Time and again, players walked off the opening hole at Augusta National Golf Club this week looking to make up ground.

Brett Wetterich, who shared the first- and second-round leads, hits to the No. 1 green. He bogeyed the par-4 hole and went on to shoot 77 on Sunday. (Chris Thelen/Staff)

The same was true Sunday as Tea Olive offered little Southern hospitality.

Of the 15 players who entered the final round within four shots of the lead, one recorded birdie (Luke Donald) and three carded pars (Rory Sabbatini, Retief Goosen and David Toms). John Rollins was one of a handful of golfers who parred the hole over the weekend.

"If you can make a par on the first hole, you know the second hole is reachable (in two)," Rollins said. "If you can get by the first hole with a par, you know you've got a good chance to start your round 1-under."

Doing so hasn't been easy. Since the tournament began recording statistics in 1942, this year marked the toughest on the opening hole. Players averaged 4.474 shots on the par-4 hole, eclipsing the previous high (4.414) set in 1998. It ranked as the second-hardest hole of the tournament, behind only No. 11 (4.509).

The 455-yard first hole, which plays slightly uphill and to the right, yielded just 13 birdies the entire week, five of them on the weekend. In the final two rounds alone, there were eight double bogeys and two "others."

Defending champion Phil Mickelson entered the final round four shots off the pace. On the first hole, he drove into the fairway bunker, hit the lip on the way out, knocked his third into the greenside bunker and left his fourth shot in the sand. He eventually posted a tournament-derailing triple bogey.

Retief Goosen hits out of the rough along the first fairway during the final round. He parred the hole and went on to a closing 69, good for a second-place tie. (Chris Thelen/Staff)

Jeev Milkha Singh became the fourth player in Masters history to record the hole's worst score. He posted a quadruple-bogey eight on Sunday.

Adam Scott, who recorded two double bogeys on the hole, said it's been tough to figure out. During one round, he hit 8-iron into the green and left a pitch mark.

"One day it's hard, one day it's soft," Scott said. "There's no consistency in the course setup at all. It's hard to predict what it's going to be."

The problem begins with the tee shot. Players have to hit their first shot 327 yards to carry the fairway bunker on the right side. But doing so became difficult on the final 36 holes with players encountering a headwind.

"It's been playing straight into the wind. It's been cold this weekend," Rollins said. "It's a long tee shot. It's hard to really get it on top where you can see what you're going after. You can see the flag, but you can't see the green. And that green's got a lot of contour for such a long iron."

Rollins hit a 3-iron approach into No. 1 green in the third round. On Sunday, he hit 4-iron.

Both days, he parred the hole.

Mike Weir, the 2003 Masters champion, bogeyed the hole during the middle two rounds but made par Sunday.

"I hit a good drive and still had 195 yards to the hole," Weir said. "And into the wind this morning it was a rescue club. It's almost like I need driver, 5-wood into that hole. It makes for a tough start.

"I think it's been into the wind every day. And then it's been cold. And then you've got the firmness of the green and around the green. It makes pitching around the green difficult."

Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.