Masters 2025 round one: as it happened

There’s been a great piece of analysis by Paul McGinley on Sky Sports. McGinley identified the long wait that he had before he played his third at the 15th — the shot that started his downfall. That was a three-minute wait, standing over his ball, and as McGinley said, McIlroy is a fast player. Maybe that explains it; nothing can undo it.

Oh dear. Rory McIlroy’s good work has been undone as another double bogey at the 17th puts him back on even par.

Three birdies in four holes has put Bryson DeChambeau in joint-second place on four under with two holes remaining.

How costly will this be? Rory McIlroy’s double bogey at 15 sends him from joint second to joint sixth on two under par.

Disaster for Rory McIlroy on the 15th. His third shot on the par five was a chip onto the green but it was hit with too much pace and rolls past the hole and into the water.

The final hole of Justin Rose’s day ends with a bogey — the only one of his round — but he has plenty to smile about. He cards a round of 65 and is seven under, three shots clear of second place.

Rory McIlroy had the chance for a birdie which would have moved him into sole possession of second place but has to make do with a par.

Justin Rose makes par at the 17th. He is still four shots clear of the field with one hole to go.

Rory McIlroy makes a simple birdie putt to move to four under. He is now joint second, four shots behind leader Justin Rose.

Owen Slot, Augusta

Can someone please invent something to measure the bounce in Rory McIlroy’s step? To gauge his confidence levels, we need a bounce-o-metre. The greater the bounce, the better he is feeling about himself and his game. And right now, walking towards an eagle putt on 13, three under par and another par-five yet to come, I’d say his bounce-o-metre reading would be pretty much near max.

Justin Rose extends his lead to four shots with a birdie at the 16th, putting him on eight under.

If Rose holds on, he will have led or co-led the Masters after the first round five times, the most in the competition’s history.

The US amateur champion José Luis Ballester urinated in Rae’s Creek during his first round at the Masters.

Playing alongside world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, the Spaniard was caught short after playing his third shot on the par three 12th. Instead of using the nearby toilets, he decided to go in the famous creek.

Read what he had to say about the incident here.

Justin Rose looked in a spot of bother at the 15th after his second shot was wide of the green but he has still managed a birdie that puts him on seven under, three clear of second place.

Both Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm have reached the turn at two over. Wyndham Clark’s double bogey at the 9th means he is now on one over par.

Bryson DeChambeu is through the first nine holes on two under. He has four birdies and two bogeys so far.

Rory McIlroy follows up his birdie on the 8th with another on the 9th. That puts him on three under, level with Tyrrell Hatton, in fourth.

A birdie at the 8th moves Rory McIlroy to two under.

Justin Rose still leads on six under after making par at the 12th and 13th. Rose has led or co-led after a Masters round seven times in his career, most of any player in tournament history without a win.

David Walsh, Augusta

The Masters is an elite golf tournament and Augusta National one of the most exclusive clubs on the planet. Perhaps surprisingly, there is also an egalitarian side to the tournament. Imagine one of
the world’s most famous athletes, Cristiano Ronaldo for example, decided to come to the Masters. He would have to watch from outside the ropes. The patrons, as the Masters committee call the fans, are treated as equals. No exceptions.

There is no corporate balcony down at Amen Corner, no corporate marquee by the 18th green, no way for money to get you a better view. So even the wealthiest must bring their trainers and do the walking. Occasionally you will notice famous people along the way.

Some years back I bumped into Alan Shearer by a crosswalk on the second hole. We’d met before. He said hello but with sunglasses and hat, I didn’t recognise him. Seeing my awkwardness, he said who he was and all was good.

As Rory McIlroy was beginning his first round in this tournament, Bijan Robinson was waiting halfway down the first fairway. Robinson is a running back with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL. One website rated him the 15th best player in the NFL in the season just passed. Robinson walked with a friend and though there were many who recognised him, he stood where they stood, saw what they saw.

The defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, starts his quest for a third Masters title with an opening round of 68. That puts him level with Corey Connors in second place, two shots behind Justin Rose.

Phil Mickelson is no stranger to success at Augusta, having won the Green Jacket three times, but he has ground to make up after finishing his first round on three over par.

Rory McIlroy is one under after the 7th, which puts him joint tenth.

Justin Rose is now two shots clear of the field after another birdie on the 10th. What a day for the 44-year-old Englishman.

Will Sergio García win the Green Jacket? If so, it will clash with the outfit he is wearing today, which makes him look like a member of a Formula 1 team.

