From Augusta National: Scottie Goes Bogey-Free (Again), Wyndham Clark Makes a LIV Joke And Jason Day's Pants Have So Much Fabric

Warren Little. Getty Images.

AUGUSTA — Scottie Scheffler didn't expect to see so many low scores as he trudged to the first tee at Augusta National. Then he got to work. 

Scheffler shot the only bogey-free round of the day to post six-under 66, just one shot back of Bryson DeChambeau's pace-setting 65 from earlier in the day. In the last 31 days he's now shot bogey-free 66 at Augusta National, bogey-free 66 at Bay Hill and bogey-free 66 at TPC Sawgrass. He entered this week as the biggest Masters favorite since Tiger Woods and it's not difficult to see why. 

"It's always nice getting around here bogey-free," Scheffler said. "I did a good job of staying patient today. We kept the golf course in front of us. And, I mean, I executed some really nice up-and-downs to keep the round going. And, yeah, I enjoy coming here and competing in this golf tournament. You know, the first day is over and I'm off to a good start. And, you know, going into tonight I'll just focus on going home, getting some rest. May go hit a few balls, but outside of that I'm going to go get some recovery in and some dinner and try to get some sleep."

As for the possibility of his wife, Meredith, going into labor—he didn't seem too concerned at all, but reiterated that he would leave the tournament "at a moment's notice" should he get the call. 

"People have asked us how our preparation is going for the baby. I feel like, well, we are a little underprepared. The nursery is not quite ready and we've had some issues at our house the last few weeks. I think that's the exciting part. I think we are definitely underprepared to be parents. As far as her going into labor, I wouldn't say I'm very concerned. We haven't seen any of the early signs. But pregnancy is weird. It can happen at any time."

Wyndham Clark gets a LIV jab in

He's never afraid to speak his mind, even if that rubs some the wrong way. Wyndham Clark is not short on confidence. He's borderline brash. He said Tuesday that he believed he could be the first player to win his first Masters appearance since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 and that "records like that are made to be broken." He maintained that belief even after a somewhat disappointing even-par 72 on a day when so, so many players took it low. 

"Yeah, we've got 54 holes. In LIV Golf they only play 54, so I like my chances. We've got a lot of golf left. As you can see, someone shot 7-under. I could do that tomorrow."

For what it's worth, I think what he was trying to say was that in some circles 54 holes is a full tournament and there's plenty of time. But he smiled before saying it. He likes to mix it up. 

Jason Day's pants are an easy target

I actually don't mind them. Jason Day's been rocking some pretty different gear this year on the PGA Tour after leaving Nike and joining Malbon Golf. You knew they were going to cook up something attention-grabbing for the biggest tournament of the year. They certainly did. 

Other highlights from the day include 2016 champion Danny Willet's four-under 68 in his first round since September. He opted to have surgery to fix a lingering shoulder problem and only decided he'd definitely play on Sunday. 

"Had no idea what to expect, so yeah, it's obviously always nice to come in having shot a decent score, and just give yourself that little bit of confidence inside and hopefully have a nice few more days." 

On the flip side, defending champion Jon Rahm opened with 73 and 2021 champion Hideki Matsuyama, a trendy pick this week given his strong recent form, shot 76. 

Tiger grinds it out for an impressive start

Tiger Woods is trying to set yet another Masters record this year. Should he make the cut, he'll set a new record for consecutive cuts made at 24 in a row. He was favored to do so but only just, given he'd played exactly one full round in competition in 2024. And yet Woods maintained that, "if everything comes together, I think I can get one more (green jacket)."

It wasn't pretty on Thursday—it hardly ever is these days, given how labored his walk is and how pieced-together his swing is—but Woods was very impressive in the 13 holes his group managed to get in before darkness. Woods had impressive speed (he hit a drive at 180 mph ball speed, the first time I can remember him doing that since the accident) and scrambled beautifully, with particularly impressive up-and-down par saves at 11 and 12 to stay under par. He's one under and will need to return to play the final five holes at 7:50 a.m. tomorrow before starting his second round at 10:18 a.m. It'll be a very long day and a proper test for his surgically rebuilt body.