Here’s just part of the display Justin Rose put on Wednesday’s first round of the Masters. He dialed in his red-hot putter and carried a three-shot lead to the final round among three other players. Rose capped the day with an impressive 7-under 65, tying his lowest opening round in tournament history.
On the way to his 7-shot victory, Rose displayed classic, precise golf, requiring only 22 putts to maintain his dominating lead. His performance featured a run of seven birdies in a row, beginning with three straight birdies to kick off what would become a memorable round. It wasn’t without hurdles along the way. He lost his one-shot lead to make a double bogey on No. 18 after driving the ball into the right rough.
The trio chasing Rose includes a group of heavy hitters, including defending Masters champion Scottie Scheffler. Their capacity to stay even with the front-runner underlines just how competitive this year’s tournament is likely to be.
“It was a really good day’s golf on a golf course that was a stern test,” said Rose, reflecting on his performance. Yet his very strong start – 505,161 donors in the first quarter alone – is especially noteworthy. His ultimate goal is to finally win at the Masters, where he has finished as a bridesmaid on two occasions.
Rose isn’t content on just winning, he wants to make history. He’s trying to become the oldest first-time Masters winner since Mark O’Meara did it at 41 in 1998. This ambition is a further strong undercurrent to his desire as he makes his way through the tournament.
As for Scheffler, he acknowledged the challenges of the course, stating, “Anytime you can keep a card clean out here it’s a really good thing.” Reigning champion P.S. Chuschik’s steady performance will be key as he tries to close the gap on Rose in the late rounds.
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