Britain’s Justin Rose leads Masters by 3 after first round

• Britain’s Justin Rose is the leader after the first round of the Masters, shooting a seven under par 65. It’s the fifth time in 20 starts he has led after round 1.
• Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Canadian Corey Conners and Swede Ludvig Aberg are three back at -4.
• Rose has an Olympic gold medal and the 2013 US Open championship on his resume but has never won the Masters.

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On a beautiful spring day at Augusta National, the quest for the 2025 Green Jacket began with a ceremonial tee shot. Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Gary Player took some nice swings, but most of the field experienced an up-and-down afternoon.

How did Justin Rose grab the Masters first-round lead?

Justin Rose was the exception. Rose shot a first-round 65, including eight birdies and one bogie, which came on the 18th hole to lead the Masters. The 44-year-old Rose, who won the 2013 US Open, has led the tournament after the first round five times in his 20 starts at Augusta. He plans to string together three more great days together by sticking to the same plan.

“I really try to be clear out there, really try to make sure I didn’t hit a shot until I was fully committed, you know, those are kind of the things we say often, and they’re pretty boring to hear, shot for shot all these types of things,” Rose said. “But ultimately, there is no other way of doing it. It’s just how good you are at doing that in the moment, right? So, it all comes down to execution. I know my way around this golf course. I have a great strategy around here.”

Who is chasing Rose for the Green Jacket?

As does the defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who is aiming to be the first back-to-back winner since Tiger Woods in 2002. Scheffler is just three shots back at -4, along with Canadian Corey Conners and Swede Ludvig Aberg. LIV golfer and two-time major winner Bryson DeChambeau is four back at -3. Experience counts, says Aberg, who was runner-up last year in his debut at Augusta.

“I felt like we played a very disciplined round of golf today,” Aberg said. “When you execute the shots, it makes it a whole lot easier, obviously, but I felt like we managed shots when we were in between clubs in the right way, laid up on a couple of par fives where I could have probably gone for it if I was a little more aggressive. Proud of the way that I finished.”

To that point, Aberg birdied four of the final seven holes and also ranks No. 1 in driving accuracy after the first round.

Who had their ups and downs in the first round?

65-year-old Fred Couples hit some great shots, too. The 1992 Masters champ shot one under 71, which included a hole-out eagle on the 14th hole from just over 190 yards out. Couples is the second-oldest player to break par at the Masters, only a couple of months younger than Tom Watson, who did it in 2015.

“You know, I played pretty well. I did hole a shot and really undercut a shot on 13 and made a great six, which is a big boost,” Couples said. “I hit most of the fairways and drove it well. Got a little windy and chipped a little bit better than I normally do around here. I hit two really, really good shots on one. I don’t know if anyone saw it. Flew right by the hole and trickled and trickled down the embankment down where you don’t want to ever be left. And I holed it. Putted it up in into the hole for birdie.”

But it wasn’t all Roses or Azaleas on Thursday, April 10. One of the biggest favorites on the board, Rory McIlroy, was cruising through the first round at four under when he chipped over the green on the 15th. The ball rolled into the water, and McIlroy made a double bogey. Two holes later, another double bogey dropped him to even par, seven shots off the pace.

A few other big names that will need some scorching second rounds to stick around for the weekend include former champions Jon Rahm and Jordan Speith, as well as major winners Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas. The Masters second round gets underway Friday at 7:30 a.m. EST.