2017 Masters: Charley Hoffman Sets Record For Lowest Round in Tournament History
In a tournament steeped in history, Charley Hoffman set a record on his way to the first-round lead at the 2017 Masters.
The Masters Tournament, to quote famed broadcaster Jim Nantz, truly lives up to its moniker of “a tradition unlike any other.” As they have for so many years, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player opened the tournament with their ceremonial tee shots, and honored their friend, the late Arnold Palmer.
A somber beginning soon gave way to the excitement of the year’s first major, and mere hours later, Charley Hoffman had his name on top of the leaderboard, and in Masters lore.
Hoffman got a later start to the day, teeing off at 1:08 PM with Chris Wood and Yuta Ikeda. He began his trip around Augusta slowly, bogeying the par-4 third and fifth holes, but bouncing back with birdies on the par-3 fourth and sixth.
From then on, Hoffman never looked back. He rounded out the first nine with birdies on the eighth and ninth, then kept the heat on after the turn. A birdie at No. 12 moved him into serious contention, and four in a row beginning on No. 14 brought him in at 7-under-par 65.
It wasn’t just good for a four-shot cushion, it was the lowest round in Masters history, besting Ken Venturi’s opening-round 66 in 1956!
Hoffman has been here before, and knows what’s in store.
In 2015, Jordan Spieth truly claimed his place among golf’s elite class when he won his first green jacket. The young, budding superstar went wire-to-wire that year at Augusta, but for most of the first 72 holes, it was Hoffman chasing him.
That year, Hoffman wound up fading down the stretch. The UNLV alum made the cut with sole possession of second place behind Spieth, but a 71 on Saturday left him at 10-under, six shots back of the lead.
Very few players in history could have matched what Spieth did that year. Worse, Hoffman’s putting went ice cold on Sunday. A final round of 74 dropped him into a tie for ninth place. Not a bad showing, especially when you consider it was just his second Masters appearance, but still not what he wanted.
Lessons learned, Hoffman knows he can see this through.
Hoffman battled through some tough weather conditions on Thursday, with strong winds swirling around the course keeping just 11 invitees under par. With an earlier tee time set for Friday, he knows he has his work cut out for him.
The good news? His confidence at Augusta is still sky-high.
Sure, it’s easy to say Hoffman got lucky. You don’t beat the average score at Augusta by ten strokes unless you’re lucky, Tiger Woods, or both. Thursday, Hoffman proved he was completely prepared for the moment.
Hoffman arrived at Augusta with top-five finishes in two of his last four PGA Tour starts. Despite struggling to find a groove most of this season, he has proven to be capable of firing off birdies in bunches.
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At Bay Hill three weeks ago, Hoffman finished tied for second largely on the heels of 12 birdies against just two bogeys the first two rounds, coasting in at level par for the weekend. He led the field in putts per green in regulation. The only thing missing was the ability to hit enough greens.
That was certainly not a problem on Thursday, as he navigated the hills and pines with surgical precision. He found only seven of 14 fairways for the day, but Augusta National is a shot-maker’s course. Avoiding significant trouble for much of the day, Hoffman reached 14 of 18 greens in regulation, and three putted just once.
“For lack of any better words,” he said in his post-round interview, “it was a dream.”
Hoffman still has plenty of work to do, though. As the old saying goes, you can’t win the green jacket on Thursday, but you can definitely lose it.
Next: 2017 Masters Dark Horses
Charley Hoffman didn’t win yet, but he’s in the driver’s seat. One down, three to go. Will Rory kick in today or will another dark horse emerge from the pack?