Englishman, rookie lead after tough day
the first 18 holes
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What would it be like to have a dry Masters Tournament for a change?
It's a likely scenario this week, one that will involve the color green, which stands for even- and over-par scores on Augusta National Golf Club's leaderboards.
Of the 96 starters in Thursday's first round, 82 shot over-par rounds, and only Justin Rose and Masters rookie Brett Wetterich, with 3-under-par 69s, broke 70.
On a day with final-round-like firm greens and an unfavorable northwestern breeze, Rose was the lone player to plot his way around the course without a bogey. Wetterich had two bogeys, but led the field with five birdies at the 7,445-yard course.
Two players - David Howell and David Toms - shot 70.
Augusta resident Vaughn Taylor heads the group at 71, which includes Tim Clark, Zach Johnson, Rich Beem and J.J. Henry, another Masters rookie.
Four-time champion Tiger Woods was 1-under for his round through 16 holes, but bogeyed his final two holes for 73.
Defending champion Phil Mickelson opened with 76, which matched his highest score in 54 previous rounds in the Masters.
Under the conditions, some players no doubt would have liked to follow honorary starter Arnold Palmer's lead and hit one ball and be done. There were 12 scores in the 80s, the most since there were 15 in 2003. They included Gary Player, who shot 83 in his 50th Masters, which tied Palmer's record.
Rain has taken the sting out of Augusta National's greens every year since 460 yards was systematically added to the course starting in 2002. Some years, the rain even fell during the practice rounds, which softened up the greens and made them more receptive to approach shots. That hasn't been the case this year. And for once, no rain is in the forecast for the tournament rounds, though frost is.
"You were not going to go low today," Woods said. "Sixty-nine is low today. That's some pretty good playing."
"The greens are very firm and fast," said Taylor, who had 25 putts. "You feel like you have a small bucket to land it in, and if you don't, you're going to have a tough putt or chip."
Woods, who is seeking his third consecutive major championship and the 13th of his career, said the greens are the firmest he's seen since 1997.
"A lot of cool air on the weekend would probably rival that," he said.
Green might be the predominant color of scoring so far, but it won't be the color of the putting surfaces by the end of the week unless the club decides to slow them down with water. If water isn't added, they will be a baked-out brown.
The scoring average for the field was 76.185, the highest first-round average since 76.204 in 2003.
And the 69s matched the highest first-round leading score since 1999.
Rose welcomes the challenge on these greens because "they seem to ask the right questions," he said.
That is, to identify the best putters. Rose was the No. 1 putter Thursday, with just 20 putts, the fewest in a round since Mark O'Meara had 19 in 2003.
Rose will need all his skill on the greens today, which will be windblown and dried out by the time he tees off in the final group at 2:14 p.m.
Rose and Wetterich are hardly veterans of this tournament. This is the third Masters for the 26-year-old Rose and the first for 33-year-old Wetterich, a member of last year's U.S. Ryder Cup team. He also has a PGA Tour victory; Rose does not.
Rose was a first-round and second-round leader here in 2004, the last time he played in the Masters. A third-round 81 took him out of contention. He finished tied for 22nd after a final-round 71, which he said meant more to him than his opening 67-71.
"I was proud of the fourth round," he said. "I was pleased with the way I came back after that third round and shot 71 in the final round. I felt I played very well that day and could have easily been a few better."
Rose, who lives in London, will be trying to become the first European to win the Masters since Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal, one of Rose's playing partners Thursday, did it in 1999. It also has been 29 events since a European won a major championship.
"I don't have an explanation, and I don't feel any pressure," said Rose, who hopes to also be the first Englishman to win since Nick Faldo in 1996.
As for Wetterich, who was born in Ohio and now lives in Florida, he is the first Masters rookie to lead since Chris DiMarco in 2001. DiMarco went on to tie for 10th that year.
"It's nice to shoot 3-under and see your name at the top of the leaderboard, but it's only Thursday, and an awful lot can happen in the next day and the next two days after that," Wetterich said.
Wetterich said he took a crash course in Augusta National 101 from former champions Raymond Floyd and Larry Mize during the practice rounds.
"I'm not real sure how the course is today compared to years past," Wetterich said. "But I know it was playing tough out there."
Just one round is in the book, but already this tournament is beginning to look like the 1987 Masters, when 3-under-par 285 won it.
This week's winning score will depend on the weather, and whether water is applied to the greens.
"It's drying out fast," said Davis Love III, who shot 72. "These are perfect conditions to dry out a golf course. Unless they get out and water it during the day, it's always going to get crustier during the day."
Love, a two-time Masters runner-up, said the winning score is in Augusta National's hands for a change.
"They finally got a year they can do whatever they want," he said. "They can dial it right where they want."
Reach David Westin at (706) 823-3224 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.
chris thelen/staff [CAPTION]
Michael Holahan/Staff [CAPTION]
Michael Holahan/Staff [CAPTION]
Chris Thelen/Staff England's David Howell waves to the crowd as he leaves the 18th green after shooting 2-under 70.[CAPTION]
Chris Thelen/Staff Charles Howell hit an errant drive off the ninth tee. He had five bogeys on the day, including at No. 9.[CAPTION]
Chris Thelen/Staff Justin Rose also had trouble off the ninth tee but saved par and didn't bogey a hole Thursday.[CAPTION]
Annette M. Drowlette/Staff Johan Edfors found trouble off the second tee. He saved par but finished the day at 6-over 78.
