Masters rookie Abraham Ancer uses fresh start to finish off first-round 68

Abraham Ancer was standing on the 12th tee box when the horn sounded Thursday afternoon. The Masters rookie jotted down the yardage, left for the day and returned to Augusta National’s practice range at 6:40 a.m. Friday.

“I hit a couple shots before I left the range this morning and just kind of pictured it in my head,” Ancer said. “I made sure I had a good feeling before I left the range.”

Ancer hit 9-iron into the green, and landed his shot 37 feet left of the pin. The Texan two-putted for par. It was a simple start to a strong morning. Following his par at No. 12, Ancer closed with birdies at Nos. 13, 14, 15 and 18 to shoot 4-under-par 68 and vault into the top 20 after the first round.

“Having to stop (Thursday) and come back to start on Amen Corner is never easy, especially being my first time,” Ancer said. “But I managed to play really well. I’m really happy with my first round out here at the Masters and looking forward to the next three days.”

Ancer listed the turning point of his round being his second shot into the par-5 13th. The 29-year-old thinned his second shot, but with soft terrain, the ball stopped short of Rae’s Creek.

Ancer pitched over the hazard and made birdie.

“Definitely got lucky on 13 and took advantage,” Ancer said. “Then after that, just played really solid.”