The Masters Live

Masters live blog: McIlroy in at 65; Yang also at -7

5:20: Two guys still out on the course who are in good position to a late surge: Barnes is at -4 through 15, and Quiros also is -4 through 11. They're tied for sixth.

5:17: Yang gets in trouble with a wild tee shot on 17 that puts him in the woods. He gets through the trees, but lands in a bunker with his second shot.

5:10: Mickelson needs a 10-footer to save par on 11, and he gets it. His tee shot into a bunker had him in trouble. He stays at -1.

5:04: Yang curls in another birdie on 16, from about 12 feet, to go to -7 and tie McIlroy for the lead. On Yang's last four holes, he has gone eagle-par-birdie-birdie.

4:53: Y.E. Yang is making a strong run at McIlroy's lead. Yang birdied 15 to get to -6, one shot behind McIlroy.

4:52: At the moment, the 99-player field has 30 under par and 16 more who are at even par.

4:50: Bubba Watson jumps into contention with an eagle on 12 that gets him to -3. Tom Watson is having a rough day, at 6-over through 14.

4:46: Mickelson gets his par on 10 and stays -1. Garcia bogeyed 18 but finishes at -3. Been awhile since he's been in the hunt at a major.

4:41: Mickelson has to shoot his way out of the woods with his second shot on 10, and does. Was fortunate to have a figurative tunnel through the trees that gave him just enough room.

4:36: Trevor Immelman eagles No. 15 to get to -2.

4:34: Schwartzel muffs a short par putt on 18 and ends the day with a -3 69.

4:29: Mickelson saved his par on No. 9 and remains -1.

4:23: Mickelson in trouble on 9. His approach shot hit the green but rolled way, way back down the severe slope. He made a par save in this same situation last year.

4:14: Yang is moving into contention now, at -5 through 15. Puts him alone in second, two shots behind McIlroy.

4:10: Here's what Tiger had to say to ESPN after his round: "I hit beautiful putts all day. Realistically, the round should have been 68 or 69." He added that he was "absolutely" pleased with his 71 and said, "I'm only six back."

4:05: Mickelson gets his first birdie of the day, on No. 8. Tiger got his par on 18, and finishes -1.

4:01: Tiger's birdie try from 7 feet on 18 goes substantially left.

3:56: Geoff Ogilvy is off to a good start, at -2 through seven holes.

3:54: Garcia stays at -4 with a par on 17. Birdie try from 14 feet was never on line. Geoff Ogilvy is off to a good start, a -2 through seven holes.

3:51: Tremendous approach shot on 18 for Tiger, from tough lie. Excellent chance for a birdie, from maybe 6-7 feet.

3:46: Tiger made his par on 17, and Mickelson had another as well on No. 7.

3:41: Great save by Tiger on 17, with a tough chip that leaves him a 4-footer for par.

3:40: Forgot to give you Goosen's finish. He bogeyed the final two holes to finish at -2, after being in solid contention at -5 at the turn. Meantime, Garcia pars again on 16 to stay at -4.

3:37: On 17, Tiger had to thread through trees on his second shot, and went well over the green. Could be tough to save par.

3:35: Mickelson looks a little grumpy after getting a sixth straight par to begin his round. Conditions are still excellent, but the wind has picked up a little, meaning that players who had later tee times will have to work harder for their birdies than the early guys did.

3:30: Garcia made par on 15 to stay at -4.

3:28: Kuchar makes a nice save from behind the green to leave himself a two-foot tap-in for par on 18. He finishes -4, and sits tied for second, three shots behind McIlroy.

3:24: Tiger's birdie try on 16 curls right about an inch from the cup. He taps in for a par that keeps him at -1.

3:20: Through his first five holes it has been all pars for Mickelson.

3:15: Tiger had to settle for par on 15, missing a short birdie putt. He's a little long off the tee on 16, but on the green. He's at -1 after putting together consecutive birdies on 13 and 14.

3:10: Three players are tied at second with -4 now. Coming on strong to get there is Sergio Garcia, with an eagle on 13 and a birdie on 14. Kuchar is also still at -4 through 17, and Yang is there through 10.

3:05: Mickelson still at even par after just missing a short birdie putt on 4. Tiger has a good chance to birdie No. 15, and nearly sank an eagle shot from the fairway. The 15th is one of the holes he has birdied the most at Augusta -- 38 times.

