Playing partners Justin Rose (Stats | Bio) and Chris DiMarco (Stats | Bio) didn't have much trouble with Augusta National Golf Club in Thursday's weather-delayed first round of the 68th Masters Tournament.

The same couldn't be said for pretournament favorite Tiger Woods (Stats | Bio) , defending champion Mike Weir (Stats | Bio) or Arnold Palmer (Stats | Bio) .

Rose and DiMarco played early, beat the heavy rain that delayed play for more than two hours in the late afternoon, and turned in two of the three sub-70 rounds of the 75 players who completed first-round play.

Rose, with a round highlighted by double bookend birdies (Nos. 1, 2 and 17, 18) shot 5-under-par 67 to take the overnight lead.

"It's a dream start," Rose said.

DiMarco, who aced the par-3 sixth hole, is tied for second place with 50-year-old Jay Haas (Stats | Bio) at 69. It was the first ace in the tournament in eight years, and the first on No. 6 in 32 years.

Darren Clarke (Stats | Bio) and Chris Riley (Stats | Bio) had 70s. Six players shot 71, including Augusta native Charles Howell. Six more had 72, including Phil Mickelson (Stats | Bio) .

Of the 18 players who will complete their first round beginning at 8:45 this morning, the top players are Alex Cejka (Stats | Bio) and Ernie Els (Stats | Bio) . They are 2-under through 17 holes. After that, Jose Maria Olazabal (Stats | Bio) is even-par through 16 holes.

Woods and Weir were among those still on the course when play was suspended by darkness at 7:45. Neither one can be happy with what transpired.

Both are 4-over for their rounds. Woods, who is through 14 holes, shot 4-over 40 on the front nine. Weir had 38 on the front nine, then made double bogey on No. 15, his final hole before play was called.

Palmer, who is making a record 50th start in the tournament, shot 84. He'll miss the 36-hole cut today, meaning he will end his four-victory Masters career with an even 150 rounds.

"I'm tired, I'll admit it," the 74-year-old Palmer said. "But I'll be all right tomorrow."

Rose, a 23-year-old Englishman who was born in South Africa, said he was "unfazed" with his position at the top of the leaderboard.

It's no wonder, considering what Rose has been through in his short professional career.

He struggled mightily after turning pro as a teenager following a fourth-place finish in the 1998 British Open. He missed the cut in 28 of his first 45 starts on the PGA European Tour - including his first 17.

He broke through in 2002, winning twice in Europe, once in South Africa and once in Japan.

"There were times when you're thinking, 'This is going to be a long uphill struggle,'" Rose said. "But the last couple of years, I've enjoyed the situation I've been in. Hopefully, it's time to move onward and upward even more."

Nick Price (Stats | Bio) , a three-time major championship winner, thinks that's exactly what Rose will do this week.

"He went through a lot those first two years, or 18 months as a pro, and he's come out of it," said Price, who shot 72 on Thursday. "That not only made him a stronger player, but a strong person too. I think he's going to be a really great youth British-based player. I think he's going to be one of their Ryder Cuppers for the next however many years. A Faldo-esque player. I think he'll win a couple of majors. He could be ready.

"He's won enough, but there is a long way to go," Price said. "He's certainly got the game that he can win around here. I believe that."

Rose is a member of both the PGA Tour and PGA European Tour this year, and is splitting time between the two.

Nothing he's done this year, though, made anyone think he'd be leading the Masters.

In nine combined starts on the tours, his best finish is a tie for 23rd. In 12 rounds on the PGA Tour, he'd broken 70 only once.

"I've been hitting the ball really well and not necessarily getting good scores out of what I felt has been good play," said Rose, who hit 17 of the 18 greens in regulation Thursday.

The past five major championship winners - Rich Beem (Stats | Bio), Weir, Jim Furyk (Stats | Bio) , Ben Curtis (Stats | Bio) and Shaun Micheel - have been first-time major champs.

"I like that trend," DiMarco said.

DiMarco is ranked 122nd in average driving distance on the Tour. He took advantage of the hard fairways at Augusta National, which were dry and running fast for DiMarco, who finished before the heavy rain hit. His average driving distance Thursday was 257.5 yards, but he did hit a 275-yard drive.

"This is the first time since the changes (305 yards added from 2002 to 2003) that the course is playing firm, at least the fairways are," DiMarco said. "If it plays like that, I can compete here because my ball gets roll. When it's not getting any roll, this course is too long for me, it really is."

DiMarco had a disappointing Masters last year. He opened with 82 and had one more hole to play to complete the second round. Knowing he'd miss the cut, DiMarco returned to his Orlando, Fla., home Friday night. He was criticized for not returning to the course Saturday to complete his second round.

"I didn't know you don't withdraw from Augusta," DiMarco said the next day.

It was an emotional day for many of the players and caddies, who found out Thursday that Bruce Edwards, Tom Watson (Stats | Bio) 's longtime caddie, had passed away that morning from the effects of Lou Gehrig's disease.

With a heavy heart and Edwards' Masters yardage book in his pocket, Watson shot 76.

"I'm sure Bruce would have said, 'Whatever happens, you better go play your ass off at Augusta,'" said John Feinstein, a friend of Edwards and the author of a new book about the caddie. "If Tom hadn't gone out and played, Bruce would have come back and killed him. Bruce never wanted anything about him to impact negatively on Tom or anyone else."

Watson felt the presence of Edwards, along with Boogie Tom, a caddie friend of Edwards who died in an accident in the mid-1970s.

"He (Edwards) was out there on the first tee with Boogie Tom," Watson said. "I told him the last time I saw him, 'You're going to be with Boogie real soon.' That's where he was, he was on the first tee with Boogie."

Woods and Weir had plenty of company in the green, over-par numbers on the large Masters scoreboard adjacent to the first fairway.

Adam Scott (Stats | Bio) , The Players Championship winner two weeks ago, bogeyed four of the first six holes and shot 80. He had just one birdie.

John Daly (Stats | Bio) had just two birdies, which couldn't offset double bogeys on Nos. 12 and 16. He shot 78.

Vijay Singh (Stats | Bio) , the world's No. 2 player, was 2-under through 14 holes, but made a triple bogey on No. 15 and bogeyed Nos. 17 and 18 for 75.

And Davis Love III (Stats | Bio) is 2-over through 16 holes. He had a double bogey on No. 11.

Palmer wasn't the only record-setter Thursday. Haas' round of 69 was just the seventh time a player older than 50 has shot in the 60s in the first round of the Masters.

Haas joined some elite company - Jack Nicklaus (Stats | Bio) did it four times, and Palmer and Sam Snead did it once each.

"I played well; it was kind of an extension of what's been going on for the last year and half or so, especially the last month," said Haas, who tied for sixth in The Players Championship two weeks ago.

LEADERS

1. Justin Rose (Stats | Bio)	-5	67
T2. Chris DiMarco (Stats | Bio)	-3	69
T2. Jay Haas (Stats | Bio)	-3	69
T4. Darren Clarke (Stats | Bio)	-2	70
T4. Chris Riley (Stats | Bio)	-2	70
T4. Alex Cejka (Stats | Bio)	-2	–
T4. Ernie Els (Stats | Bio)	-2	–

Cejka and Els played through No. 17 and will finish the round today.

Reach David Westin at (706) 724-0851 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.