Fred {Couples} and Min Woo Lee navigated robust circumstances in the course of the opening spherical of The Masters, carding scores of 78 and 77 respectively. The pair teed off alongside 21-year-old Thai golfer Fifa Laopakdee on Thursday at Augusta Nationwide.
Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns high the leaderboard at five-under par 67, with {Couples} trailing by 11 strokes and Lee by 10. The demanding Augusta structure punishes even minor errors severely.
{Couples} anticipates the agency circumstances will favor gamers like McIlroy all through the match.
{Couples} Displays on His Spherical and Taking part in Companions
After his spherical, the 1992 Masters champion mentioned the day’s challenges. Requested for constructive takeaways, {Couples} replied, “Probably not, no.”
He famous beginning sturdy, making key putts, however faltered later. “I really had an ideal yardage and I had seen a pair different guys, not in my group, however skip it over that inexperienced. I simply felt like, you recognize, it was a shot I can deal with,” he defined. A downhill lie brought about his strategy to come back up quick, resulting in additional points.
On the sixteenth, he aimed for security however pulled his shot into the water. “Then it simply got here — all of the gasoline was gone. It was sort of a bitter recreation, but it surely was enjoyable,” {Couples} mentioned. “I loved enjoying with Min Woo. I’ve watched him loads. And Fifa, I’ve by no means met however watched him and discovered slightly bit about him. He’s a extremely good participant. Hits it a 100 miles; each of them do.”
Trying forward, he added, “Tomorrow simply must go do the identical factor however perhaps not end 10-over par on two holes or regardless of the hell I did. It actually was a enjoyable day. Like I mentioned, I’ve watched Min Woo. He didn’t play nicely both. Possibly tomorrow he’ll shoot 68 or 69. I like the way in which he performs so it was enjoyable to play with him.”
Min Woo Lee Assesses Augusta Nationwide Setup
The Australian golfer retracted his earlier view on the course firmness. “It’s method firmer than — yeah, I take again what I mentioned on Tuesday,” Lee admitted. “I didn’t assume it was that agency. Now it’s like a Saturday agency I’d say for a Thursday, which isn’t actually regular.”
He highlighted the again 9’s severity: “Yeah, it’s almost baked out during the last — you recognize, these final six holes have been — I imply, 15 was not unplayable, but it surely was very — even for a lob wedge in, you recognize, the place one bouncing in the direction of the again of the sting, it’s robust, it’s robust.”
“This course does that, and yeah, hopefully we are able to get it going tomorrow morning,” Lee concluded.