Justin Rose was not joint leader for long. He is now on five under, a shot clear of Tyrrell Hatton and Corey Conners, who has completed his round.

Justin Rose is off to a fantastic start and is four under after eight holes. That puts him at the top of the leaderboard with Tyrrell Hatton and Corey Conners.

Owen Slot, Augusta

I’ve just returned from Amen Corner feeling slightly bad about my earlier comments about Nick Dunlap. I was earlier celebrating his struggles on the 1st and 3rd. I mean, non-pro golfers enjoy seeing the big boys screw up — at least that was where I was coming from.

At some point, though, empathy kicks in and this was the case on Amen Corner, where Dunlap went into the water on the 11th and then managed the same on the 12th. Double bogeys on both, a broken man. I left him after the 12th and by the time I’d got back to the press room to report his epic demise, he’d gone bogey, bogey on 13 and 14. At the time of writing, he is 13 over. Apologies Nick, it must be hell out there.

Owen Slot, Augusta

Staying on top of your emotions is one of the obvious lessons. Keep your anxiety contained. Look serene above the water and hide how desperately fast you are paddling underneath.

It was lovely, then, to see Min Woo Lee on the 12th, the tee which tends to generate the greatest anxiety. Nice drive from Lee, centre left of the green, and then he just turned away and gently punched the air. You could see the stress slipping happily from his shoulders. It is rare that players allow you to see that.

Rory McIlroy recovers from finding a bunker at the par-five 2nd to sink his putt for par.

Meanwhile, a birdie at the 12th means Tyrrell Hatton is now leading.

There’s a change at the top of the leaderboard as Collin Morikawa’s eagle at the 13th moves him a shot ahead of Scottie Scheffler.

It has been a nervy start for the penultimate group as Tommy Fleetwood’s wayward drive at the 1st followed Jon Rahm’s effort, which landed in a bunker.

Rory McIlroy has to settle for par at the opening hole after his birdie attempt is just short. Meanwhile, Justin Rose is off to a good start, as he is three under after five holes.

Rory McIlroy is about to tee off in his latest attempt to complete the career grand slam and also end his 11-year major drought.

Rick Broadbent spoke to Bob Rotella, the sport’s top psychologist about the pressure that is on the 35-year-old.

“Rory is certainly one of the most intelligent, thoughtful and well-read people in the game of golf,” Rotella says. “He has also had a lot of people believe in his talent from a very early age. That’s better than having people tell you that you stink, but it brings high expectations. Talk to Padraig Harrington and he is very intelligent, thoughtful too, but he had different expectations — Padraig had to deal with himself when the whole world was not telling him he was supposed to win.”

• Rick Broadbent: How Rory McIlroy can beat his demons — by golf’s top psychologist

Brooks Koepka — who is about to tee off — sees golf differently to most of the peers he is facing Masters. The public perception has sometimes been of a blunt, one-dimensional figure balanced by the chips on both shoulders, borderline bored, vaguely contemptuous. He admits “leaning into the villain’s role”, but says he uses soundbites to motivate himself rather than the media.

Hence, he believes it when he says he thinks he can get to ten majors and points out he “wasn’t wrong” when voicing his major-winning equation — from 156 players he would naturally beat half; half of the rump would not play well; pressure would get to some of the remainder; only about 20 players could possibly stop him.

• Brooks Koepka: Rory’s never been in a fist fight. Shane? Probably a few

Owen Slot, Augusta

Question: how mean-spirited is it to take active pleasure from watching the best players in the world playing the kind of common garden crap shots that you or I might manage ourselves? You can decide for yourselves, but I don’t mind admitting the joy it gives me to witness successive players failing to find the fairway off the first. I mean, is there actually a wider fairway anywhere in the game?

My favourite player so far today has therefore been Nick Dunlap. He’s got all my shots, starting with a hook off the 1st. Even better was on the 2nd, when it seemed that someone had hit a monster drive down the middle. Then Dunlap arrived, it was his ball, the product of a monster slice off the 3rd.

David Walsh, Augusta

One of the joys of walking around Augusta National is that, occasionally, you will come upon a stray ball. This one sat sadly to the right of the second fairway, short of the fairway bunker that catches its fair share of balls. It was a Titleist 2 with a black line and as the Securitas officers ushered us back, we waited to discover its owner. Eventually, Bob MacIntyre came our way, took one glance at his ball and thought: “this isn’t an issue.”

The lie was bare and the cavernous bunker was 20 yards directly in front of him. But the Scot had a clear line to his lay-up area and didn’t think twice about pulling the 3-wood from his bag. When club golfers see a professional play a 3-wood off a bare lie, it’s the moment they fully understand the difference between those who can and those who can’t really play.

