The Masters 2025 Day One RECAP: Relive the action as Justin Rose storms into lead... but Rory McIlroy squanders hot start

A dialed-in Justin Rose proved that Augusta National was there for the taking during the first round of major championship golf this year. The Englishman was the star of the show Thursday as he stormed into the lead with a stunning eight birdies.

Unsurprisingly, Scottie Scheffler was an omnipresent fixture near the top of the leaderboard, sharing second with Corey Conners and Ludvig Aberg.

And Rory McIlroy could have joined the trio... if only he hadn't squandered a hot start.

Day one final leaderboard:

1. Rose -7

T2. Conners, Scheffler, Aberg -4

T5. Hatton, DeChambeau -3

T7. Rai, English, Day, Bhatia -2

T11. M. Kim, Smith, Couples, Harman, Reed, M. W. Lee, Fitzpatrick, Hovland, Lowry -1

T27. Morikawa, Niemann, McIlroy, Garcia E

That's all from us as the sun begins to set on the azalea-soaked course. But we'll be back with every shot, update and scores as the players begin to make their arrivals up Magnolia Lane for round two.

Can Rose maintain his form or will a Scottie storm knock him off his perch? Will Rory bounce back into contention? And will DeChambeau fly the flag for LIV Golf once again? Stick around to find out.

The final grouping has closed out to bring the curtain down on Thursday at Augusta National.

Theegala, the best of the bunch, closes with a par to finish even for the day with Sam Burns hot on his heels at one-over.

The same can't be said for poor Sepp Straka, however. The Austraian has only missed one cut all year but now could be facing missing the weekend down in Georgia as a rollercoaster of a round, sees him head in at six-over.

The 2023 Masters champion closes out a frustrating opening round with a three-over 75.

The Spaniard finds the bunker to the right of the green and plays a sublime shot to get out of it. He fires his approach shot at the green, forced to aim miles away from the pin but his ball safely lands on the dancefloor and trundles down the slope towards the hole.

He sinks the par putt to finish at 3-over. Wyndham Clark and Tommy Fleetwood also head to the clubhouse with closing pars, finishing 4-over and and one-over.

A boegy at 17 slows DeChambeau's momentum before a birdie putt at the last to bouce back slides past.

He finishes with a par and a three-under opening round.

Playing partners Shane Lowry and former winner Hideki Matsuyama finish at one-under and one-over respectively.

Jack Nicklaus, the greatest player there has ever been at the Masters, stared out at the room through eyes that have become red-rimmed with age.

He is a little frail these days but he can still hit a golf ball down the fairway at Augusta National to bless the start of the tournament and his tongue still has a sharp edge now and again.

So when someone asked him, as the first groups took to the course, if he was surprised that Phil Mickelson was, ‘still out here competing at such a high level but Tiger Woods isn’t’, Nicklaus’s response was so caustic that it drew some laughter from his audience in the media centre.

An hour or so later, the object of his scorn ambled out of the clubhouse towards the first tee. Mickelson wore the insouciant look that was always his trademark until he became the lead apostate in the LIV Golf breakaway in late 2021 and he turned haggard and gaunt overnight.

He is not Public Enemy No 1 for the golf establishment any more, as he once was. The PGA-LIV split has settled into a kind of sullen, disinterested co-existence and LIV has faded into spectacularly expensive anonymity, dragging its stars with it into the shadows until the weeks of the majors come around.

The LIV Golf star has joined Scottie Scheffler and Corey Connors in the pack behind Justin Rose.

With back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16, the Mad Scientist climbs to four-under - three off leader Rose.

What had been such a promising start for McIlroy at Augusta suddenly takes a turn for the worse.

The world No 2 drops four shots in three holes with a double bogey on 17 to follow up the one at 15.

The implosion sees him plummet from 4-under to even-par in the matter of a few holes.

There might just be a thawing in one of golf’s many feuds. Sworn enemies for so long, there was a creeping suspicion on Thursday afternoon that Tyrrell Hatton and Augusta National might yet find a way to get on.

