News / Sports
Mickelson and Woods Struggle in First Round of The Masters
As he often does, Tiger Woods struggled in the first round at The Masters but sitting on one over 73 four strokes behind the leaders could be worse, all he has to do is ask Phil Mickelson. The two time green jacket winning lefty had to go into survival mode for most of the day just to save his Augusta life.
Mickelson bogeyed his first hole and after pulling back to even with a birdie on three he landed himself in a deep mess. A bogey on four, double-bogey on five, bogey on six and a bogey on seven had placed Mickelson 5-over through the first seven. He managed to get a stroke back on eight but finished the front nine with a 4-over 40.
The back nine proved no kinder to Mickelson as he recorded bogeys on 12 and 14 to move 6-over. He had a golden opportunity to make up some ground on 13 after reaching the green on the par 5 on his second stroke but three-putted for a par. Mickelson did close the day with some positive momentum with a birdies on the par 5 15th and par 3 16th holes. He then struck pars on the final two holes to close the day at a 4-over 76, tied for 43rd.
Woods stayed even through the first six before bogeying the 7th hole to fall 1-over. After striking birdies on 13 and 15 the four-time Masters champ was 1-under but bogeys on 17 and 18 knocked him four strokes behind co-leaders Justin Rose and Brett Wetterich.
Rose, the 26-year-old Englishman stayed consistent throughout his first round, avoiding any disaster. He recorded just three birdies in his 18 holes but steered clear of any bogeys and penciled a 3-under 69 to sit atop the leaderboard after day one.
Joining Rose at 3-under was Wetterich whose first round fluctuated from scary to superb. A bogey on the second hole could have sent the 33-year-old scrambling but he remaine calm and parred his next four holes before dropping a birdie on 7, par on 8 and a pair of birdies on 9 and 10. A birdie on 13 put Wetterich at 3-under but he bogeyed on 15 before he climbed back to even with Rose on a birdie put on 17.
David Howell and David Toms sit one stroke back at 2-under after the first round while five golfers sit two back tied for fifth.
