The wind direction was favorable, what little there was. The pins and greens weren't that difficult.

Co-leader Justin Rose celebrates after saving par on 18. The Englishman birdied six holes Thursday. (Chris Thelen/Staff)

But Augusta National Golf Club sure was in the first round of the 72nd Masters Tournament. The scoring average of 74.180 wasn't as high as the 76.195 on 2007's opening day, but it was still a stern test.

Just ask four-time champion and world No. 1 Tiger Woods. The game's hottest player couldn't break par and finds himself four shots off the lead of Englishman Justin Rose and South Africa's Trevor Immelman.

Rose, who played his final 13 holes in 6-under, shot 4-under-par 68, as did Immelman.

Brandt Snedeker's bogey on the 18th hole cost him a share of the lead. That left him with 69 and tied for third with Lee Westwood and Masters rookie Brian Bateman, who birdied the 18th hole.

Westwood, playing his final two holes at dusk, bogeyed No. 17 to drop out of the lead, then parred the final hole.

Five golfers are at 70, including defending champion Zach Johnson and England's Ian Poulter, who had a hole-in-one on the 16th hole. The others at 70 are Robert Karlsson, Jim Furyk and Stephen Ames.

There isn't much of a "major" presence at the top of the leaderboard. Of the top 10 players, only Johnson and Furyk have won major titles.

Rose's name is familiar at the top of the first-round Masters leaderboard. This is third time he has been a first-round leader in his four appearances. His best finish is a tie for fifth, last year.

Rose has plenty of company among first-round leaders who didn't finish it off. The last first-round leader to win the Masters was Ben Crenshaw in 1984.

Still, Rose has become a more consistent golfer in the past year -- "I turned into more of a four-round player," he said -- which bodes well for the rest of his week.

Co-leader Trevor Immelman of South Africa acknowledges the crowd after saving par on No. 17. Immelman shot 4-under Thursday. (Michael Holahan/Staff)

"He's been playing some fantastic golf for a long time now," Immelman said. "He seems to be comfortable with himself and his game and his standing in the game, so I expect him to contend in majors."

Rose, the ninth-ranked player in the world, would be the first European to win here since Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999. But Rose isn't thinking about that.

"I think there's enough pressure without having to pile all of the pressure of a whole continent on your shoulders," Rose said. "I think we are all out there for ourselves.

"I don't mean that badly, but I mean, I'm out there because I want to win the tournament. It would be nice, because obviously, historically, the 1980s and 1990s, we had a great run here, the Europeans."

Gary Player, playing in his record 51st Masters, is the only South African Masters champion. Ernie Els and Retief Goosen have both finished as runner-up twice, but Immelman, who is ranked 29th in the world, is the country's best hope so far. Goosen shot 71 on Thursday, and Els had 74.

The flamboyant Poulter sent a charge through the gallery when he made the 19th ace in Masters history and the 11th on No. 16.

It was witnessed by a huge gallery, thanks to a new seating area cleared to the left of No. 16.

Poulter said the "massive" reaction had the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.

The last ace in the Masters came in 2005 on No. 16 and it was made by Immelman, who is Poulter's good friend and neighbor in Orlando, Fla.

Immelman, Poulter and Rose had a productive trip to Augusta National on the weekend of March 28-29 for practice rounds.

Tiger Woods reacts to his tee shot on No. 12. Woods bogeyed twice but eagled No. 15 to finish at even par for the first round. (Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff)

"It was kind of like three kids going to your favorite golf course playing golf," Immelman said. "It was an awesome couple of days."

Now the three have combined to go 10-under in the first round.

"It's a great coincidence; I hope we keep it going," Immelman said.

Woods, who had 72, needs to win here to keep his Grand Slam dream alive. He turned his day around with a chip-in eagle on No. 15. He had just bogeyed two consecutive holes after shooting par on his first 12. He shot par, which means he's gone his past 34 holes in the Masters without a birdie. He does have two eagles during that stretch.

"I hit a lot of good putts, but nothing really went," said Woods, who had 28 putts but hit only 11 greens in regulation. "I didn't get anything going my way today and played better than my score indicates. I just had to stay patient out there, and I ended up OK at even par."

Johnson was 3-under for the day through 16 holes but bogeyed No. 17 and shot par on 18 for his 70. It was the lowest first round by a defending champion since Phil Mickelson's 70 in 2005.

"I was anxious," Johnson said. "I mean, I was ready to go. I was ready probably last week.

"It's one of those things where I just couldn't wait to get started. I mean, I wanted to put last year behind me and start playing again. I don't get first-tee jitters on tour much. I can't remember the last time I did, but I had them here on 1. I had them here on 2."

Even with some tees moved up because soft fairways weren't running, Augusta National showed plenty of teeth Thursday.

On a day that started with a one-hour fog delay but turned into one with perfect scoring conditions, it was hardly a raucous day on the course. About the only roars through the pines were the ace by Poulter on No. 16 and Woods' chip-in eagle on No. 13.

"The way the golf course plays now, you don't shoot low scores here anymore," Woods said. "There's really no roars out here because it's hard to make eagles and the big birdies."

The course was so difficult that Poulter called his 70 "probably one of the best rounds of golf I've ever played."

It was still an easier day than last year's first round when the scoring average was 76.195.

"It was totally different; it played much easier today than it did last year at this time," said 2007 first-round co-leader Brett Wetterich, who had 73 on Thursday, four shots higher than his 2007 opening score.

"I don't think it's going to continue to be like this," Wetterich said. "I think it's going to keep getting firmer and the greens are going to get harder and faster. It's definitely going to get harder out there. I'm going to go out there and try to make as many pars as I can and make a few birdies hopefully coming in."

"It's about as easy as it's going to get," said Peter Lonard, who shot 71. "It's a tough track. Four or five yards out on your line into the holes, and all of a sudden you've got 40-, 50-, 60-foot putts. That's the sort of course it is."

Rose knows the setup could become more exacting.

"They're keeping the golf course on the easier side of tough and see how the guys score," Rose said.

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