In the compilation of an excellent 69, Hatton not only left himself just one shot off the early clubhouse lead held by Scottie Scheffler and Corey Conners, but also appeared to be enjoying himself.

When we consider how often this place has extracted the worst of Hatton’s temper, that ought to be viewed as progress on two levels.

More from RIATH AL-SAMARRAI AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL below...

Just as we feared McIlroy's trip into the drin at the 15th proves to be distatrous as he cards a double bogey.

He manages some damage limitation at the tricky par-3 16th but it's not enough to preventhim from slumping to tied-7th.

Jack Nicklaus has taken aim at Phil Mickelson at the Masters, with a brutal comparison to lefty's longtime rival, Tiger Woods, citing the defection from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf.

The 85-year-old Nicklaus was an honorary starter at this year's golf extravaganza, while Mickelson is hoping to win his first major since 2021.

Mickelson shot a 3-over-par during the first round of the tournament on Thursday, below the projected cut line. Woods tore his Achilles last month and is out of tournaments for the foreseeable future.

And the golf icon was quick to divide the two major champions.

Well, any chance Rory had of catching Rose at the top has quickly evaporated at the 15th.

Just when he looked to be making a surge, McIlroy repeats the costly error of Patrick Cantlay.

His chip from the back of the green has far too much on it. It rolls quickly past the pin and agonizingly trundles down the hill into the water on front side of the green.

The world No. 2 opts to go to the drop zone before the water and his chip is not fantastic. This could be an extremely costly error for McIlroy.

Justin Rose enters the clubhouse with a stunning three-shot lead after a sensational opening round of 7-under.

The Englishman made easy work of the treacherous Augusta National with a total of eight birdies - the last of which came at the 16th thanks to an incredible aggressive tee shot.

An unfortunate bogey at the last is the sole blemish on a near flawless scorecard but McIlroy is still out on the course and with four holes remaining, could he catch his Ryder Cup teammate?

The Northern Irishman has continues to make a push up the leaderboard, joining Scottie Scheffler and Corey Conners for a share of second at 4-under after 13.

He has the chance to move into solo second and slash Rose's lead to three with another birdie chance at the 14th but his putt just slides past the holes and he's forced to settle for par.

Rising Spanish golfer Jose Ballester may have landed himself in hot water – after a shocking act at Rae's Creek.

More from MIKE KEEGAN below...

The American playing in his first ever Masters tournament had been kinda hanging around all day long.

But he holed out from the fairway on 17 to jump from that log-jam at one-under to now a tie for fourth at three-under!

The Englishman has had a mistake free round so far - adding to his success with a birdie on the par-5 15th hole.

McIlroy is the closest to him and has a lot of time to catch up, but it's not likely.

Looking for a missing ball is something all golfers go through - some, more often than others.

So if you're gonna lose your ball, why not do it in a beautiful location like this one?

The Spaniard is now at +3 going into Amen Corner.

It's been a super tough day for Rahm and he now likely sits below the projected cut line.

It seems that the Azaleas aren't the only spots of color seen about Augusta National on Thursday.

Just a slight lull as nothing's changed at the top since the last update. The only subraction we have on the list is Matt Fitzpatrick, who bogeyed to drop to one-under. Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau has climbed into the top-six thanks to his birdie on nine.

But, there are still some very popular names in the mix.

1 (-6)

Justin Rose

T2 (-4, both F)

Corey Conners, Scottie Scheffler

T4 (-3)

Tyrrell Hatton (F), Rory McIlroy

T6 (-2)

Aaron Rai (F), Harris English (F), Jason Day (F), Denny McCarthy, Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau

DeChambeau's second shot at the ninth is gorgeous and sets up a nice little birdie to move him up into a tie for sixth.

A rough day gets rougher for the LIV Spaniard.

He hooks his tee shot on the ninth into the trees and then pretends to snap his club over his knee.

At +2, the former Masters champion looks destined to hover around the cut line.