2:54: Kuchar bogeys 16, so now he's at -4 and still alone in second place.

2:49: Kuchar now sits alone in second place, with a birdie on 15 that gets him to -5, two behind McIlroy. Goosen's round has crumbled a bit, with bogeys on 16 and 17 that drop him to -3. That puts him in a pack of five tied for third. The others are Yang, Fisher, Snedeker and Schwartzel. Snedeker and Fisher are done for the day.

2:43: Tiger birdies No. 13 to get himself back to even par.

2:41: From our man Gary Mihoces, covering the tournament, an bedazzled by conditions today: "Temps in the 70s at Augusta National. Clear, blue sky. Hint of breeze. Calm water hazards look like mirrors, azaleas amazing. If not for the golf tournament going on, it would be a great place for an Easter egg hunt."

2:36: Phil Mickelson is on the course and is at even par through two holes.

2:34: McIlroy settles for a -7 round of 65 that makes him the leader in the clubhouse. He had a chance for one more birdie on 18, but couldn't sink a downhill 8-footer.

2:29: Kuchar also is at -4 through 16, for a two-way tie with Goosen for second.

2:27: Goosen bogeys 16 and tumbles back to -4, three shots behind McIlroy.

2:18: McIlroy taps in a 3-footer for par on 17 and stays at -7. Looks like he's going to get through the day without a single bogey.

2:15: Tiger pars the 12th and stays at 1-over.

2:12: Goosen birdied the 15th to drop to -5, two strokes behind McIlroy for the lead.

2:09: Tiger bogeys No. 12, and is 1-over. With the weather so good, and so many players likely to shoot in the 60s, he needs to get it going.

2:07: Germany's Martin Kaymer, ranked No. 1 in the world, still hasn't mastered the Masters. He's four over par after 12 holes. He had a double bogey on No. 10. This is his fourth Masters, and he missed the cuts in the past three. He changed up his routine this year and didn't play in the PGA Tour event in Houston last week. But that hasn't helped so far.

1:57: McIlroy pulls his birdie putt left and has to settle for par on 16. Stays at -7. Fowler, playing in the same group has made three straight birdies now, to get to -1.

1:52: On the 16th, McIlroy has just a 6-foot putt left for birdie.

1:50: McIlroy birdies the 15th and goes to -7.

1:37: Not a good start at the turn for Woods. He bogeys No. 10 and is back to even. As I recall though he shot 70 in 1997 when he won his first and 74 in 2005 when he won No. 4. That is something for his fans to hang their hats on.

1:30: McIlroy now -6. This could be over before Woods plays No. 10 and Mickelson hits the golf course.

1:24: For those of us who had given up on Goosen after bogey-bogey he just birdied No. 13 and is back to -4. A Goosen-Schwatzel weekend? They could talk of South Africa ruling the golf world. Perhaps Oosthuizen could join them.

1:17: If you have Charl Schwatzel in Vegas, he has just gone to -4. Let the dreams of big money begin. Schwatzel is from South Africa. If he wins we'd have two of three majors won by gentlemen from that country. Louis Oosthuizen tees off in about 15 minutes if you were wondering.

1:13: McIlroy lets one get away as his birdie putt rims out on No. 13. He might have become unreachable had that one dropped. Woods has made the turn at -1.

1:07: Goosen goes bogey-bogey to drop to -3. McIlroy now two strokes in the lead with Goosen, Fisher, Snedeker, and Kuchar chasing him. Amateur David Chung gave two strokes back but finishes at even par 72. Nicely done.

1:03: Irony abounds. Ian Poulter is -1 which ties him on the leaderboard with Woods. Would it not be sweet to see these guys paired up for the weekend? They could talk trash all day as Woods either gets into the top 5 or not. Karma baby.

12:59: Woods did not birdie the par 5, No. 8. That makes him 0-for-2 on the par 5s. That has got to improve.

12:55: Check that. McIlroy is now your sole leader as Goosen picks up a bogey. How brilliant is McIlroy? This is a guy who almost won last year's British Open after shooting an 80 in the second round.

12:52: On the par 3, No. 12., McIlroy's chip from just off the green came up inches short and he remains -5 and tied with Goosen. If McIlroy plays like this you can order him something in green.