MacIntyre crushed his 3-wood, getting it to precisely where he intended. His chip from 40 yards off the green came to rest three feet from the hole. He made the putt for birdie. MacIntyre played nicely for six holes but a double bogey on the 7th, caused by missing two short putts, was a serious setback.

Max Homa finished tied-third at last year’s Masters to move inside the world’s top ten but 12 months on the tearful American is in the midst of a disastrous slump. Having not made the weekend of a tournament with a cut since the Open last July, he has just started this year’s Masters having plummeted from ninth to 81st in the world. The former world No5, a fan favourite in America, will be praying for a change in fortunes at Augusta this week.

• Angus Oliver: How tearful Max Homa slumped from world’s elite to ‘toxic relationship’ with golf

Rick Broadbent, Augusta

The crowds are packed around the 1st tee at Augusta where people are swigging morning beers — like airports there is no concept of time here — and trying to get a glimpse of a raised club above the heads of a ten-deep throng.

They were missing a treat really by failing to head out early and following some of the old stagers. Foremost among them is Bernhard Langer, playing in his 41st and final Masters. He was deftly plotting his way around the course, using clubs other players do not need, but sitting pretty at one under par after his opening nine holes.

Langer is cutting quite a dash too. “This guy’s a stud,” said one enthusiastic fan behind the 1st green. In striking red and black garb, he also has his son, Jason, on the bag that features a gold plate marking every one of his appearances. Let’s hope he makes the cut and gets a fitting tribute on Sunday night.

Teeing off midway through the field a short while ago alongside Bubba Watson, the two-times champion, and Matthieu Pavon, the Frenchman, was an associate portfolio manager who works in an investment firm in Washington DC.

Evan Beck used to brush shoulders with the likes of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth on the US college circuit. Now he gets the chance to play at Augusta years after giving up professional golf.

Up ahead, Rai continues to lead with some big names in the chasing pack: Niemann, Scheffler, the 2015 champion Spieth, and Tyrrell Hatton are all on two under.

• Evan Beck: the Masters amateur who works for investment firm

Owen Slot, Augusta

I got a bit lucky this morning as I chose to follow Joaquin Niemann. A few weeks ago, Phil Mickelson claimed Niemann to be the best player in the world. That seemed like the kind of punchy comment that Mickelson likes to come out with these days, but given that Niemann is three under after four, maybe it’s not so outrageous after all.

He is a lovely player to watch. I’d like to say languid but then I’m going to get stuck into using clichés about Latin athletes and in no time I’ll be claiming that he was cha-cha-cha-ing his way to the top of the leaderboard.

What I can say for sure is that he is clearly very composed and is approaching the first round here without apparent fear. He seems to be taking on shots that some might dial back on at this stage. His second into the 2nd, cutting such a fine line round one of the bunkers guarding the green, was a case in point. Tricky pin position on four? No problem — just aim straight at it.

The double-gloved Rai has just made birdies at the 7th and 8th to take an outright lead on four under ahead of Germany’s Stephen Jaeger. That’s exactly what European captain Luke Donald will be wanting to see as he mulls over his team before this September’s Ryder Cup.

Scheffler played a delightful chip at the short par-four 3rd yet only made par — but he makes up for a short miss by draining a stunning 62ft putt for birdie at the par-three 4th. The defending champion then pipes his tee shot at the 5th straight down the middle. He means business.

Nicolai Hojgaard is having an extraordinary round. He began three over after two, then made five birdies in six holes, and has now made bogey at the 9th, double bogey at the 10th, and has just found Rae’s Creek at the par-three 12th. A really disappointing turn for the Dane after that miraculous recovery. Rai and Niemann lead on three under with Scheffler predictably looming in the chasing pack.

Ángel Cabrera, the 2009 champion, is about to tee off in the Masters for the first time since serving 30 months in jail for charges including domestic assault.

Cabrera warmed up in good fashion by winning a PGA Tour Champions event, the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational, in Florida on Sunday.

Fred Ridley, the chairman of Augusta National, said Cabrera, who was released from jail 20 months ago, would be welcomed back as a “true champion”.

• Angel Cabrera: Augusta welcomes back domestic abuser

Bob MacIntyre has just played a beautiful chip at the par-five 2nd to get into the red, a low bump from the front-right of the green that bounced a few times, checked, then released exquisitely up to the hole.

A simple four-foot putt takes him to one under. Joaquín Niemann, the No1 ranked golfer on LIV Golf, is in the group behind and has made birdies at the opening two holes to join the early leaders on two under.

