The Masters 2019: The best storylines from the first round at Augusta National

Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy have work to do

Not everything was sunshine and birdies on Thursday at the Masters. Augusta National might have been playing a bit softer than usual, but it’s still not an easy course to tame, especially if the game isn’t firing on all cylinders. That was the case for three of the biggest stars in the game.

They say you can’t win the Masters on Thursday, but you sure can lose it. That’s precisely what Jordan Spieth was trying not to do (as though anybody would try to blow a Masters opportunity). For weeks – months, even – he’s been working to get his game right, whether it’s physical, mental or some combination of the two. His tie for 30th at the Valero Texas Open last week was his best stroke play finish since the Dell Technologies Championship, and it felt like it might have been a step in the right direction. Surely a return to Augusta, where he has been otherworldly for his entire career, would be just what the doctor ordered?

Not so much, as it turned out. Spieth bogeyed two of the first three holes, including a lipped-out two-footer on the first. A birdie on No. 2 kept him at just one-over through three, but that was at least two back of where he needed to be. A brutal double bogey on the par-3 6th sent him to +3 for the day far too early, and he made the turn at +4 after a bogey on No. 9. I’m not about to completely jump off the Jordan Spieth bandwagon today, but if this Masters isn’t the turning point, I’m not sure what will be.

Spieth wasn’t the only top star who floundered a bit on Thursday, however. Justin Rose, a favorite to many ahead of the tournament with top-15s in his last five Masters, is tied with Spieth in 63rd place after an opening 75. Rose hit just 11 of 18 greens in regulation, along with nine of 14 fairways. The Olympic gold medalist didn’t make his first birdie of the day until the par-5 15th, but by then it was far too late to make any real moves. Both Rose and Spieth will likely need to shoot something in the 60s – at a minimum – on Friday to look at playing into the weekend.

Then, finally, there’s the curious case of Rory McIlroy. Pages could, and I’m sure will, be devoted to his continued hunt for the career Grand Slam, regardless of what happens tomorrow. But I’m a little bit concerned about this year’s edition, as entered as arguably the hottest individual player walking the Earth today. He shot a one-over 73 on Thursday, which is far from awful, but when a scorecard includes five birdies and six bogeys, you have to wonder what went wrong.

The simple answer is: a little bit of everything. McIlroy lacked control off the tee, his ball-striking was nowhere near as pure as it was all year coming in, and he putted poorly, especially with the softest conditions players will likely see until Sunday. He hit 11 greens, but just seven fairways, needing to scramble far too often to truly score.

“I just made too many mistakes,” McIlroy said. “That was the problem—and making mistakes from simple positions.”

He’ll have plenty of opportunity to right the ship on Friday, but facing a six-shot deficit to powerhouses like Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau is not an enviable task, not to mention the host of other stars and former Masters winners in between.

So there you have it. These are some of the biggest storylines that we’ll be watching on Friday at the Masters, and through the weekend, until the green jacket is awarded on Sunday night (we hope). The drama is as high as ever, and it’s only going to get better from here.