12:42: McIlroy now has a share of the lead. He hit his birdie putt and has 14 putts through 11 holes. Haven't we all been there, done that?

12:36: Woods now -1 after seven holes. But No. 8 is a par 5. This is a must birdie hole.

12:30: Matt Kuchar now getting large and in charge. He joins McIlroy at -4 as they chase Goosen at -5. Your leader in the clubhouse is Ross Fisher who shot -3, 69. Sean O'Hair in at 70.

12:22: Sergio Garcia is now -3. Perhaps we can stop calling him the greatest golfer to never lead the Masters after the first round. Camilo Villegas started the round with a bogey and has since added another bogey and five birdies.

12:19: USA TODAY reporter Gary Mihoces has this from Augusta: In Masters with kids at play, 42-year-old Retief Goosen is 5-under thru nine. Goosen was born in 1969, the year of Woodstock, 20 years before the birth of Rory McIlroy. Well played Mauer.

12:17: Take cover the attack is about to start. Tiger Woods birdies No. 6. Ain't no stopping us now. We're in the groove, we're on the move. Get that man's jacket size.

12:14: Get Notah Begay III on camera more often. On the Golf Channel he described Mickelson as one of the few guys "to come out of his shoes" on every swing. Then added "and I love that." That is the kind of analysis that speaks to me.

12:11: Ross Fisher is heading to the 18th at -3. His card has three bogeys and six birdies. Fire and ice my friends. Goosen (-5) and McIlroy (-4) are your pacesetters.

12:07: News flash. Golf Channel reports Phil Mickelson will pack a 3-iron and only one driver not the two he had announced. I was never fooled.

12:06: All the analysts are pushing the fact that only two players (Crenshaw in '94 and Immelman in '08) have won after leading after the first round and going on to win. They have all said not to get too excited. Let me just say this, if I shoot -5 in the opening round I'm as excited as a little schoolboy. Shooting under par is never going to hurt you.

12:04: Woods has now played three par 4s, a par 3 and a par 5. He parred them all. We await the upcoming magic.

12:01: McIlroy is making his move. Now at -4 at the turn. Arnold Palmer predicted a young guy would win this year. Is Rory that guy?

11:56: Amateur David Chung is now -2. Folks, this dude could run away with this tournament. He'll get no money but at least he got to stay in the Crow's Nest at Augusta. Of course he'll have to chase Goosen who is now -5 with three birdies and an eagle through eight.

11:53: Just saw the Davis Love III ad that assures me he's comfortable in his own skin. Him, Magic Johnson, Bobby Hurley, John Thompson III, Stewart Cink. I've got to change my soap brand.

11:46: Woods now had four consecutive pars. That includes the par 5, No.2. He needs to start owning those again rather than renting. Fisher and Goosen remain the standard-bearers at -4. No one has made a real move in the past 30 minutes but that doesn't mean we can exhale.

11:36: Here is my new guy. Amateur David Chung is now -1 after 14 holes. He's tied for seventh. Somewhere Bobby Jones is smiling.

11:33: Woods is even after three and Fisher and Goosen remain at -4. Fisher was a house on fire with six early birdies. He has become steady since.

11:24: This DiMeglio tweet takes a load off my mind. Don't get excited if your Masters pick leads after 1st round. Since 1981 only Crenshaw (1984) and Immelman (2008) led after 18 and won.

11:13: Tiger Woods is now even through 2.

11:02: Arnold Palmer, who knows a little something about Augusta National, says he's looking for a young guy to win it this year. Is it too late to get a bet down in Vegas on McIlroy. And it you are interested, Tiger has parred No. 1 and off to the par5, second hole.

10:50: The Goose remains loose. Goosen has now tied Fisher at -4 at the top. And this note from my buddy Mr. DiMeglio: Goosen's hole-out at No. 1 is fifth eagle on the opening hole in Masters history. Last was made by Scott Verplank in 1987.

10:46: Let the excitement begin. DiMeglio tweets: TW stripes 3-wood off first tee to middle of the fairway. Already wearing green with sharp emerald shirt.

10:37: McIlroy and Goosen won't let Fisher out of sight. Both are -3 and trails by a stroke. McIlroy may be too young to know he's not supposed to be this good in his third Masters start.