The players could hardly have hoped for more receptive conditions on day one at Augusta National. There is not a cloud in sight and hardly a breath of wind.

Scottie Scheffler is the obvious man to beat and he has just started his first round after winning the Green Jacket in 2022 and last year, the latter with a four-shot victory over Ludvig Aberg.

The American’s form this season has been slightly below his lofty standards after he impaled his hand on a wine glass while making ravioli on Christmas Day, but he equalled the course record in the Houston Open two weekends ago before finishing tied-second.

The 28-year-old opts for a 3-wood at the 1st and smokes his tee shot straight down the middle, continuing as he left off last year in exemplary fashion.

Having been three-over par after two holes, Nicolai Hojgaard has taken the lead on two under after a run of five birdies in six holes. An astonishing recovery from the Dane.

Also setting the early pace on two under is 2007 champion Zach Johnson, Chris Kirk, amateur Noah Kent, and Englishman Aaron Rai. After rising to world No28, this is Rai’s first Masters appearance and he is pushing hard to be included in this autumn’s Ryder Cup in New York.

Tom Kershaw

After 12th and 23rd-place finishes at the Masters, Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre — who has just teed off alongside Billy Horschel and Nick Dunlap — is a credible outsider in the eyes of the bookmakers, and a stronger contender in his own.

“I’ve had decent finishes this year [three top-tens in his past five starts]. I like my chances anywhere in the world. I don’t care whether it’s in Oban or Augusta, I’m a big believer that, when I’m playing good golf, I’ve got as much of a chance as anyone of winning that Green Jacket,” he told The Times.

• Bob MacIntyre interview: Whether Oban or Augusta, I’m good enough to beat best

Will Zalatoris. Remember him? The American almost stunned the entire field when runner-up on his Masters debut in 2021, he finished in a tie for 6th the next year, but then had to withdraw before the 2023 tournament after pulling his back out on the driving range.

The American then had back surgery and finished tied-ninth last year, meaning he has never finished outside the top ten at Augusta National. He has fallen to world No66 having once ranked seventh, but has piled on 20lb of muscle, has not missed a cut since August and his ball-striking is an excellent fit for managing the severe undulations of this course.

Nicolai Hojgaard, who made a horror start by losing three shots in the opening two holes, has meanwhile made three straight birdies to move back to level par.

Owen Slot, Augusta

I’ve just come out of the press conference with Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson that they stage annually after the three of them have done their duties as honorary starters. You never know what you’re going to get in this one.

It started with Nicklaus being asked his thoughts before his drive on the 1st this morning. He replied by saying that his three concerns were that he didn’t trip over on the walk to the tee, that he didn’t fall over when putting the tee in the ground, and that he didn’t kill anyone with his shot.

It was interesting that when they were asked to pick a winner this week, all three of them went for Rory McIlroy.

Most amusing, though, was Player being asked about his diet and how it keeps him so fit — a question that led to him talking about how delighted he was to have got a new young girlfriend and then, to Watson’s embarrassment, turning to Watson and congratulating him on getting a new one too.

Rick Broadbent, Augusta

Nobody has staved off the taunt of time at Augusta better than Bernhard Langer, who is about to begin his 41st and final Masters. He was eighth as recently as 2014. Two years later he started the final round in third place. In 2020, he played alongside Bryson DeChambeau on Masters Sunday and it was as if they were playing a different golf course. Yet Langer signed for a 71, two shots better than his junior partner.

The 67-year-old German, who triumphed in 1985 and 1993, will tee off alongside Will Zalatoris and amateur Noah Kent. Davis Riley has meanwhile made the first birdie of the tournament to take an early lead.

• Bernhard Langer interview: I’m playing at 67, how can Rory McIlroy say he won’t at 50?

Among the early starters is Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard, one of the stars of Europe’s 2023 Ryder Cup victory in Rome. In last year’s Masters, the 24-year-old took a solo lead with 26 holes to play after draining a monster 48ft birdie putt, but went on to make five bogeys in a row and finished in a tie for 16th.

This is his second Augusta appearance and this year he will make history with his brother Rasmus in becoming the first twins to compete in the tournament.

Davis Riley and Patton Kizzire are about to start their opening rounds but they are not the first to tee off this morning. In a tradition that dates back to 1941, the Masters begins with three former champions hitting tee shots at the 1st hole in the Honorary Starters Ceremony, so the patrons have just witnessed Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson roll back the years.