McIlroy is moving his way on up but so far Justin Rose stands alone.

1 (-6)

Justin Rose

T2 (-4, both F)

Corey Conners, Scottie Scheffler

T4 (-3)

Tyrrell Hatton (F), Rory McIlroy

T6 (-2)

Aaron Rai (F), Harris English (F), Jason Day (F), Denny McCarthy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Hideki Matsuyama

The Irishman is at the turn now, having started the day with three birdies on the first nine. He's now tied with Tyrrell Hatton.

This morning's odds were as follows:

- Scottie Scheffler +450

- Rory McIlroy +650

- Jon Rahm +1400

- Xander Schauffele +1800

- Bryson DeChambeau +1800

- Ludvig Aberg +2000

Here's how things stand as of 3:45:

- Scheffler +220

- McIlroy +450

- Justin Rose +1100

- DeChambeau +1400

- Corey Conners +1800

- Tyrrell Hatton +2500

Rory birdies the par-5 eighth hole to move into a tie for fifth place at two-under.

He's got just one hole to go on the first nine.

The reigning champion gets up and down for par to cap off his day.

Three birdies on the first nine and one on the second nine are the only deviations from par this round.

Scoring will need to increase if he'll hope to repeat as champion, but a blemish free round is a great start to build on tomorrow.

1 (-6)

Justin Rose

T2 (-4)

Corey Conners (F), Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton

T5 (-2)

Aaron Rai (F), Harris English (F), Jason Day (F), Denny McCarthy, Matt Fitzpatrick

T10 (-1)

Michael Kim (F), Davis Thompson (F), Cameron Smith (F), Fred Couples (F), Brian Harman (F), Patrick Reed (F), Max Greyserman (F), Min Woo Lee (F), Cam Davis, Daniel Berger, Patrick Cantlay, Rasmus Hojgaard, Rory McIlroy, Akshay Bhatia, Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau

The reigning champion is about to call it a day.

Barring a miracle he wouldn't lead wire to wire if he went on to claim victory, but he could certainly put pressure on Rose with a strong performance on this hole toda- and just as I type that, his tee shot rolls into the bunker.

Collin Morikawa seemed to make some progress with that eagle on 13 to put him at three-under. But he proceeded to bogey 15, 16, and 18 to drop back down to even par.

Joining him there is Joaquin Niemann who started off hot with three birdies in four holes, but then sputtered the rest of the way.

Perhaps surprisingly, it's Houston Open winner Min Woo Lee that came out the best of the group - carding par on 15 of 18 holes with one bogey and two birdies to finish in a tie for 10th at one-under.

Next major group to wrap up will be Scottie Scheffler's.

The Englishman heads into Amen Corner with three straight birdies to take a two shot lead over Conners and Scheffler at six-under.

A really solid first day for Boom Boom as he becomes the second-oldest player in history to break par at The Masters.

How close was he to breaking the record? Incredibly.

Couples is second with an age of 65 years, 190 days. The record is held by Tom Watson from the 2015 Masters who broke par at the age of 65 years... 219 days.

Here's something you don't see every major.

Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr is on the grounds at Augusta National snapping pics of golfers and the scenery.

Not a bad gig!

He hit a 62 foot putt for birdie earlier today and it seems that green jacket still has plenty of magic leftover

We're starting to wind down the day. Almost a third of the field has made their way around Augusta National and headed into the club house.

1 (-5)

Justin Rose

T2 (-4)

Corey Conners (F), Tyrrell Hatton, Scottie Scheffler

T5 (-2)

Aaron Rai (F), Harris English (F), Jason Day, Denny McCarthy

Singapore's Hirosh Tai is the current low amateur through nine holes. He sits tied for ninth at one-under.

Justin Hastings of the Cayman Islands is the next closest up the leaderboard at one-over through eight holes. Not a bad start at all, but he'll need to improve on that number to make the cut.

Tied at four-over is Evan Beck and Jose Luis Ballester. Beck is through eleven holes while Ballester just wrapped up the 15th.

