One of the form groupings of the opening day saw all three players break par with Bill Haas, Miguel Angel Jiménez and Matteo Manassero all featuring on the leaderboard.
Haas posted the low round to set the clubhouse lead at four under par 68 while Jiménez reached the same mark before dropping shots around Amen Corner, bogeying 11 and then finding Rae’s Creek on the 12th en route to a double bogey before signing for a 71. The Spaniard is aiming to become the oldest ever major champion - Julius Boros was 48 years four months and 18 days when he won the US PGA Championship in 1968.
Meanwhile, Manassero is 30 years his junior and aiming to become the youngest winner of the Masters four years after becoming the youngest to make the cut in the Masters as a 16 year old, a record was subsequently broken by Tianlang Guan last year. Four birdies interspersed by three bogeys gave the BMW PGA Champion and opening 71 in his quest for more records.
“I think it has been a nice round,” he said afterwards. “I don't expect it to go like this the whole week, because the course is hard, demanding. But for sure if I'm going to play like I played today all week it's going to be a great week.”
Haas has Augusta National in his blood with his Great Uncle Bob Goalby winning in 1968, his Dad Jay playing in 22 Masters and finishing joint third 20 years ago and his Uncle Jerry also competing here in the 1980s.
“It's something I think we are very proud of to have that many members of our family be able to tee it up here at Augusta,” he said.
