Are you at work or are the power outages keeping you from watching the Masters? La Presse offers you a summary of the highlights, and less glorious moments, of the first groups to take the start, Thursday morning.
He said it Tuesday in a press conference: the most difficult thing for Tiger Woods is not to hit the balls, but to move between each shot. Woods is visibly affected by the heat. He sweats. He sweats a lot. And this since the warm-up period. Every move seems difficult. He struggles to move. It is especially imprecise, especially on the greens, where it is extremely difficult. It’s at 2 after the front nine.
The weather conditions are likely to give many headaches to the organizers. Radars predict stormy weather Friday and Saturday. Augusta National employees are even preparing for the possibility of finishing the tournament on Monday or Tuesday. During this first round, the temperature gives more problems to the golfers. It is currently 26 degrees Celsius in Augusta. The mercury is expected to climb above 30 degrees by late afternoon. Many golfers already seem affected by the oppressive heat.
Let’s settle one thing right off the bat: Viktor Hovland’s polo shirt is sublime. The man in the flowery coat dominates this start of the first round. He is five under par after nine holes. His iron game is exceptional. He is aggressive, precise and regular. His game on the greens is also amazing. He even offered himself an eagle on the second hole. The Norwegian is in a class of his own and he seems to be controlling the conditions wonderfully.
Jon Rahm’s day started with four putts and a double bogey. Obviously, this was not the expected departure for the Spaniard. He recovered in a good way by chaining two consecutive birdies. His game on the greens recovered and he knew how to limit the damage. However, he seems disturbed by this catastrophic departure. He plays well, but not with his usual aplomb. He is at -1 after seven holes. His experience and efficiency still allow him to be among the leaders.
Schauffele amazes with his short game at the start of the tournament. His approach within feet of the cup on the fourth hole was exceptional. He also manages to stall long putts. There are few flaws in the Olympic champion’s game so far. His usual calm is beneficial to him. He is in control of the situation and he does what it takes to survive Augusta. He is at -2 halfway through.
A little in the shadow of his rivals, Cameron Young sneaks up the table. He got off to a flying start with three birdies on his first three holes. His tee shots are precise, his approach shots are consistent and his reading of the greens is excellent. He made a slight mistake on the sixth hole, but all in all, as is the case in major tournaments, Young is in the game and he plays without taking unnecessary risks. He is in third position at the halfway mark.