Koepka, Rahm and Hovland share early lead at Masters

Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland share early lead at Masters

Brooks Koepka watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

Staff Writer

April 6, 2023 7:41 PM PT

AUGUSTA, Ga. — On a day of red numbers and red flags, Jon Rahm got the worst out of the way early.

The world’s third-ranked golfer four-putted the first green at the Masters on Thursday for a double-bogey before playing the next 17 holes at nine under par.

That was good enough for a seven-under 65 and a share of the lead with Brooks Koepka and Viktor Hovland under foreboding skies at Augusta National.

“If you’re going to make a double or four-putt or anything, it might as well be the first hole, 71 holes to make it up,” said Rahm, who hit every fairway and 17 of 18 greens. “After that, it was more, I was focused on the fact that all the strokes were good. The reads were good. The roll was good.”

Cameron Young and Jason Day were two shots off the lead in one of the better opening-round scoring days in Masters history.

Cooler temperatures are in the forecast, as is rain, which would make potential comebacks even more difficult.

“Obviously we don’t know how bad it’s going to get, but I tend to think that it’s easier to make up some ground on the easier days,” Hovland said. “So if you start with a really low round and it gets very difficult, it’s kind of easier to protect the score a little bit compared to if you’re five, six, seven shots back, it’s really difficult to make up that much ground if this place is playing very difficult.”

Tiger Woods, four years removed from his fifth Masters victory, frequently winced in pain in his round of 74, his three birdies failing to offset his five bogeys.

Collin Morikawa of La Cañada Flintridge is in a tie for 13th at three under.

It was a brilliant day for U.S. Amateur champion Sam Bennett, who played a bogey-free opening round — the first amateur to do so since 1991 — and is in a cluster at four under that includes defending champion Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, as well as major winners Shane Lowry and Adam Scott.

Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

“It’s been incredible,” Bennett said. “Dream come true to be able to tee it up at Augusta playing the Masters. I’m soaking it all in.”

An issue that has been percolating for months is the inclusion of LIV Golf players in the field, and Koepka’s strong opening round keeps that story line at center stage. But only six of that upstart league’s 18 players were under par in the opening round.

“We’re still close with these guys, still see them,” Koepka said of his friends still on the PGA Tour. “A lot of them down in Jupiter [Fla.], so you see them quite a bit. I mean, nothing new. Probably about maybe 10 guys I just haven’t seen or communicated with.