2016 Masters: Thursday Birdies & Bogeys

Birdie -- Jordan Spieth

The kid's numbers at Augusta National get more ridiculous by the day. In his first nine rounds at the Masters, Spieth is now 29 under, including an opening-round, bogey-free 66 on Thursday. To outside observers, his game might not have been crystal-sharp coming into the week. But any questions regarding the 22-year-old's title defense were answered, and answered with vigor, on Thursday. -- Stephen Hennessey

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Bogey -- Ernie Els

Or should we say, quintuple bogey? That's what Els posted on the first hole at Augusta National, highlighted (lowlighted?) by six putts, all within three feet of the cup. The nine tied for the highest score on Tea Olive in Masters history. Worse, Els' struggles didn't end there, three-putting from 25 feet -- including a missed three-footer for birdie -- on No. 2. Sadly, this is not the first time Els has battled putting woes, notoriously missing a gimme at the Dunhill Links last fall. Here's hoping Els can put this nightmare behind him. -- Joel Beall

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Birdie -- Ernie Els

Players of lesser fortitude would have withdrawn, citing a bad back or flu-like symptoms. But Els carried on, showing what it means to be a professional, even playing the final 14 holes in two over. Els will still miss the weekend, yet his example of grit will serve as a teachable moment long after this tournament has finished. All hail the Big Easy. -- JB

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Birdie -- Jason Day's front nine

The world's No. 1 player picked up where he left off at the WGC-Match Play, making a mockery of Augusta National's front nine with three birdies and an eagle. Heading into No. 10 at five under, one could be forgiven for imagining the absurd. Will the Aussie break the course record? Is anyone better than Day when he's at his best? Will he win all four majors this season? For a few hours, it looked like the tailor could start fitting the 27-year-old for the green jacket. -- JB

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Bogey -- Jason Day's back nine

After navigating holes 10-14 without harm, Day proceed to bogey the 15th, put one in the drink for a triple on the 16th and made a mess of things on the 17th for, yes, another bogey. Day finished with a 41 on the side, and sits six strokes behind Spieth heading into Friday. -- JB

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Bogey -- Rickie Fowler

After an opening-hole double bogey, Fowler was able to bounce back with birdies on three of the next four holes to post a 36 on the front. The second nine, however, was a different tale. Fowler took a triple-bogey 8 on the 13th -- statistically, the easiest hole at Augusta National -- and put one in the water on No. 16 for a double. Fowler finished with 44 on the back and will need a lights-out Friday round just to make the cut. Given he was expected to contend for the green jacket, it was an extremely disappointing performance from the No. 5 player in the world. -- JB

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Birdie -- Honorary Starters

It wasn’t entirely "just like old times," but there was still something special about seeing the trio of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player on the first hole to kick off another Masters. Any disappointment in Palmer passing up on hitting his tee ball was tempered by the enthusiasm of his former rivals in picking up the slack. Of course, Palmer could have sat there eating a pimento cheese sandwich and we would have given him a standing ovation. That the three men were together again in Georgia on a crisp Thursday morning was really all that mattered. -- Ryan Herrington

Photo By: Dom Furore

Bogey -- Steven Bowditch

You have to feel for Bowditch. He won the 2015 Byron Nelson and was a member of the International Presidents Cup team last fall, but things have gone south for the 32-year-old this season. Suffering through wrist and dental issues, Bowditch came into the Masters failing to break 80 in six of his last 10 rounds. His first day at Augusta didn't go much better, turning in a 79 on Thursday. -- Joel Beall

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Birdie -- Rory McIlroy

Even without a win, McIlroy has shown flashes of brilliance this year. That was on display Thursday as he eagled the 13th and birdied the 15th to put the Northern Irishman two off Jordan Spieth’s lead. But bogeys at the 16th and 18th dropped McIlroy to two-under 70 on the day. It was a disappointing finish, although McIlroy is still within reach of the career Grand Slam provided he can avoid the mistakes that have cost him this year. -- SH

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Birdie -- Bryson DeChambeau

Expectations for amateurs and first-timers at the Masters are usually low. Only on rare occasions have amateurs like Ken Venturi made a run at the lead, like he did as an amateur in 1956. That’s what made DeChambeau’s first round, which began with him striping his opening tee shot past the defending Masters champion, so impressive. The U.S. Amateur champion didn’t make a bogey until the 15th hole, playing most of his round in red numbers. His even-par total leaves the 22-year-old with a solid shot at making the cut. Coming into the week, DeChambeau was confident that he’d be a factor in his first turn around Augusta National. His game was as sound as (almost) anybody's on Thursday. -- SH

