AUGUSTA, Ga. - Gary Player should have taken a picture of the leaderboard.

For about an hour Thursday morning, the 70-year-old former Masters champion was back on the board at Augusta National. He didn't stay there, finishing with a 7-over 79, but it hardly mattered.

"My goal was to break 80," said Player, who won the Masters in 1961, '71 and '78. "When you get to 70, if I can break 80, I consider that a victory."

Teeing off in the sixth group Thursday morning, Player knocked a 5-wood from 224 yards out to within 18 feet at the first hole. He made the putt for a birdie, putting him among the early leaders.

But he gave two strokes back with a double-bogey on the par-4 No. 3, and wound up with a 2-over 38 for the front nine. He got in real trouble on the back, with bogeys on five of the nine holes.

Still, being among the contenders - even briefly - was a thrill.

"I'm glad for Gary," said Retief Goosen, a fellow South African who played with Player during a practice round earlier this week. "He's such a great competitor, and he probably still believes he can win out here."

That's a bit of a stretch. Player is going to have enough trouble just sticking around for the weekend. He's currently tied for 72nd, 12 strokes behind leader Vijay Singh.

Player, who is making his 49th appearance at the Masters, hasn't made the cut since 1998.

While most of the old stars are long gone or headed that way - Jack Nicklaus joined Arnold Palmer outside the ropes this year - Player is determined to hang on. A physical fitness buff, he's not ruffled by ever-growing Augusta National.

The course is 7,445 yards this year, making it the second-longest for a major. The 2004 PGA Championship was played at the 7,514-yard Whistling Straits.

"He's such an inspiration to all of us," Goosen said. "Very positive, great character to be around and learn from him."

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HOMEGROWN TALENT: Vaughn Taylor grew up in Augusta, so the nerves were understandable when he made his Masters debut.

He had a bogey on his opening hole, another at No. 2 and settled down for a 75.

"It took me a while to get comfortable," Taylor said. "I was a little more nervous than I wanted to be."

Taylor is a two-time winner of the Reno-Tahoe Open who became eligible for the Masters by finishing in the top 40 on the PGA Tour money list a year ago. He is doing a diary for The Augusta Chronicle and seeing more friendly faces than normal, although he tends to walk with his eyes to the ground.

It wasn't his best, but it was a start.

"I hit a good shot on the first tee," he said. "You learn what your body feels like. You learn how to deal with it. Each time you go through, you get better at it."

Taylor played with Rocco Mediate, who shot 68 and was one shot out of the lead. Mediate hardly considers himself a veteran of Augusta National, although he offered sound advice.

"I said, 'Vaughn, a 7-iron still goes... 160 yards. There's no green jackets hanging in the trees. Just play golf,'" Mediate said. "He kind of laughed. You could tell he was a bit nervous. He didn't shoot a good score today, but that's fine."

Charles Howell III never figured it out, even though he grew up in Augusta and has been playing in the Masters every year since 2002.

Howell recently revamped the circle around him, switching swing coaches and sports psychologists. But he bogeyed five of his first six holes and wound up with an 80, his worst score in the Masters by four strokes.

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AMATEUR HOUR: The five amateurs at this year's Masters played like, well, amateurs.

U.S. Amateur champion Edoardo Molinari of Italy failed to make a birdie while playing with defending champion Tiger Woods and wound up with an 80. He was tied with British Amateur champion Brian McElhinney, who at least birdied the 16th.

Clay Ogden, the U.S. Amateur Public Links winner who beat Michelle Wie in the quarterfinals, took quadruple-bogey 8 on the ninth hole on his way to an 83, while U.S. Amateur runner-up Dillon Dougherty went without a birdie and shot 82.

U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Kevin Marsh was low amateur Thursday - no birdies in a 79.

Molinari had few complaints, spending the day before massive galleries while playing alongside Woods. The Masters traditionally puts the defending champion with the reigning U.S. Amateur champion.

"I was lucky to win the U.S. Amateur, and especially on the year I would play with Tiger," Molinari said. "It was really cool, and he was so nice. The most amazing experience I've ever had on a golf course. It beat my expectations by far."

The Masters awards a sterling silver cup to the low amateur, provided he makes the cut. It has been awarded each of the last three years, a streak that looks to be over.

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ROCCO TIME: Rocco Mediate hasn't been playing well the last two years as he copes with ongoing back problems.

He had to use a one-time exemption to keep his card last year, and a late surge allowed him to narrowly finish inside the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list. He's not the kind of guy anyone expected to see at the Masters.

Forgotten, however, is that he tied for sixth in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, his only top 10 last year. The Masters invites the top eight players from the U.S. Open.

Did anyone ask him why he was at Augusta National?

"Actually, they didn't," Mediate said after his 68, leaving him one shot behind Vijay Singh. "But I'd tell them, 'Just look at last year's U.S. Open,' and then they shut up."

Mediate said he wouldn't blame anyone for asking.

"I haven't played a lot of golf, and I've been hurt," he said. "That's all body related, not golf swing or golf game related. Because otherwise, I would have killed myself by now."

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DIVOTS: The last Masters champion to break 70 in the first round was Nick Faldo in 1976.... David Duval began using a cross-handed putting grip this week, although it didn't do him much good. He shot an 84.... Fred Couples opened with a 71 and is in good shape to continue his streak as the only Masters champion to have never missed the cut at Augusta National.... Thongchai Jaidee, the first Thai in 35 years at the Masters, shot 78.