Nicklaus, now 85, is a six-times champion and has been a starter since 2010. Player, who won the Green Jacket in 1961, 1974 and 1978, joined two years later and entertained fans with his dance moves at the age of 89 yesterday. Watson, 75, a two-times winner, is the most recent addition to the ceremony having replaced the late Lee Elder in 2022.

The 2025 Masters is under way.

Rick Broadbent, Augusta

The house in the car park suffered storm damage as Hurricane Helene ripped through Augusta last year, but it is still standing. Now it has been patched up and remains as a quirky Masters footnote encompassing small-town defiance, family values and even a hole in one with Tiger Woods.

For years the ravenous reach of Augusta National has seen the billionaires’ club buy up neighbouring land to use for its ever-growing week in the global spotlight. The neighbourhood there has now disappeared, apart from one simple property where Herman and Elizabeth Thacker repeatedly refused to sell, even when offered hugely inflated prices.

• Rick Broadbent: The only house at Augusta that golf’s millions couldn’t buy

David Walsh, Augusta

It is Wednesday morning, eve of the Masters tournament at Augusta National, and I’m zig-zagging my way to what must be the biggest golf shop in the world. Patrons come in their thousands, knowing this is the only place in the world where Masters merchandise can be bought. As marketing ploys go, it is beyond genius. Those in the slow procession to the shop feel part of a privileged class: “Thank you gentlemen of the Masters committee for giving me this opportunity to use my credit card.”

• David Walsh: Marketing genius of Augusta may leave my grandson disappointed

Rick Broadbent, Augusta

It’s just gone 6.30am in Augusta and the excitement of the Masters is as real as ever. There are so many questions to be answered over the coming hours. Will Rory McIlroy get off to a good start? Which of the Hojgaard twins will have the edge? What will Cam Smith wear? And will those eternally optimistic folk with the cardboard placards and camping chairs on Washington Road get tickets?

To get you in the mood, here is a masterclass in Masters interview technique from little Frankie Fleetwood, son of Tommy and clearly a chip off the old block. Taking disappointment on the chin after failing to clear the water in Wednesday’s par-three competition, when players have their kids and partners with them, he showed all of today’s hopefuls the correct way to deal with sporting disappointment.

Rick Broadbent, Augusta

Ominous rounds of 62 and 63 at the Houston Open a fortnight ago suggested Scottie Scheffler was beginning to fire again and the world No1 remains the man to beat. But form is only one of the required ingredients. To win here you also need nous, experience and what Brooks Koepka described as an ability to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

For Rory McIlroy, it will be another soul-searching escapade as he tries to keep the dark memories buried. Tough examination, tougher exhumation, Augusta may not be quite the same this year, but it will not be a walk in the park for anyone.

• Read Rick Broadbent’s preview here

Nico Echavarria may have triumphed in the par-three contest yesterday, but the show was stolen by Rory McIlroy’s daughter, Poppy, who holed a monster putt on the 9th green. The four-year-old, donning an Augusta caddie white boiler suit, lined up the putt with the help of Dad and Shane Lowry before her ball trickled down the hill and into the cup, sparking wild celebrations.

Echavarria beat JJ Spaun in a play-off to win the competition but that could be a bad omen given that no winner of the par-three contest has ever gone on to wear the Green Jacket. There were also holes in one made by Keegan Bradley, the US Ryder Cup captain, Brooks Koepka, the five-times major champion, and American Tom Hoge.

• Rory McIlroy: Fear of heartbreaks made me hold back on the course

After Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson hit the opening tee shots in the Honorary Starters Ceremony, play will begin at 12.40pm UK time, with Davis Riley and Patton Kizire in the first tee time. Among the other early starters are European Ryder Cup star Nicolai Hojgaard, the 2016 champion Danny Willett and the 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith.

Robert MacIntyre, Collin Morikawa, Scheffler and Justin Thomas are also in the early wave, before Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg, Bryson DeChambeau, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood tee off later this afternoon.

You can find the complete tee times for the first two rounds and a guide to the leading contenders and key holes here.

Hello and welcome to the year’s first major, the Masters, at Augusta National. A field of 96 players will drive up Magnolia Lane today to begin their bids for the prized Green Jacket come Sunday evening.

They will have to negotiate undulating fairways, deceptive putting surfaces and the devilish Amen Corner — but this year will also bring new challenges, with four new green complexes and fewer trees expected to make wind more of a factor.

Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion and also triumphed here in 2022 but is this the year that Rory McIlroy finally completes his grand slam? The Northern Irishman has the best form of any player and has worked hard on addressing his errant approach shots and emotional scars. Will it be enough?