Masters 2024: Bryson DeChambeau leads as Scottie Scheffler and Danny Willett chase

The top performers in the first day of the golf tournament were Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Bryson DeChambeau. They all made impressive shots that stood out on the course.

DeChambeau from the United States is the current leader of the competition with a score of seven under par. Following closely behind is Scheffler, also from the United States, with a score of six under par. In third place, tied with a score of five under par, are Hojgaard from Denmark and Homa from the United States. In fourth place, with a score of four under par, is Willett from England.

Some of the top players at the golf tournament include Niemann from Chi and Zalatoris from the US, both at the top of the leaderboard with a score of -2. Following closely behind them are McIlroy from NI, Hovland from Nor, Fitzpatrick from Eng, Smith from Aus, and Morikawa from the US, all with a score of -1. Hatton from Eng, Garcia from Spa, Thomas from the US, Schauffele from the US, and Fleetwood from Eng all have an even score. Those with a +1 score include Rahm from Spa, Woods from the US, Koepka from the US, Aberg from Swe, and Mickelson from the US. However, Spieth from the US has a score of +7.

On Friday, the Masters' initial round came to an end, with Bryson DeChambeau holding a one-point lead over Scottie Scheffler.

The golfer from LIV completed the course with a score of seven below par. However, the top-ranked player in the world, Scheffler, displayed an alarming level of skill with a round of 66 without incurring any bogeys.

On Friday, 27 golfers wrapped up their rounds, including Max Homa and Nicolai Hojgaard who ended at five under par. Tiger Woods, unfortunately, scored a one-over 73.

Danny Willett, who won the 2016 England tournament and is participating for the first time since September, currently has a score of four under par.

Willett's exceptional performance at the recent event came as a surprise, even to himself, as he has been dealing with injuries. Despite undergoing shoulder surgery in late September, the 36-year-old made an impressive return within six months, defying initial expectations that he would be out for at least a year.

On Monday, Willett shared that he was uncertain about whether he would participate in the game. He managed to make an impressive birdie putt from 20 feet away on the 18th hole, which brought him closer to the lead by a margin of three. When speaking with Sky Sports, he mentioned this accomplishment.

"For half a year, I've been glued to the television, observing golfers compete. It feels great to finally step out of the house and participate."

Rory McIlroy scored 71 points, while the current champion, Jon Rahm, scored an unfortunate 73 points.

Woods, who has won five times in the past, appeared to be performing well with a score of one under par after playing 13 holes when the signal was given to finish play on Thursday.

Nonetheless, Woods had previously stated that he experiences pain on a daily basis due to the multiple injuries he has faced in recent times. On the morning of Friday, he appeared to be struggling to move as smoothly as usual.

He got a bogey on his first hole, which was the 14th, and then he lost another point at the end.

Additionally, as he has only participated in one tournament this year and played just 25 holes, the 48-year-old golfer will need to play 23 holes on Friday. His objective is to establish a fresh record of uninterrupted cuts made at the Masters. Currently, he is jointly holding this honor with Fred Couples and Gary Player, with 23 consecutive cuts.

In order to advance to the next round, the golfers who are within 10 shots of the leading player or those who rank within the top 50 and ties must qualify for the halfway cut. Currently, Woods is in the 37th position after completing his first round.

People who were at the golf tournament had to wait for two and a half hours due to thunderstorms before they could begin their first round. However, those who were there earlier on Thursday were able to take advantage of the damp conditions which had made the usually difficult Augusta National greens easier to play on.

DeChambeau began the game with three back-to-back birdies and kept up the pace by achieving five more in just six holes on the second half of the course. This performance allowed him to gain a significant lead over other players before reaching the clubhouse.

DeChambeau is currently in the lead following three birdies in a row.

Nonetheless, Scheffler, who holds the top spot in world rankings, displayed absolute authority on the course. He made an impressive shot from a bunker on the twelfth hole, resulting in a birdie. He then utilized his skills yet again on the sixteenth hole, hitting his tee shot within three feet of the hole, causing another set-up.

Ryan Fox from New Zealand began the game splendidly, shooting five under for the front nine. However, he lost two shots during the back nine and ended up four shots behind the leader.

