Justin Rose torches tough Augusta for 4-shot Masters lead

Justin Rose hits out of a bunker on the second hole during the first round of the Masters.

By Mark Ziegler

San Diego Union-Tribune

April 8, 2021 Updated 7:13 PM PT

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Dustin Johnson won a November Masters on a soft, vulnerable golf course with a record score of 20-under. Apparently, Augusta National isn’t about to let that happen again.

Everyone seemed to get the memo, except Justin Rose.

The Englishman ripped off an eagle and seven birdies in the space of, gulp, 10 holes Thursday to fire a 7-under 65 and take the first-round lead by a staggering four strokes.

How absolutely gonzo is that? Since 1939, according to Elias Sports Bureau, only two other players had scored 8-under or better from holes eight through 18 at Augusta National and none in the last 25 years. And both of them, Mark Calcavecchia in 1992 and Greg Norman in 1996, were 8-under. Rose was 9-under in that stretch.

Even crazier: He did it on a day when everyone else was brought to their knees by slick greens and a fickle wind.

The average score was a U.S. Open-esque 74.5, and just a dozen players broke par in the opening round compared to 53 in November. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, one of two players (with Brian Harman) in second place at 3-under, needed a shaved bank to miraculously hold his ball from rolling into Rae’s Creek at 13 and a fortuitous bounce off a tree to save a wayward tee shot on 15.

Said 2017 champion Sergio Garcia after shooting 76: “I feel like just came out of the ring with Evander Holyfield, like a 12-round match. I need to go home and rest.”

Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka (74): “Monday it kind of looked like it normally does on a late Saturday afternoon or Sunday. There’s not much grass on a couple of those greens. On the back of 6, there’s no grass. And 9, I don’t know if there is grass.”

Reigning U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (76): “There are some greens that got really, really quick, looked pretty brown. We just couldn’t adjust for it.”

Johnson (74): “Then you add the wind in today, it made it play really difficult.”

Except for Rose. It wasn’t difficult for him, or at least the last 10 holes weren’t after being 2-over through seven. He didn’t have a birdie putt longer than 8 feet.

Wait. Isn’t he supposed to have a bad back that forced him out of two recent tournaments?

“I haven’t played competitive golf for a month or so, so I never quite knew what was going to happen exactly,” said Rose, whose previous low round at Augusta was 67. “I didn’t feel like today was the day for a 65, if I’m honest.”

Dustin Johnson hits on the first fairway during the first round of the Masters.

It hasn’t rained here in a week, and the original forecast for thunderstorms today and Saturday now seems less certain. That leaves Augusta National with two choices: Turn on the sprinklers to give everyone else a better chance to catch up, or keep it diabolically firm and fast in hopes Rose comes back to the field.

“You can’t win the golf tournament today,” said Rose, who should know, having had at least a share of the first-round lead three previous times at the Masters and not winning. “Even with a 65, you can’t win it today. You can only probably lose it today.”

Like, say, Rory McIlroy.

Needing a Masters title to become the first European to claim golf’s career Grand Slam, McIlroy continued to struggle with his swing and joined Garcia and DeChambeau at 4-over 76.