The first eagle of the week! Sam Burns, from the centre of the downhill par-five 2nd, creams an iron from 209 yards to 11 feet, using the camber of the green to gather his ball in from the centre to the pin back-right. He rolls in the putt, and the 29-year-old from Louisiana, who led the US Open after 54 holes last year, joins Ollie at the top of the Leader Board.

-2: Olazabal (7), Burns (3)
-1: Homa (8), Kitayama (4), Knapp (2), Taylor (2), Lowry (1), Reed (1)

Mixed news for Aaron Rai at yesterday’s Par 3 Contest. The 31-year-old from Wolverhampton, who tied for 27th last year on debut, won it, with six birdies for a round of 21, finishing one stroke ahead of Jacob Bridgeman and Johnny Keefer. The only problem, of course, is that nobody has won both the Contest and the Tournament itself in the same year. But which Par 3 winner has come closest to Masters glory four days later? We spoil you …

Runner-up (lost in play-off): Raymond Floyd (1990)
Runner-up: Chip Beck (1993)
Fourth: Arnold Palmer (1967)
Tied fourth: Ben Crenshaw (1987), Luke Donald (2011)
Tied fifth: Tom Watson (1982)

The weather is set fair all week. Temperatures in the low 70s on Thursday and Friday, heating up into the mid 80s during Saturday and Sunday. There’s no rain expected on any of the four days, something that’s not happened at the Masters since 2011, and so the course will almost certainly get even more lively than usual. Springy fairways. Firm and fast greens. Some swirling wind. As a result, length might not be such a deciding factor this week, bringing a lot of the shorter hitters into the equation. Good news for the likes of Brian Harman, Collin Morikawa, Zach Johnson … and Brian Campbell, the shortest hitter on the PGA Tour in 2025, with an average drive of just (!) 278.4 yards. The moral? Don’t get hung up on distance, kids. Campbell won twice on Tour last year, while Harman, Morikawa and Johnson have five majors between them.

The first amateur to make a mark this week is Jackson Herrington. The 19-year-old from the University of Tennessee is making his first major-championship start, having finished runner-up in last year’s US Amateur. That’s often a springboard to success at the Masters: previous runners-up in the US Amateur to become Low Amateur at Augusta National include Ben Crenshaw (1973), Patrick Cantlay (2012), Doug Ghim (2018) and Neal Shipley (2024). Herrington has this morning carded birdies at 2 and 4, achievements bookended by bogeys at 1 and 5. He’s going along nicely at level par.

At some point today, someone will need to throw a consoling arm around Carlos Ortiz’s shoulder. Especially as he’s been here before, kind of, shooting 82 on his debut round in 2021. Perhaps they should remind him of the struggles of Nick Dunlap just last year. The 22-year-old Dunlap shot an opening day round of 90, a full 18 shots over par. He bounced back on Friday with a staunch round of 71, the best round-to-round improvement since Craig Wood shot 88-67 in 1936 … and Wood went on to win the Tournament in 1941, so these stories can have happy endings. Not that it’ll feel like that right now.

While we’re on the subject of blowouts, spare a thought for poor Carlos Ortiz. The 34-year-old Mexican is making just his second start at the Masters, and his first since 2021. A tie for fourth at last year’s US Open at Oakmont shows the man has proper major-championship game, but Augusta National is capable of besting any man, and Ortiz has suffered a nightmare start. A drive into the creek down the left of 2. A fluffed splash out of a fairway bunker at 5. He’s started 5-7-5-4-6, a run of three bogeys and two doubles. At +7 through 5, he’ll already be wishing he was back in the clubhouse, and a par at 6 to snap that disastrous run won’t do much to help his mood.

It’s also the 30th anniversary of this. Oh Greg.

As Chas and Dave so nearly sung, it’s lucky for Jack Nicklaus when the year ends in six. This year marks the 60th and 40th anniversary of two of his wins at Augusta, and by happy chance we’ve previously covered two of those in the in-depth retro style. If nothing else, these articles should fill in some spare time while we’re waiting for the big guns to come out. Don’t forget to come back.

It may be very early doors, but for now, the old guard are in charge! Jose Maria Olazabal, winner in 1994 and 1999, rolls in a 15-footer for birdie on 2, then a big right-to-left swinger on 3, and the 60-year-old Spaniard leads the Masters! The only other man in red figures during these early moments? The 2009 winner Angel Cabrera, also with birdie at 2. Take a snapshot, because it won’t stay like this for long.

-2: Olazabal (3)
-1: Cabrera (3)

News of another Masters debutant. Naoyuki Kataoka is making his major-championship debut at the age of 28, having earned his place by coming from seven strokes back in the final round to win last year’s Japan Open. That’s a prestigious prize won in the past by Jumbo Ozaki, Isao Aoki, Hideki Matsuyama and Seve (twice). Kataoka now has the distinction of making the first birdie of the week, at the par-five 2nd, steering in a 20-foot left-to-right swinger. That gave him the lead, briefly, though he went on to make a mess of the 3rd, failing to get up the bank at the front with his approach, then toppling off the back of the green with his next effort. Double bogey, and welcome to Augusta National.

The first shot of the Tournament proper was hit by the 25-year-old Masters debutant John Keefer. He split the fairway at Tea Olive like Gary Player and Tom Watson before him. However he went on to miss a five-foot putt for his par and so registered the first bogey of the week as well. As for the first double bogey … that misfortune befell the 2025 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Adrich Potgieter. The 21-year-old South African zig-zagged his way down the 1st before blading a wedge through the green and into a gathering of startled patrons. He couldn’t get up and down from beside the bleachers at the back of the hole, and it’s very easy to do this at Augusta National. Hey, if Rory can do it on Sunday with everything on the line, then anyone can.

The Honorary Starters. Gary Player, who won this title in 1961, 1974 and 1978, took the first of the ceremonial tee shots down the 1st hole, Tea Olive. The 90-year-old sent his drive down the middle before performing a high kick that would be beyond many men half his age.

The 86-year-old Jack Nicklaus – the record six-time winner of 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975 and 1986 – was up next, and showcased some sharp punditry skills. “Oh boy, watch out, and I don’t mean that facetiously,” he told the assembled patrons before sending a wild hook down the left. No high kick from the Golden Bear, who merely chuckled to himself.

Finally the 76-year-old Tom Watson, winner in 1977 and 1981, took his turn. He spotted that Nicklaus had left his tee stick in the ground. “May I use your tee?” Watson asked. “It’s why I left it,” Nicklaus replied. Watson striped his drive down the middle.

A combined 252 years, 140 Masters appearances and 11 Green Jackets between them. We’ll miss them terribly when they’re gone.

With the important stuff out of the way, let’s turn our attention to the Tournament. Here’s our other man in Augusta, Ewan Murray, with the big preview of the first Masters without either Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods since 1994.

Four long, lovely days stretch out ahead of us. No need to be racing out there first thing, let’s grab a spot of breakfast out on the porch. Here’s what our man in Augusta, Andy Bull, has plumped for. Iced Tea and one of the famous Egg Salad sandwiches. That’ll be $3.50 please. You have a nice day, now.