Augusta National: Hogan takes the virtual Masters opening lead

Round One of the virtual Masters is in the books. Let’s take a look at what happened during the opening round at Augusta.

In a virtual Masters tournament pitting many of the greatest players in golf history, it only makes sense that the man known as the most mechanical, and least emotional, of them all would best withstand the enormous pressure.

Ben Hogan, who through his brilliant career was hailed, and sometimes criticized, for his emotionless on-course demeanor delivered an almost inhumanly smooth 64 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead in the Virtual Masters.

Hogan was a picture of his flawlessly repetitive self at Augusta National during the opening round of the 72-hole virtual tournament. Alone among the 52 former Masters champions in the field, he navigated Augusta’s layout without a single bogey. His card displayed an intimidating 10 pars accompanied by eight birdies.

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As he did when at his best, Hogan made it look effortless. Gaining comfort with the format as he proceeded methodically along, Hogan navigated the opportunistic six-hole stretch between No. 12 and No. 17 in five-under-par, resulting in a back nine of 31 that set him apart.

By day’s end, that stretch of brilliance gave Hogan a one-stroke lead over a pair of multiple champions, Sam Snead and the surprising Horton Smith. Snead, who spent most of his career battling Hogan for Major championship glory, eagled the par-five 2nd and 13th holes on the way to his 65.

Snead appeared poised to seize the first-round lead, besting Hogan by two strokes on the front nine and carrying a three-stroke lead to the 12th tee. That’s when Hogan unleashed his birdie string. Still, Snead retained a two-stroke lead until his pulled iron found the pond left of the green at No. 16, saddling him with a costly double bogey. Hogan’s own iron came to rest eight feet from the cup and as he had most of the back nine he rolled that putt home for a birdie to move into the lead.

Those errors cut into Snead’s otherwise sterling round containing six birdies in addition to that pair of eagles.

Smith, who won the inaugural Masters in 1934 and repeated in 1936, found the course still to his liking all these years later. He birdied the first hole, eagled the 8th and 13th, and closed with birdies on each of the final three holes for his 65.

Smith’s two stumbles came via bogeys at the par-three 6th, where his approach found a bunker, and the 14th.

Four players came home in 66 to tie for fourth. They were Bob Goalby, Ralph Guldahl, Phil Mickelson and Cary Middlecoff. Four more, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Jimmy Demaret and Henry Picard, finished one further stroke behind at five-under 67.

Among the 10 favored players entering Thursday’s opening round of this virtual tournament, the average score was four-under 68. None of the 10 recorded an over-par round, and the only even par was posted by 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth.

Five-time champion Tiger Woods suffered through an uncharacteristically uneven day on his way to his 70. His birdie at the opening hole was one of four he would record during the round. But he partially offset those due to his sporadic play on the par fives, holes he normally takes full advantage of.

On the second, Woods’ drive found the trees left and he was forced to play out, settling for a bogey six. He also bogeyed the par-five 13th, driving onto the pine straw right of the fairway and sending his approach from that uncertain lie trickling into Rae’s Creek. Eschewing a penalty stroke in favor of playing the partially submerged ball, Woods followed an indifferent recovery pitch with a three-putt.

Other notable first-round scores included Jack Nicklaus, 69, Gary Player, 69, and Tom Watson, 71. With three rounds yet to be played, all left themselves within striking distance of Hogan’s lead.

The quality of this all-time field, consisting entirely of former Masters champions, was so stellar that only 17 of the 52 entrants turned in over-par scores. A few, however, found the challenge to be a stiff one. Trevor Immelman saddled himself with eight bogeys and a double at the 15th, offset by only a pair of birdies, on his way to an 80.

Two-time champions Bernhard Langer and Bubba Watson, as well as Craig Wood, all took 79. Another two-time champion, Jose Maria Olazabal, bogeyed two of the first three holes on his way to a 78.

As might be expected in such an elite field playing an elite course, the competitors produced exceptional shots seemingly on command. Goalby’s 66 included an ace on the par-three 6th when his approach touched down just three feet away, clanged the flagstick and fell in.

Goalby doubtless had the day’s strangest round. In addition to his ace at No. 6, he eagled the 18th hole, slamming home a seven-iron from the iconic uphill fairway. He also eagled the par-five second hole, and produced birdies on both the back nine par 5s.

