Augusta (United States) (AFP) – Patrick Reed eagled two of the first eight holes to seize a one-stroke lead in Thursday’s opening round of the 90th Masters as defending champion Rory McIlroy battled at level par. Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, curled in a 56-foot eagle putt at the par-five eighth hole after a birdie-eagle start and had his best nine-hole start in 13 Masters appearances to stand on five-under par at the turn at Augusta National.
The 35-year-old American, who jumped from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf in 2022 but did not re-sign with the Saudi-backed series this year, won in Dubai and Qatar and was second in Bahrain in DP World Tour events earlier this year. He launched his bid for a second green jacket with a six-foot birdie putt at the first hole then holed out from 27 feet for eagle at the second, which kept him no worse than tied for the lead until his eagle at eight.
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England’s Tommy Fleetwood, last year’s US PGA Tour Championship winner, sank a 13-foot birdie putt at the ninth to reach four-under and trim Reed’s edge to a single stroke. Fleetwood, seeking his first major crown, was on three-under after birdie putts from six feet at the second hole, 27 feet at the third, and 24 feet at the par-three fourth.
World number two McIlroy, trying to become only the fourth back-to-back Masters winner, was on level par through seven holes without landing in a fairway. The five-time major champion from Northern Ireland pitched to three feet and tapped in for birdie after finding trees off the second tee but left a nine-foot par putt hanging on the edge to bogey the third.
Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 and 2024 US Open champion, was also on level par through eight. World number one Scottie Scheffler, a four-time major champion, launches his quest for a third Masters crown in five seasons in the penultimate group. Spain’s Jon Rahm, the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters winner, is another late starter on the firm and fast layout.
A pack on two-under, three off the pace, included Americans Sam Burns, Akshay Bhatia, Brian Campbell, Sam Stevens, and Canada’s Nick Taylor. Campbell opened with three birdies, making a four-foot putt at the first, a 21-footer at the second, and a 36-footer at the third. China’s Li Haotong had the early clubhouse lead after firing a one-under 71. World number 10 Xander Schauffele, the 2024 British Open and PGA Championship winner, sent a tee shot into a spectator’s souvenir bag but recovered to make par on the hole.
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