At the back is Noah Kent. He began the day with four pars and two birdies through the first six holes to start two under.

And then this happened:

After dusting off the front nine, we have a new solo leader: Justin Rose.

Three birdies in the first three holes, two birdies on the last two holes, no errors in between.

Topsy-turvy day for the Spanish LIV Golf star, who bogeyed, then birdied, and has now bogeyed again on the par-three fourth. He sits +1 for the day.

(If you're reading this, I'd guess it might apply to you too...)

Plenty of movement at the top of the leaderboard, with Corey Conners and Justin Rose joining Tyrrell Hatton on -4.

Conners is back in the clubhouse now, birdieing 15, 17 and 18 to lift himself atop the standings right at the end of his round. He'll sleep well tonight.

A lot of interest in Rory this week, and he's just teeing off on the 5th, currently one-under-par and T12 on the leaderboard in the early stages.

It's an excellent drive, straight down the middle, and a big round of applause from the patrons for the Northern Irishman.

A big leaderboard for the first two days of the tournament, so understandable if you've missed a few of the more famous names so far.

Right now, there's some heavy hitters that are struggling, including...

T45: Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm (+1)

T61: Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson (+2)

T73: Danny Willett, Robert MacIntyre (+3)

T82: Billy Horschel (+4)

And say a prayer for Nick Dunlap, who's currently out on the 16th, and six shots adrift at the bottom of the leaderboard on +13.

What. A. Place. Just a few pics, with no further caption needed.

Not a great start from the 2023 champion, who has just bogeyed the par-five second.

Heck, maybe even moment of the week... just take a look at this from the legendary Freddie Couples on 14.

The former Masters champion returned to the site of his only major victory looking to make an impression.

Well, the LIV Golf rebel would not look out of place on the pitch for his home country's national football team.

This is... a choice...

Well, this just got very interesting.

In the past half hour:

- Collin Morikawa hit eagle on 13

- Fred Couples hit eagle on 14

- Corey Conners, Jason Day, and Max Greyserman have all climbed into the top five

1 (-4)

Tyrrell Hatton

T2 (-3)

Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Rose

T5 (-2)

Aaron Rai, Corey Conners, Max Greyserman, Jason Day

T9 (-1)

Michael Kim (F), Davis Thompson (F), Fred Couples, Harris English, Stephan Jaeger, Patrick Reed, Joaquin Niemann, Min Woo Lee, Bubba Watson, Denny McCarthy, Sergio Garcia, Matt Fitzpatrick, Akshay Bhatia, Bryson DeChambeau

Englishman Tyrrell Hatton is leading the Masters as there's plenty of shaking up going on below him.

Full leaderboard update in 5 minutes...

The last group of golfers set to start their tournaments are hitting their first shots now.

Sahith Theegala, Sepp Straka, and Sam Burns are now all driving as the first round starts the process of winding down.

A wonderful eagle on the final hole at Amen Corner sees another addition to the leaderboard: Collin Morikawa.

The former major winner has had a relatively silent day, scoring par on each hole with the exception of a single birdie on the eighth.

But now with this eagle on 13 - the first of any golfer on this hole today - he shoots up into the lead.

Much like Jaeger, Laurie Canter got in on the final criteria before special invites.

But now the Bath native and former LIV Golf rebel is in the top five

The Spanish LIV rebel gets his tournament underway with a solid shot.

He's joined by Wyndham Clark and Tommy Fleetwood in the final featured grouping of the day.

This's what's goin on at Augusta:

T1 (-3)

Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Justin Rose

T4(-2)

Joaquin Niemann, Laurie Canter

T7 (-1)

Michael Kim (F), Davis Thompson, Aaron Rai, Fred Couples, Harris English, Stephan Jaeger, Corey Conners, Patrick Reed, Max Greyserman, Collin Morikawa, Min Woo Lee, Jason Day, Rafael Campos, Bubba Watson, Tom Hoge, Matt McCarty, Denny McCarthy, Max Homa, Sergio Garcia, Daniel Berger

Groups Teeing Off Next:

1:34pm - Jon Rahm, Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood

1:45pm - Sahith Theegala, Sepp Straka, Sam Burns

The first group who played today is in the clubhouse. Davis Riley finished one-over while playing partner Patton Kizzire shot a horrid seven-over.

