final four holes to slip back to level-par.
It was a crushing blow as he’d played virtually flawless golf for 13-and-a-half holes, and the mental toll the disastrous finish has taken on him will remain to be seen, but he was in no mood to discuss it, bypassing media and heading towards the range after signing his card. He’s by no means out of it, as in addition to Rose’s record-breaking first round leader statistic, he’s also the player who’s led after the most rounds at Augusta National without the Green Jacket to accompany, so it’s the -4 mark of Scheffler and Åberg that most of the genuine contenders will be focused on.
Shane Lowry is just three back of that tally, closing out with a birdie on 18 that gives him a share of 11th place. It was far from vintage golf from the 2019 Open champion, but it’s testament to his new-found confidence and growing knowledge of how to tackle Augusta National that he remains in the hunt despite a shaky start and a couple of sloppy bogeys on the way home.
Both McIlroy and Lowry will have earlier tee times on Friday, with the course expected to play a little softer with rain forecast overnight and wind gusts increasingly becoming a factor as the day progresses.
Rose too, is an early starter, so if he comes out firing like he did in round one, he could find himself further ahead and well on his way to the 36-hole lead as the examination for his chasers becomes tougher and tougher.
For McIlroy, 2018 remains the last occasion where he shot an opening round in the 60s, but it’s now a case of forgetting about the four dropped shots on the way home and taking consolation in the fact that he’d been on course for his best opening round since 2011. That’s easier said than done, but it’s essential if his quest for the Career Grand Slam is to remain alive heading into the weekend.
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