Robert TheodorsonThe first round of the 89th Masters is officially in the books, and LIV’s own Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton lead the way, each with a score of 69.
Perfect conditions led to a relatively competitive round, with golfers at the T27 position and below finishing at even par or better.
The LIV field made an early statement with Joaquin Niemann and Tyrrell Hatton climbing the leaderboard before noon. While Joaco gave up his hard-earned strokes on the back nine, Hatton was able to hold on, shooting a 69 for the day and staying on the leaderboard for the better part of the afternoon.
Unfortunately, the day didn’t go well for everyone. Phil Mickelson ended the front nine with a score of 3-over par. A late push to get back to even par ended in disaster with bogeys on the last two holes. Jon Rahm considered a favourite to win this year, struggled early and often and shot down the leaderboard rapidly.
The LIV Field: Stats, Results, What to Look for on Friday
Bryson DeChambeau
- Current Standing: T5
- Thursday Round Score: 69
- Birdies/Bogeys/Eagles: 7-4-0
- What to Watch for Tomorrow: DeChambeau will look to avoid a repeat of 2024 where he led the field after the opening round with a score of 7-under par but failed to have a day under par for the rest of the weekend.
Sergio Garcia
- Current Standing: T27
- Thursday Round Score: 72
- Birdies/Bogeys/Eagles: 2-2-0
- What to Watch for Tomorrow: It was an uneventful opening round for Sergio. The man playing in his 100th major championship was content with settling for par for the better part of the day, and considering the current standings, that will do just fine.
Tyrrell Hatton
- Current Standing: T5
- Thursday Round Score: 69
- Birdies/Bogeys/Eagles: 4-1-0
- What to Watch for Tomorrow: Hatton was nothing short of amazing, and for the longest time was the most visible name on the leaderboard amongst the LIV field. Hatton and DeChambeau will look to build on their strong opening rounds and put some space between themselves and the rest of the field.
Dustin Johnson
- Current Standing: T51
- Thursday Round Score: 74
- Birdies/Bogeys/Eagles: 2-4-0
- What to Watch for Tomorrow: What version of DJ will show up tomorrow? We hope it’s the one that holds the record for the best final score in Masters history.
Brooks Koepka
- Current Standing: T51
- Thursday Round Score: 74
- Birdies/Bogeys/Eagles: 4-6-0
- What to Watch for Tomorrow: Despite a disappointing Thursday, 2-over par was a relatively common score amongst the field. Expect Koepka to turn it around tomorrow and make the cut.
Phil Mickelson
- Current Standing: T63
- Thursday Round Score: 75
- Birdies/Bogeys/Eagles: 5-2-0
- What to Watch for Tomorrow: Phil had an awful start to the day with three bogies on the front nine. After birdieing the 14th and 16th it looked like Mickelson had finally righted the ship. That good work was undone by bogeys on the 17th and 18th.
Joaquin Niemann
- Current Standing: T27
- Thursday Round Score: 72
- Birdies/Bogeys/Eagles: 3-3-0
- What to Watch for Tomorrow: Niemann left several scoring opportunities on the table, narrowly missing a large number of birdie putts. The longer the day went on the more Niemann’s game unravelled. Will Niemann be able to read the green better on Friday? If so, he will put himself back on the leaderboard and give himself a decent shot at winning.
Jon Rahm
- Current Standing: T63
- Thursday Round Score: 75
- Birdies/Bogeys/Eagles: 2-5-0
- What to Watch for Tomorrow: As a favourite to win it all, Rahm will need to come out on Friday guns blazing and blow us all away with a truly special day.
Patrick Reed
- Current Standing: T11
- Thursday Round Score: 71
- Birdies/Bogeys/Eagles: 3-2-0
- What to Watch for Tomorrow: Reed’s 1-under par score is pretty characteristic of how he usually performs at Augusta. After Thursday, any golfer with a score under par should be considered a contender.
Charl Schwartzel
- Current Standing: T51
- Thursday Round Score: 74
- Birdies/Bogeys/Eagles: 1-3-0
- What to Watch for Tomorrow: Schwartzel was in good form for most of the morning, keeping even par until the 14th, when he gained a stroke to go over par and proceeded to do the same on the 15th.
Cam Smith
- Current Standing: T11
- Thursday Round Score: 71
- Birdies/Bogeys/Eagles: 2-1-0
- What to Watch for Tomorrow: Smith is sitting pretty right now despite the lack of scoring. Augusta suits Smith’s game perfectly, so we should not be surprised if a decent Friday leads to a surprise Top 5 finish before the cut.
Bubba Watson
- Current Standing: T11
- Thursday Round Score: 71
- Birdies/Bogeys/Double Bogey: 4-1-1
- What to Watch for Tomorrow: Bubba’s 1-under-par day was good enough to stay in contention considering the scores of the rest of the field. A nice performance on Friday would ensure Bubba makes his first cut at The Masters since 2022.
Around Augusta: The Biggest Happenings of Thursday Recapped
Best Round: Justin Rose 7-under par; 65 – His near-perfect day was marred by a bogey on 18.
Despite that, Rose will go into Friday with more confidence than anyone.
Worst Round: Nick Dunlap 18-over par; 90 – Dunlap’s 90 was the worst score for the opening round of The Masters in over a decade.
Biggest Positive Surprise: Bubba Watson – After not giving him a fair shake in the Masters Preview, the RangeGoats captain looked like his old self.
Biggest Shocker: Rory McIlroy – Sprinted out to a 4-under par score on the back nine and looked like he was gunning for Rose’s number one spot. Rory’s great round suddenly collapsed when he had two late double-bogeys.
Number One in the World: As expected, Scottie Scheffler was absolutely locked in from the get-go. While the top of leaderboard shifted throughout the morning, Scottie was a constant in the Top 5. In order to overcome the reigning masters champion, the leaders of the LIV field will need three near-perfect rounds, because it doesn’t look like Scheffler is about to have a bad day.
Overcoming Adversity: Xander Schauffele, winner of two major championships in 2024, looked to regain his form after a lengthy injury, shot 1-over par. All things considered, it was a topsy turvy day for Schauffele, only scoring par seven times over the course of the day.
Fountain of Youth: Fred Couples, at 65 years young, shot a 71 which included a hole-out eagle on the 14th.
The Amateur: Your surprise amateur of Thursday was Singapore’s own Hiroshi Tai. Tai shot 1-over par for a score of 73 and was the only amateur in the field to finish with a score of 1-over or better.
Don’t Look Now, But… I predicted Jason Day to finish in the Top 25 because something is special about this year. He currently sits in the T7 position, far surpassing anyone’s expectations.
Can DeChambeau or Hatton take the number one spot away from Justin Rose and surpass Scottie Scheffler? Will Joaquin Niemann manage an entire round as well as Thursday’s front nine?
Which golfer in the LIV field over par has the best chance to make a comeback and go deep into the weekend?