10:34: Another birdie for Ross Fisher. He is now -4. This tournament could be over. He has six birdies in 11 holes. As we've said before he's taking a flamethrower to the place. Who ah!

10:32: Forewarned is forearmed. We are nine minutes from Tiger Woods approaching the first tee.

10:20: Rory McIlroy is now at -2. As the Eagles sing "21 and young as he could be." He and Goosen trail Fisher by a stroke. Speaking of newbies, amateur David Chung has made the turn at even par.

10:16: Whoa! This could get interesting. A tweet from MrAndrewCotter. Like at Turnberry in 09, Ross Fisher's wife is expecting a child & he doesn't know what he'll do if things 'happen' during the tournament.

10:07: Ross is the "Boss" cuz baby he was born to run. Fisher has five birdies on the front nine and leads at -3.

10:06: Here's a mixed metaphor that we love. Analyst David Feherty on the Golf Channel said Tiger is "the elephant in the room." Did say if he plays well "nobody else can win." Bold statement my friend.

10:05: Former Masters winners Ben Crenshaw and Mark O'Meara are now +3 and at the bottom of the board.

9:53: Ross Fisher gets his fourth birdie (with two bogeys) to tie Goosen at -2.

9:50: Add Greg Norman to the list of those who would be surprised if Tiger Woods had a top finish this week. Norman said on Golf Channel he like Woods' old swing better. He believes Woods truly believes in what he's doing but the process to get back on top is going to be a longer rather than shorter one.

9:46: Forget what we just said. Retief Goosen is at -2. Come and get him fellows. There had been one birdie on No. 1 and Goosen eagled the sucker. Folks that is a 450-yard par 4 that he finished in 2.

9:45: Fisher, Kelly, Slocum, Johnson, Clark, Baddeley and Havret are the guys to catch right now at -1.

9:36: Greg Norman speaking on Golf Channel said this will be the first year that Augusta National will play like they redesigned it. He says in the past its been "soft, long and cold" but conditions this year will be a true test.

9:31: Since this blogger picked him as 2011 Player of the Year, it gives me great pleasure to announce that Dustin Johnson is now with the leaders at -1. However, one of other favorites, V.J. Singh is now +1.

9:30: In case you ever get a chance to play in the Masters this is your guide to win it.

9:20: Spoiler alert. USA TODAY's Steve DiMeglio gives us the winner. My picks for the week: 1. TW. 2. Paul Casey. 3. Rory Sabbatini. 4. Philly Mick. 5. AK and Westwood.

9:19: Ross Fisher replaces Kevin Na (bogey No. 3) on the leaderboard. He is tied at -1 with O'Hair, Kelly, Overton and Clark.

9:13: Steve DiMeglio tweet: Tim Clark makes 1st birdie on No. 1 hole (of 21 players). Read why Tea Olive hole is so darn hard.

9:10: Quick look at the leaderboard shows Tim Clark joining O'Hair, Kelly, Overton and Na at -1. David Chung, the U.S. Amateur runner-up, remains at even after four holes.

9:02: Adam Scott, picked by some to contend this year is now +2 after his first hole. Yikes.

8:55: Kevin Na and Jeff Overton join Kelly and O'Hair at -1.

8:52: Tweet from Doug Ferguson of AP: Just heard that Luke Donald is going to donate $5,000 for every birdie this week to Japan relief efforts. No press announcement. #classy


8:45: Biggest name on the board is now Ben Crenshaw who parred the first hole. Crenshaw won this thing in 1984 and '95. O'Hair and Jerry Kelly are the leaders at -1.

8:36: Tweets Kelly Tilghman of Golf Channel: After hitting 1st tee shot, Jack Nicklaus now headed to Bahamas via Palm Beach to do some bone fishing. It was 25 years ago that Nicklaus reeled in the field.

8:36: Sean O'Hair is taking a flamethrower to the place. He gets first birdie and is -1 after three. Catch him if you can.

8:32: Byrd, Fisher, O'Hair and (amateur) Chung remain on top (even after two holes). Will be fun to see how long Chung can hang on the board. We take our fun where we can find it this early in the tournament. To answer the question you'll probably going to ask: Matteo Manassero of Italy finished 36th last year to be top amateur.

