Tiger Woods talks of 'constant pain' as Jon Rahm makes Masters history
Jon Rahm made Masters history en route to flying to the top of the leaderboard as Tiger Woods struggled at Augusta National.
Jon Rahm has made Masters Tournament history after clawing his way to the top of the leaderboard following a disastrous start at Augusta National.
Rahm, 28, endured a nightmare start to his seventh Masters appearance after four-putting his way to a double-bogey six on the par-4 1st.
Related: Jon Rahm four-putts 1st hole for double then goes on birdie binge!
But instead of letting his rocky start set the tone for the day, the World No. 3 immediately nulled the double with back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes.
Rahm had already made serious moves by the time he hit the turn, making a clutch birdie at the par-4 7th before adding an eagle at the par-5 8th.
He went bogey-free with four birdies on his back nine to record a 7-under 65 in his opening round of the 87th Masters.
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As a result, Rahm has cemented his own legacy at Augusta National on the 40th anniversary of his fellow countryman, Seve Ballesteros', second Masters win in 1983.
Rahm's opening 65 is the lowest 18-hole score after opening with a double-bogey or worse in Masters Tournament history.
65 with a double!
An incredible first round by Jon Rahm. A 4-putt on the first hole didn't stop Jon, who carded 7 birdies and an eagle #TheMasters pic.twitter.com/oAsE8A3u3c
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) April 6, 2023
Rahm co-leads with Viktor Hovland, who broke 70 for the first time at Augusta by shooting his own 65 on Thursday, and LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka. Hovland's 65 was also his lowest major score to date. The three were tied at the top just past the mid-way point of Round 1. Cameron Young was also in with a 67.
After a double-bogey start, Jon Rahm recovered to shoot a seven-under 65. #themasters pic.twitter.com/3aCqedvMcn
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 6, 2023
Tiger Woods looked to make his own bounce-back round on Thursday but was unable to turn it around like Rahm.
The five-time Masters winner made three bogeys and just one birdie on his opening nine and was 2-over at the turn.
Despite a glimmer of hope towards the end where the 47-year-old made back-to-back birdies, a final bogey at 18 brought him back to 2-over for the day.
"I felt like I drove it good. I just didn't do the job I need to do to get the ball close. Today was the opportune time to get the ball -- get the round under par, and I didn't do that today," Woods told the media following his round.
Unsurprisingly, Woods said he was 'sore'. Asked if there were any shots that made the pain worse in his right leg, he said it was constant.
Woods added: "Most of the guys are going low today. This was the day to do it. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be a little bit better, a little bit sharper, and kind of inch my way through it."
Perfect speed. Perfect read. A birdie on No. 15 for Tiger Woods. #themasters pic.twitter.com/91ftFa7e2r
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 6, 2023
Still, the 15-time major winner remains hopeful of his chances this week at Augusta.
Defending champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was in one of the later groups to tee off Thursday, as was No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who's looking to complete the career Grand Slam with a win this week at Augusta.