Other golfers who have finished: Joe Highsmith and Kevin Yu (+4), Chris Kirk, Mike Weir and Jhonattan Vegas (+3), Cameron Young and Zach Johnson (even par), and Michael Kim (-1)

But Thursday was an absolute roller coaster for Nicolai Hojgaard.

I could tell you what his scores were but... idk y'all, just look at this scorecard.

McIlroy gets off to a great start with a drive that goes deep.

He's paired with Ludvig Aberg and Akshay Bhatia.

All three of them find the fairway for solid starts to their afternoon.

Well, leaderS

Jaeger ends his Amen Corner run with a treacherous double bogey on 13 to drop two strokes and down into a tie for fourth.

So now, it's Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, and Justin Rose with a share of the lead.

Get ready for three high-profile groupings to tee off in quick succession on the first hole! But before they get going, this is how the field looks right now:

1 (-4)

Stephan Jaeger

T2 (-3)

Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Justin Rose

T5 (-3)

Harris English, Joaquin Niemann, Jordan Spieth, Laurie Canter, Matt McCarty, Max Homa

Groups Teeing Off Next:

1:01pm - Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland

1:12pm - Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg, Akshay Bhatia

1:23pm - Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau, Shane Lowry

Hi there Justin Rose!

The former US Open champion cards three straight birdies on the opening three holes to shoot straight to second place.

Tyrrell Hatton, the High Wycombe native and LIV Golf rebel, birdies the eighth to bump himself up to a tie for second place.

Some big names are set to tee off over the course of the next hour, so be sure to stay here to keep in touch with all the action

The reigning green jacket holder drops in a birdie on the eighth hole as he moves into solo second place at three-under.

He'll look to finish up a flawless front nine.

Rai has dropped further back, giving Jaeger about as comfortable a lead as you could expect at this stage of the Masters.

1 (-4)

Stephan Jaeger

T2 (-2)

Joaquin Niemann, Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Brian Campbell, Matt McCarty

T8 (-1)

Michael Kim, Harris English, Brian Harman, Corey Conners, Max Greyserman, Collin Morikawa, Min Woo Lee, Jordan Spieth, Cam Davis, Laurie Canter, Bubba Watson, Tom Hoge, Denny McCarthy, Justin Rose

Groups Teeing Off Next:

12:33pm - Patrick Cantlay, Rasmus Hojgaard, Matt Fitzpatrick

12:50pm - Brooks Koepka, Russell Henley, Sungjae Im

Joaquin Niemann leads his playing partners - carding three birdies and a bogey to sit tied for second at two-under.

Meanwhile, Collin Morikawa and Min Woo Lee both sit tied at one-under.

Aaron Rai opens up his trip to Amen Corner with a bogey on 11 - moving the German into the solo lead for the round

The Masters being around means that special edition items are made to go along with the springtime theme.

Photos here capture the bags used by TaylorMade and Callaway golfers - including some of the head covers for clubs.

To celebrate the start of the Masters, a handful of Liverpool players tested their short game out at their training facility.

Watch to see who sank their shots and who needs to take some lessons!

We have some new competition at the top as Aaron Rai now shares the lead!

T1 (-4)

Aaron Rai, Stephan Jaeger

T3 (-2)

Joaquin Niemann, Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton

T6 (-1)

Chris Kirk, Bernhard Langer, Will Zalatoris, JT Poston, Fred Couples, Harris English, Brian Harman, Corey Conners, Max Greyserman, Jordan Spieth, Maverick McNealy, Rafael Campos, Cam Davis, Laurie Canter, Brian Campbell, Matt McCarty

Groups teeing off next:

12:11pm - Dustin Johnson, Nick Taylor, Justin Hastings (a)

12:22pm - Sergio Garcia, Lucas Glover, Daniel Berger

Food is incredibly cheap at The Masters - with the most expensive item setting you back just $6.

