The weather-affected opening round of the 88th hosting of the Masters ended just after 10am local Augusta time Friday with two major champions lying one-and-two atop of the leaderboard.
LIV’s Bryson DeChambeau heads the field thanks to an impressive seven-under-par he posted on Thursday in bright but very testy windy conditions and, in the process, easily recorded his lowest Masters score in 25 rounds on the Georgia golfing gem.
Hot on DeChambeau’s tail is World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, winner, as we know, of the 2022 Masters, who produced an intimidating maiden bogey-free Augusta score of 66, also his lowest score in 16 rounds.
The sight of two of the big names in golf, one a real character in the men’s professional game and the other, in Scheffler, a ‘never gets too excited’ two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year, surely must have made golf fans excited.
It clearly has legendary golf coach and now highly-respected analyst Butch Harmon jumping.
“This is a leaderboard we want to see as we know who these golfers are,” said Harmon.
“I’m not knocking these young kids that a lot of people don’t know who they are, so they don’t watch them.
“We need the superstars to be superstars and you get that in the majors, and you always get that at The Masters.
“So, I love this leaderboard and hey? Don’t count DeChambeau out. He won the US Open (2020) at Winged Foot and one of the hardest golf courses in the world, and he was the only player under par.
“Bryson is not afraid. We know that.”
Harmon’s not wrong as it’s been nine months in the waiting and fans are back ‘glued to the box’ not only cheering on the likes of DeChambeau and Scheffler but all the best names in men’s professional golf.
Names with which, as Harmon rightfully pointed out, everyone is familiar.
