Masters Round 1 Live Blog

Refresh this page throughout the day for live blog coverage of the 2020 Masters. The live leaderboard is available here, or under the live blog coverage below.

6 p.m. – Day 1 Photo Gallery

Check out some of the remarkable images from a wild first day at Augusta National. Click here to see the photos.

We’ll be back bright and early tomorrow for the completion of Round 1. See you then!

5:30 p.m. – Horn Sounds for Darkness

The remaining golfers on the course have received the darkness horn, and will be wrapping up their holes. We’ll have a final Day 1 recap shortly.

5:12 p.m. – First Round Continuation to Show on ESPN

ESPN just announced that they will televise the remainder of the first round starting at 7:30 a.m. Friday. So for those of you up early, you’ll have a chance to see these afternoon groupings finish off their first rounds.

4:45 p.m. – Justin Thomas Starts Strong

Maybe we spoke too soon, but Justin Thomas is making a strong play to climb the leaderboard as darkness is falling on Augusta National.

One of the later tee times, Thomas is now 4-under through 8. He had birdies on 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8. A bogey on 7 is his only blemish so far.

3:45 p.m. – Everybody Is Now on the Course

With a 3-hour rain delay this morning, it’s highly unlikely everyone will finish their first rounds today. But everybody has now at least played through one hole in their round.

That includes the No. 1 ranked golfer right now, Dustin Johnson, who made noise quickly with an eagle on the second.

Tiger Woods finished with the best opening round he’s ever played at The Masters, a 4-under 68.

3:20 p.m. – Paul Casey Sets the Pace at 7-Under

Quiet, confident, and mistake free. That was the first round for Paul Casey in the first round of his 14th Masters Tournament. Casey will likely be the overnight leader, as his 7-under, 65 is currently two shots clear of Webb Simpson and Xander Schauffele, who came in with 67s.

Of the remaining golfers on the course who will finish their rounds today, Tiger Woods is currently 4-under on the 9th (his 18th), and nobody else is better than 2-under.

2:40 p.m. – Tiger Pars the 5th Finally

Sorry for the lapse there, we needed to eat. While we were away, Tiger Woods did something he hasn’t done since Augusta National lengthened No. 5 – he got a par. In his championship run last year, he had a bogey in all four rounds. He’s now 4-under with four holes to play.

We also have some strong leaders in the clubhouse, as Webb Simpson (-5) and Hideki Matsuyama (-4) have finished their rounds with strong scores.

At the top of the active leaderboard, Paul Casey is quietly owning the course today. He’s now 7-under with three to play.

12:50 p.m. – And Here Comes Tiger!

Lee Westwood is making waves at 5-under (and not for nothing, he’d be the oldest Masters winner ever if it held up), but Tiger Woods is starting to get the imaginary roars going at Augusta National.

Woods nearly aced the par-3 16th, setting himself up for his third birdie in four holes. He’s now 3-under through 7. It’s worth noting that Tiger hasn’t had great first rounds at the Masters in a while.

12:15 p.m. – Scheffler, Schauffele Creating Name Game Near the Top

It looked like a typo on the leaderboard at first, but no, Scottie Scheffler is different from Xander Schauffele. For the Masters rookie Scheffler, he’s hoping you’ll know his name well by Sunday. A strong start for the first-timer at Augusta, as he’s birdied three of his first seven holes. And as we typed this, of course we jinxed him and he just bogeyed the 17th (his 8th hole).

The 2-under start for Scheffler puts him in a crowded group of nine golfers, including Schauffele, just one shot back of Lee Westwood, who is 3-under through seven holes.

Tiger Woods has his first birdie on the day, after pars on his first three holes. He birdied the par-5 13th hole and then battled back on 14 for a par.

And what of the aformentioned Bryson DeChambeau? Well, he made up for his double bogey on 13 by dropping birdies on 15 and 16. He’s now at even par on the 17th hole (he started on 10).

11:45 a.m. – Bryson DeChambeau Already Making Headlines

Bryson DeChambeau was considered a strong favorite going into this year’s tournament, and has made lots of news with his bulked up look and monster drives. But the aggressive golfer is already off to a rocky start in 2020. He’s had to take two provisional shots, and then on 13, things imploded. The par-5 hole he was supposed to be guaranteeing eagles on, gave him a double bogey in Round 1.

And his tee shot on the 14th… into the trees. Though a lucky bounce has him at least in the rough.

11:35 a.m. – Xander Schauffele Off to Hot Start

Last year’s Masters runner-up is off to a remarkable start in 2020, as Xander Schauffele has opened with three birdies to move to the top of the early leaderboard at 3-under.

Xander! Let's go!!

Per on-site @dgord_tweets:
Xander Schauffele is the first player to birdie each of his first 3 holes at the Masters since Webb Simpson in 2014. https://t.co/Ppw1RB3Ar7

— David Bearman (@DavidBearmanPFN) November 12, 2020">According to ESPN, he’s the first player to do that since Webb Simpson in 2014.

11:23 a.m. – 62-Year-Old Larry Mize Leads The Masters

It may not last, but at least for a brief moment here, Larry Mize is tied atop the Masters leaderboard at 2-under. He is 62 years old and won the tournament in 1987.

11:10 a.m. – Leishman Gets First Tournament Eagle

Marc Leishman erased a bogey on his opening hole with a beautiful eagle on the par-5 13th. Despite his first shot landing in the pine straw off the fairway, Leishman drilled his second shot to 11 feet and hammered home the putt for eagle. He’s now -1 for his opening round.

11:00 a.m. – Tiger Woods is On the Course

With a perfect tee shot on the 10th hole, the defending champion, Tiger Woods has started his 2020 Masters.

10:30 a.m. – Corey Conners Gets First Masters Birdie of the Day

With the sun poking through now at Augusta National, Canada’s Corey Conners got the first birdie of the 2020 tournament, as he came in with a 4 on the Par-5 second hole.

Conners put his opening drive perfectly left center, giving him a reachable green. His second shot was on the fringe of the green, where he chipped to about 4-feet with his third. That left him a tap-in par for the lead at the Masters.

Conners was in the opening group that started play just after 7 a.m.

10:22 a.m. – Play Has Resumed After Nearly 3 Hour Delay

Augusta National has announced play has resumed, and that all remaining tee times will be delayed 3 hours from their scheduled time. That will make for some interesting challenges in trying to get Round 1 completed today before dark. One of the joys of a November Masters.

9:01 a.m. – Relive Tiger Woods’ Remarkable 2019 Win

It sure seems like a lot longer than just a year and a half ago, but Tiger Woods was the 2019 Masters Champion. Take a look back at the remarkable run that led to his fifth Green Jacket.

https://kicks99.com/2020/11/08/2019-masters-recap-a-magical-return-for-tiger-woods/

7:38 a.m. – Play Suspended After Just 28 Minutes

The horn started sounding at 7:35 a.m. Thursday to halt play at The Masters.

Only a handful of players had started the first round.

https://kicks99.com/shows/masters/

A special thanks to our friends at Augusta National Golf Club.