But he partially offset all that spectacular shot-making with bogeys at the fifth and at the normally easy par-five 8th.

His hole-out at 18 was one of a half dozen eagles at par fours. Here’s the list:

George Archer, third hole, on his way to a 70.

Tommy Aaron, fifth hole, on his way to a 68.

Zach Johnson, also at the fifth hole, on his way to a 72.

Doug Ford, ninth hole, on his way to a 72.

Craig Stadler, 17th hole, on his way to a 74.

For the most part, the field avoided saddling itself with big numbers. But there were occasional lapses. Within moments of each other at the daunting par three 12th, first Spieth and then Olazabal found Rae’s Creek, emerging with triple bogey sixes.

Those were two of the day’s five triples, the others made by Craig Wood when he failed to escape the front bunker at the par-three 4th, Bernhard Langer at the 7th, and Miguel Angel Cabrera, who went bunker-to-bunker-to-bunker at the home hole in concluding his 76.

Here are the cards of the three leaders plus a few of the other notables in the field:

Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 — Total

Par 4 5 4 3 4 3 4 5 4 4 4 3 5 4 5 3 4 4 — 72

Hogan 4 5 3 3 4 3 3 5 3 4 4 2 4 3 5 2 3 4 — 64

Snead 4 3 3 3 3 2 4 6 3 3 4 3 3 4 5 5 3 4 — 65

Smith 3 5 4 2 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 3 3 5 5 2 3 3 — 65

Mickelson 4 5 5 3 4 2 3 4 4 3 4 3 3 4 5 2 4 4 — 66

Palmer 4 5 4 3 4 2 3 3 6 5 4 2 4 3 4 4 4 3 — 67

Nicklaus 4 5 5 3 4 3 3 4 3 5 4 2 5 4 5 2 4 4 — 69

Woods 3 6 4 3 4 3 4 4 3 4 4 2 6 4 5 3 4 4 — 70

Here is a full list of first-round scores.

Player Frt Back Tot. Par

Ben Hogan 33 31 64 -8

Horton Smith 33 32 65 -7

Sam Snead 31 34 65 -7

Bob Goalby 33 33 66 -6

Ralph Guldahl 31 35 66 -6

Phil Mickelson 34 32 66 -6

Cary Middlecoff 33 33 66 -6

Jimmy Demaret 33 34 67 -5

Byron Nelson 34 33 67 -5

Arnold Palmer 34 33 67 -5

Henry Picard 32 35 67 -5

Tommy Aaron 32 36 68 -4

Gay Brewer 36 33 69 -3

Fred Couples 35 34 69 -3

Jack Nicklaus 34 35 69 -3

Gary Player 35 34 69 -3

Adam Scott 35 34 69 -3

Vijay Singh 37 32 69 -3

George Archer 34 36 70 -2

Mark O’Meara 33 37 70 -2

Tiger Woods 34 36 70 -2

Seve Ballesteros 36 35 71 -1

Charles Coody 36 35 71 -1

Ray Floyd 35 36 71 -1

Sandy Lyle 38 33 71 -1

Tom Watson 34 37 71 -1

Fuzzy Zoeller 35 36 71 -1

Ben Crenshaw 37 35 72 E

Doug Ford 34 38 72 E

Zach Johnson 35 37 72 E

Larry Mize 39 33 72 E

Charl Schwartzel 36 36 72 E

Jordan Spieth 36 36 72 E

Danny Willett 35 37 72 E

Ian Woosnam 39 33 72 E

Jack Burke Jr. 35 38 73 +1

Bill Casper 37 36 73 +1

Nick Faldo 39 34 73 +1

Sergio Garcia 41 33 74 +2

Herman Keiser 39 35 74 +2

Gene Sarazen 37 37 74 +2

Craig Stadler 42 32 74 +2

Claude Harmon 38 37 74 +2

Patrick Reed 38 37 75 +3

Art Wall Jr. 36 39 75 +3

Mike Weir 38 37 75 +3

Miguel Angel Cabrera 39 37 76 +4

Jose Maria Olazabal 37 41 78 +6

Bernhard Langer 40 39 79 +7

Bubba Watson 39 40 79 +7

Craig Wood 39 40 79 +7

Trevor Immelman 40 40 80 +8

Tune in tomorrow for the second round results from the virtual Masters, where we see if Ben Hogan can hold his lead.