From Cameron Smith’s bout of meals poisoning to Min Woo Lee’s damaged finger after a freak gymnasium accident, issues had already not acquired off to the very best begin for Australia’s contingent on the Masters earlier than the motion at Augusta even acquired underway.
However Smith was in a position to get better nicely after his tee shot on the par-three twelfth went into the water, recording a first-round one-under-par 71 to maintain himself within the body.
Though it was Cameron Davis who was the very best of the Australian bunch on the opening day, ending simply 4 photographs off the tempo and tied for sixth at three-under.
Davis dropped only one shot all day, a feat made much more spectacular by the testing circumstances that gamers confronted, with Sergio Garcia likening it to going “12 rounds with Mike Tyson”.
MASTERS WRAP: LIV star leads, Aussie shines in brutal opening spherical
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Masters Day 1: Full Wrap | 03:05
“I battled fairly arduous for it, however I felt truthfully fairly tidy across the golf course right now with the winds like this,” Davis stated.
“It was gusty. It swirled. It did all of the issues it usually does, however add one other 30 miles an hour to it.
“I’m very pleased with the way in which I plotted my approach round this place. I acquired the ball within the gap nicely, and yeah, strolling off with a sub-70 spherical right now seems like an enormous win.”
A locked-in Davis stated he was “not even paying consideration” to the leaderboard when requested what it was wish to be simply 4 photographs again from clubhouse chief Bryson DeChambeau, who fired a seven-under-par 65.
“It’s cliche, nevertheless it’s the one method to actually play a golf course like this. You may’t get forward of your self and begin chasing folks,” he stated.
As for Smith, who withdrew from final week’s LIV Golf occasion in Miami after one spherical as a result of meals poisoning, the 2022 British Open champion admitted it was lower than supreme preparation.
Nonetheless, contemplating these circumstances and the difficult climate circumstances Smith was glad to have completed one-under.
“I struck the ball very well and doubtless didn’t have my finest day with the putter,” he stated.
“It was fairly powerful on the greens, to be honest, anyway. Form of gusty and quick. Simply acquired slightly little bit of cleanup to do with the putter and ought to be good.”
Smith’s placing was nice on the third gap although, with the ball simply not dropping in what the Australian conceded was “in all probability slightly bit unfortunate”.
“12 was a little bit of a poor shot. It was only a little bit of a crappy quantity and didn’t actually decide to the shot. It’s only a powerful gap,” Smith added.
“It’s a troublesome again 9. It’s a troublesome golf course. It’s going to be a troublesome week. You’re going to get these.”
Smith shouldn’t be the one one who has had a troublesome week, with Lee battling by way of a damaged finger on Friday whereas additionally later revealing he was additionally coping with a bout of the flu.
Lee completed the day two-over par, though it might have been far worse after he began the spherical with 4 birdies on the opening six holes.
“Early on [I was] a bit nervy I assume. Didn’t actually get settled in after which I turned it on slightly bit in direction of the beginning of the again 9,” Lee instructed Fox Sports activities.
“… I’m really fairly pleased with the way in which I went on the market, once I made these 4 early bogeys I simply needed to stroll off the golf course and it felt embarrassing.”
Lee rebounded from the early setback to make par on 11 after which a birdie on 12 earlier than rolling within the 25-footer for eagle on the thirteenth.
DeChambeau leads as Masters begins | 00:52
“The eagle was particular,” Lee stated.
“I acquired slightly unfortunate on 14 however that’s how Augusta goes. I assume it form of acquired me off guard, just like the moist greens and gradual greens… our group couldn’t actually get our putts to the holes right now, so one thing that we are able to study off.”
Having missed the lower for final 12 months’s Masters, Lee stated it was “superior” to stroll round Augusta with extra fanfare after his success in 2023, which included a win on the Australian PGA Championship.
“It’s very cool. I assume I’m form of getting used to it slightly bit,” he stated.
“It’s particular. I imply, among the best locations on this planet.”
Australian rookie beginner Jasper Stubbs stated he was “fairly nervous” strolling on to the tee of the primary gap, happening to document an eight-over 80 on his maiden Masters spherical.
Stubbs conceded it was “tough” because the climate circumstances delayed his tee time, including it was a matter of waking up at 5am and once more an hour or so later to verify for updates.
Aussie Stubbs displays on first Masters | 02:17
“It was slightly annoying… however I believe my group and I did a great job of managing it,” he stated.
Stubbs will want a miracle to make the midway lower, though he stated he can draw on his expertise within the follow rounds to at the least put himself within the body.
“I’ll do my finest to nonetheless make the lower… we’ll simply attempt to have as low a spherical as we are able to tomorrow,” he stated.
Jason Day [E] and Adam Scott [+1] have been additionally impacted by the delay and should begin early to complete their rounds.