Here's a more in-depth look at the offerings (including a brand new item) and their prices from DailyMail.com's Dan Matthews.

It's almost noon here on the East Coast, which means it's almost time for lunch.

The Masters' concessions are notoriously low-priced and the options available look delicious.

After a hot start, Noah Kent has struggled as he's now made the turn. His birdies on holes 3 and 4 were negated by bogeys on 7 and 8. Now, on his first hole of the second nine, he's carded a double bogey.

The nerves of the moment - and with playing alongside Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas - may be getting to Jose Luis Ballester (pictured below). Through five holes, he's at five-over having bogeyed the first and third and carding a double bogey on five.

The current low amateur is Evan Beck, but he's through one hole and he already bogeyed that one.

There's still a bunched up pack at one under (with some new additions) but there now appears to be a breakaway group.

1 (-4)

Aaron Rai

2 (-3)

Stephan Jaeger

T3 (-2)

Joaquin Niemann, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Tyrrell Hatton

T7 (-1)

Michael Kim, Chris Kirk, Bernhard Langer, JT Poston, Harris English, Brian Harman, Robert MacIntyre, Tony Finau, Maverick McNealy, Rafael Campos, Austin Eckroat

Groups teeing off next:

11:38am - Tom Hoge, Matt McCarty, Christiaan Bezuidenhout

11:49am - Charl Schwartzel, Denny McCarthy, Hiroshi Tai (a)

12:00 - Max Homa, Justin Rose, JJ Spaun

This looooooooooooooong putt sunk for a birdie sees the reigning champion move up to a tie for 3rd at Augusta National.

Well, welcome back Jordan Spieth!

The 2015 Masters winner birdied the first and third holes to move up into a tie for third early in the day.

It's about two hours until Rory McIlroy tees off in his return to Augusta National.

Last year was an emotional one for the Irishman after the announcement of his divorce, which was then called off after a month.

DailyMail.com takes you inside the stunning change of heart.

The Englishman is through eight holes and is still flawless at a score of four-under.

German Stephan Jaeger, who got into the field in the final criteria besides a special invitation (top-50 in the OWGR on March 31, 2025) is now tied for the lead.

He's playing in just his second Masters ever!

The first groups are already making their way through Amen Corner as about half the field has teed off.

T1 (-3)

Aaron Rai, Joaquin Niemann

T3 (-2)

Chris Kirk, Stephan Jaeger

T5 (-1)

Michael Kim, Zach Johnson, Davis Thompson, Bernhard Langer, Brian Harman, Byeong Hun An, Robert MacIntyre, Keegan Bradley, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Tyrrell Hatton

Through four holes, Chilean golfer Joaquin Niemann has outshone the other partners in his 'featured' group.

While Morikawa and Min Woo Lee sit at even par, Niemann has birdied the first, second and fourth holes to now move into a share of the lead.

Here's a full rundown of all the pairings and timings for Thursday's Opening Round

Wolverhampton native Aaron Rai has sole lead of the Masters and is the first golfer to get to three-under this tournament.

He's been blemish free so far this round, carding birdies on holes 2, 3, and now 7 to take the lead

We've heard multiple references on the broadcasts to 'beautiful' Augusta, Georgia.

Well that may be true for the well-manicured, highly-refined private golf club. But the streets of the city paint a different picture.

Read more here from DailyMail.com's Isabel Baldwin, who visited 'The Garden City' ahead of its biggest event.

We've got eight golfers at the top of the pile here as about a third of the field has posted scores.