8:27: Nine players on the leaderboard and not one birdie among them. What is this Butler vs. UConn?

8:25: Memo to whistle-blowers. New rule says if error is revealed on TV and called in player will still take penalty but will no longer be DQ's for signing an incorrect scorecard.

8:19: The USA's David Chung is the leading amateur on the board after parring No. 1. Sandy Lyle, the 1988 winner, bogeys to start.

8:15: If you have two minutes, 41 seconds to spend, click here for Game On! bloggers arguing over whether Woods should be the favorite or not. We think you'll agree who won the argument.

8:06: The game is afoot. If you want to win the Masters you'll have to catch Jonathan Byrd and Sean O'Hair. Byrd and O'Hair parred the first hole and Fisher bogeys.

7:45: DiMeglio tweet: The Golden Bear still has it. A perfect drive, some 60-70 yards past Mr. Palmer. Both in the fairway. The Masters has begun. Estimates are 260-265 for Nicklaus.

7:41: ESPN is re-running segment showing how Tiger went from "the man" to just a man. Is there any better indication that El Tigre is about strike again. Andy North is picking Mickelson.

7:35: Almost ready for the balloon to go up. So take a minute for a graphic look at Amen Corner.

7:31: USAT's Steve DiMeglio tweets a tip: Pairings to watch: Mickelson, Ogilvy, Uihlein 1:48 pm ET; TW, McDowell, Allenby 10:41 am; McIlroy, Fowler, Day 9:24 am

7:27: Here are 41,000 words from USA TODAY photogs to add to the mood of Masters readiness.

7:21: USA TODAY's Steve DiMeglio makes us feel the excitement with this opening tweet. Forty minutes until Mr. Nicklaus and Mr. Palmer tee off the 75th Masters. And the weather, my followers, is PERFECT.

7:02: If you have two minutes, 41 seconds to spend, click here for Game On! bloggers arguing over whether Woods should be the favorite or not. We think you'll agree who won the argument.

7:00 a.m.: Jonathan Byrd, Ross Fisher and Sean O'Hair get this party started with a 7:45 a.m. tee time. Byrd's best finish is 8th and O'Hair's is a 10th.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/04/tiger-woods-phil-mickelson-rory-mcilroy-live-blog-masters/1


Live from the Masters: My main man Tiger Woods has a cough

Augusta – I walked the front nine with Tiger Woods, and not just because he was my No. 1 pick in the AJC Masters draft. About which, I probably should explain.

The AJC Masters draft is a tradition like no other. The late and much-missed Tom McCollister instituted it at the communal AJC rental house, wherever said house happened to be that year. Esteemed colleague Steve Hummer now serves as the torchbearer and draft poohbah, and he takes this responsibility very seriously.

(Mr. Hummer also cooks, and well. He prepared the steak and potatoes for our crew Wednesday. It’s the best meal I’ve ever had in Augusta, Ga.)

But enough about food. I drew the No. 5 position from the slips in Mr. Hummer’s NBC Sports cap. (The hat is multi-purpose: Mr. Hummer is wearing it as we speak. He’s two seats down, typing away on Mr. Ken Sugiura’s computers, Mr. Hummer’s first two computers — that’s correct; I said first two — having gone ka-blooey in the press room.)

The first four picks in the AJC draft: Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Matt Kuchar, Martin Kaymer. And then it was my turn, and I thought, “Can I really not pick Tiger Woods at No. 5?”

My answer: No. It would, I thought, be like not picking Kobe as one of your starting guards. And I’m reasonably certain that Tiger hasn’t gone any lower than second in any AJC draft since he first won the Masters in 1997.

So I followed my man for nine holes this morning and into the afternoon, and I wasn’t overwhelmed with my chances of winning this contest, either. He missed a lot of putts. He hit some bad shots. He was 1-under at the turn, and it was a 1-under that could have been 3-under or 3-over. But the day is young, even if I’m not.

More later on Tiger, who had, I should report, a coughing spell on the No. 9 green. Just my luck, I thought: Tiger Woods falls to me in the AJC Masters draft, and he’ll wind up being mastered by pollen.

http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2011/04/07/live-from-the-masters-my-main-man-tiger-woods-has-a-cough/?cxntfid=blogs_mark_bradley_blog


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