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Bogey -- Patrick Reed

If you’re wearing a belt at the Masters that has your own face on it, you better show up to play. We’re talking about Patrick Reed and his "Shush" belt, and unfortunately for Reed, he didn't back up the fashion statement. There were no disastrous mistakes, but a host of three-putts and a lack of birdies translated to a four-over 76. Sitting miles off the leaders' pace, it was Augusta National that "shushed" Reed on Thursday. -- Keely Levins

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Birdie -- Paul Casey

Group mates Jordan Spieth and Bryson DeChambeau received most of the attention and air time, yet Casey more than held his own at Augusta on Thursday. The Englishman had six birdies on the day, and didn't let back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12 submarine his round. Casey has three top-10 finishes at the Masters, including a T-6 last year. Don't be surprised if he hangs around the leader board this weekend. -- JB

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Birdie -- Justin Rose

The good news for Rose? He’s off to another fantastic start at Augusta National. The bad news? He’s still chasing Jordan Spieth. A year after tying the Masters record for lowest score by a runner-up, Rose opened with 69, but trails the defending champ by two shots. Still, the 2013 U.S. Open winner looks like a lock to make an 11th consecutive cut at the Masters and a pretty safe bet to contend again. -- Alex Myers

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Bogey -- The 12th Hole

As in "Augusta National’s famed par 3 produced a lot of bogeys on Thursday." At 155 yards, its the shortest hole on the course, yet it played the fourth-most difficult, more than two-tenths of a stroke higher than its historical average. Tricky with any sort of breeze, the hole wreaked havoc on a windy day, leading to just six birdies and 25 scores over par, low-lighted by David Lingmerth’s triple bogey. Said Justin Rose after his round that on a windy day, “It might not be the toughest hole scoring-average-wise, but No. 12 is the one you don’t necessarily look forward to, for sure.” -- AM

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Birdie -- Shane Lowry

Did anyone have him picked? The No. 32 player in the world is sitting tied for second place after the first round of the Masters. How'd he do it? One big factor was his iron game. He hit 83 percent of the greens compared to the field average of 60 percent. He was throwing darts like it was late night at a pub. He also kept big mistakes off the card, with his only error a lone bogey at the 12th. Play like that is going to hold up at Augusta every time. The Irishman tees off at 10:54 Friday. -- KL

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Bogey -- Adam Scott

The 2013 Masters champion became a Masters favorite after he won in back-to-back weeks at the Honda Classic and the WGC-Doral. Maybe if the Masters was played in early March, Scott’s game would’ve been sharper. An opening-round 76 put the Aussie way back of the pace set by Spieth. It wasn’t the flatstick that hurt Scott, either: He hit only six of 14 fairways and nine of 18 greens. Around Augusta National, that’s not going to cut it. —SH

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Birdie -- Danny Lee

Following a breakout campaign in 2015, Lee hasn't done much of merit this season, posting just two top-25 finishes in 12 events. That looks to change after a promising Thursday at the Masters. Lee recorded six birdies, and though his iron play wasn't particularly inspiring, a creative and proficient short game kept Lee afloat. Lee may not have the distance of his fellow competitors, but if his putter keeps rolling like it did in Round 1, watch out. -- JB

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Bogey -- Bubba Watson

Watson stood at two under when he walked up to a routine three-foot par on the 11th hole. But the putt didn’t scare the hole, and Bubba immediately looked up and motioned to the sky, as if a gust of wind had just pushed the ball away from the cup. The round continued to get away from Watson after that, playing the last eight holes in five over. Every Watson struggle seems to be magnified by his body language, and Thursday at the Masters was the latest example. -- SH

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The Genesis Invitational

2016 Masters: Thursday Birdies & Bogeys

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Birdie -- Jordan Spieth

Bogey -- Ernie Els

Birdie -- Ernie Els

Birdie -- Jason Day's front nine

Bogey -- Jason Day's back nine

Bogey -- Rickie Fowler

Birdie -- Honorary Starters

Bogey -- Steven Bowditch

Birdie -- Rory McIlroy

Birdie -- Bryson DeChambeau

Bogey -- Patrick Reed

Birdie -- Paul Casey

Birdie -- Justin Rose

Bogey -- The 12th Hole

Birdie -- Shane Lowry

Bogey -- Adam Scott

Birdie -- Danny Lee

Bogey -- Bubba Watson

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