T1 (-2)

Jhonattan Vegas, Chris Kirk, Aaron Rai, Stephan Jaeger, Joaquin Niemann

T7 (-1)

Nicolai Hojgaard, Michael Kim, Zach Johnson, Noah Kent, Bernhard Langer, Corey Conners, Byeong Hun An, Max Greyserman, Robert MacIntyre

Thomas has a nice punch shot from off the right bunker to get to the putting surface.

Scheffler pures his shot and lands it closer to the pin than Thomas from his better lie.

Meanwhile, Ballester's second shot avoids an overhanging tree to land on the green... only to just roll off.

Scottie Scheffler is off and running at the Masters as he hopes to defend his green jacket.

As for his playing partners, Justin Thomas hit his shot off to the right and US Amateur winner Jose Luis Ballester found the fairway.

Noah Kent, currently the low amateur at the tournament, had to overcome some bad sleep in the attic of Butler Cabin that is reserved for the non-pros in the field.

“Just slept on my neck wrong,” Kent said per Golf Channel. “I don't necessarily fit in the bed, so, yeah, we're good.”

Hoylake winner Brian Harman and Englishman Aaron Rai move up to two-under to tie for the lead.

But the most surprising addition? Nicolai Hojgaard!

After starting the first two holes at three-over, he's birdied on five of his next six to move into the lead.

Let's make a little noise for Noah Kent! The amateur golfer from the University of Florida is making his Masters debut this week after finishing runner-up at the 2024 US Amateur.

And now he can say that he's shared the lead at the tournament.

T1 (-2)

Zach Johnson, Chris Kirk, Noah Kent, Aaron Rai

T2 (-1)

Nicolai Hojgaard, Michael Kim, Bernhard Langer, JT Poston, Fred Couples, Harris English, Brian Harman, Stephan Jaeger, Corey Conners, Byeong Hun An

Well, I guess you can't unless you're there but Augusta has always been a beautifully manicured and landscaped course.

This video just proves that.

Collin Morikawa leads the group with a perfect drive, followed by Joaquin Niemann's acceptabale shot and Min Woo Lee's shank left into the trees.

Couples pumped up the patrons at Augusta with a spectacular finish to the first hole

Here's how the leaderboard looks as more of the field gets underway:

T1 (-2)

Zach Johnson, Chris Kirk

T3 (-1)

Jhonattan Vegas, Mike Weir, Michael Kim, Danny Willett, Davis Thompson, Bernhard Langer, Noah Kent, JT Poston, Aaron Rai, Fred Couples, Brian Harman

He's also minimized mistakes and now a birdie at No. 4 moves him up

The 9:47 tee time should provide for plenty of fun with Collin Morikawa, Joaquin Niemann, and Min Woo Lee

It's been a blemish free round so far for former Masters champion Zach Johnson.

He's birdied No. 2 and No. 3 to take a one-stroke lead on the field.

The Dane opened his day with a bogey on No. 1 and a double-bogey on hole No. 2.

Since then? Birdie, birdie, birdie to work his way back to even par.

Just a few clouds in the sky, but other than that, nice and warm

T1 (-1)

Jhonattan Vegas, Mike Weir, Michael Kim, Zach Johnson

T6 (E)

Davis Riley, Danny Willett, Nicolas Echavarria, Davis Thompson, Bernhard Langer, Noah Kent

Our experts examined the top gifts and gadgets that any golfer could use.

Click on the link below to shop around.

This year's tournament features the most left-handed golfers in its history.

Of course, there's three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson - but there's also major names like Robert McIntyre and Akshay Bhatia.

Other southpaws include Masters champions Bubba Watson and Mike Wier as well as Open Championship winner Brian Harman.

Joe Highsmith and Matt McCarty round out the list.

The reigning champion is the clear-cut favorite to keep the green jacket and opens the tournament as the odds leader - but there are plenty of major names behind him:

- Scottie Scheffler +450

- Rory McIlroy +650

- Jon Rahm +1400

- Xander Schauffele +1800

- Bryson DeChambeau +1800

- Ludvig Aberg +2000

The oldest player in the field at age 67, Langer will voluntarily give up his guaranteed spot in the field that he earned by winning the 1985 and 1993 Masters tournaments.

Langer is still letting it rip on the Champions Tour, but his time hitting the tees at Augusta is coming to an end.

It's the second birdie of the tournament after Riley birdied on the Par-5 second hole.

The first group of the tournament has arrived at hole No. 4 and we can now watch some golf.

Davis Riley and Patton Kizzire are both on the green of the Par-3 fourth.

At age 85, Nicklaus can still hit them straight.

Re-assuring applause from his wife, Barbara, is a nice touch too.

Since taking a spot as an honorary starter in 2022, the 75-year-old Missouri native has seamlessly blended into the group of Player and Nicklaus.

With a smile that can light up a room, the relative spring chicken of the group even out-drove his other two 'playing partners'.

The son of British golfer Tommy, we all need to channel his attitude out on the course.

Already the unsung hero of the 2025 tournament.

Some first hole nerves for the opening group, as Riley finds the trees down the left of the fairway with his first shot of the week. He recovers well to find the back of the green, and then two-putts to make par.

His playing partner, Patton Kizzire, is less fortunate, though. 'Fore right' comes the call from the tee and he's deep in the woods. Eventually he makes bogey, and it's a tough start for the veteran.

Courtesy of The Masters on X:

An amazing moment for the legendary golfer, and those in attendance to watch.

Davis Riley is making his Masters debut, after picking up two wins on the PGA Tour across his career so far. He won the Zurich Classic in 2023, and then picked up a remarkable victory at the Charles Schwab in May of last year, beating runners up Keegan Bradley and Scottie Scheffler by five strokes.

Today he's playing alongside Patton Kizzire, who's playing in his third Masters and his first since 2019. It's also his first major, period, since the 2022 US Open. The 39-year-old has three PGA Tour wins, most recently in September 2024 when he won the Procore Championship at Silverado, California.

Pin placement can mean everything at Augusta National, so here's the first round hole locations that the players will have been studying all night and all morning.

The first to try the course out, Davis Riley and Patton Kizzire, are on the tee and about to play their first shots in just a couple of minutes.

No wonder they called him 'Mr Fitness'. Gary Player, ladies and gentlemen.

'This fairway gets a little more narrow every year', comes the shout of the legendary Gary Player as he steps up to the first tee. At 89 years old, he could still be mistaken for a man in his 60s, and he gets one away nicely.

Jack Nicklaus is next up, telling the patrons to 'watch out' as he lines one up with his driver. Straight down the middle, much to the delight of those watching on.

Finally, two-time Masters champion and eight-time major champion Tom Watson is on the tee. Little club twirl, and a big round of applause. The Masters is underway.

In short: very soon. In just 10 minutes' time, the Honorary Starters will be on the first tee to begin the tournament. They're made up of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson, and the crowds are already crowding the tee box to catch a glimpse of the golfing legends in action.

From there, the action proper begins at 7:40am ET (12:40pm if you're in the UK!), with Davis Riley and Patton Kizzire in the opening group.

Some other big names to note are: Danny Willett at 8:24am, Cam Smith at 8:52am, Collin Morikawa at 9:47am, Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas at 10:15am, and Rory McIlroy at 1:12pm.

Here's that incredible moment... which dad Rory will be desperate to emulate over the next four days!

...but yesterday's action was a little more relaxed. The traditional Par-3 Contest saw the stars of the sport out on the course with their nearest and dearest, and it created some amazing memories, perhaps none better than Poppy McIlroy's putt.

While Nicolas Echavarria won the Contest (meaning that he now can't win the Masters itself... it's the curse, don't blame me!), it was McIlroy's daughter who produced the best moment of the day, sinking a huge putt on the ninth hole. Video to follow!

Good morning, and welcome to the start of the best week in sports. It's Masters Thursday, and we're mere minutes away from the first tee times at Augusta National.

Throughout the week, we'll bring you all the updates, including exclusive detail from our reporters at the course.

Here we go!