Matt Fitzpatrick, the winner of the US Open in 2022 from England, scored a birdie on all three holes that make up the Amen Corner- the 11th, 12th and 13th holes. He scored four under, but unfortunately, he also had three bogeys in the last five holes. After that, he finished the round by scoring one under 71.

Viktor Hovland, who is part of the European Ryder Cup team, performed well on the first half of his round by hitting four under par within the first nine holes. Unfortunately, on the 10th hole, he made a mistake which resulted in a double bogey. This set back hindered his progress and he ultimately finished the round with a score of 71.

On Friday, Nicolai Hojgaard and Max Homa wrapped up their rounds with each of them scoring 67.

Scheffler Edges Closer As McIlroy Climbs Leaderboard

Following his victories at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship back in March, Scheffler is now the top pick to secure another Masters title.

Even though he has only won one major victory in 2022, the 27-year-old golfer from America has performed very well in 9 out of his last 14 events, placing within the top 10. Additionally, in the previous year, he managed to achieve 18 under par in golf's most significant events, surpassing the performance of any other golf player.

Scheffler mentioned that he had planned to remain patient and capitalize on any available opportunities. He expressed his difficulty in dealing with the wind blowing in various directions when it is at such a high speed.

The blog section about the origin of Valentine's Day will be rephrased using different words: Picture credit belongs to Getty Images. Valentine's Day's inception blog section will be transformed into free English using alternate vocabulary:

Scottie Scheffler has had 32 golf rounds this year, and in 14 of those rounds, he played using only 66 shots or even less.

Rory McIlroy, who is playing alongside, is trying to win his first Masters title in order to achieve the golf career Grand Slam. However, he didn't start very well as he had two bogeys in his first three holes.

In the past, Irish golfers from the north have often struggled on the first day of the Masters, causing them to have limited chances to improve their scores during the weekend.

Nevertheless, he was able to hit his stride during the second half of the course and managed to score a birdie on the 12th and 14th holes. Despite a slight setback with a bogey on the 17th, he successfully finished the first round with a score below par, which he hadn't achieved since 2018.

He admitted that his performance was not perfect. He felt that he wasted some opportunities that were presented to him. Specifically, he missed a shot for birdie on the 15th hole and failed to make a short putt on the 16th hole. He worries that his performance in the last four holes might come back to haunt him.

Scottie is incredibly skilled in all facets of his game - his impressive number of rounds without any bogeys is truly remarkable, and it's a key factor in his success in winning major tournaments.

"However, the score isn't entirely bad and there's plenty of golf yet to be played."

DeChambeau Impresses, Willett Rejoices On Comeback

DeChambeau has only won one major championship which was the 2020 US Open. During this time, he focused on physical strength and challenged the norms of the sport of golf.

In the past, he mentioned that he possessed the capability to make Augusta National a "par-67" owing to his strength. Nonetheless, he has never gone beyond his limits on the course, and his top achievement was a tie for 21st place as the lowest amateur in 2016.

Should he emerge victorious on Sunday, he will join the elite group of players who have claimed both that particular accolade as well as the coveted Green Jacket, alongside notable names such as Woods and Phil Mickelson.

He achieved his second-lowest score at a major tournament, scoring 65 as he combined his characteristic long shots with expert maneuvering around the putting greens.

According to him, it was a tough task. People often underestimate the importance of strategy in this field and assume that just launching a strong attack will suffice. However, the key is to place the attack strategically, and that's exactly what he did.

With regards to comment number 67, I would like to say that making mistakes is a part of being human, as no one is perfect. It's perfectly normal for everyone to make mistakes at some point.

One can gain knowledge from their errors, and that was undoubtedly an example of such a situation.

British Gamers Off To Solid Beginnings

There are only six British golfers participating in this week's tournament, however, five of them managed to secure a spot in the top 20 by the end of the first day as the sun went down.

Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood had a good start, along with Willett, McIlroy, and Fitzpatrick.

Hatton was gaining steam when he successfully birdied the second hole and made a great shot from 50 yards away on the fifth hole, resulting in another birdie. However, his progress was halted when he lost a point by hitting the water during his tee shot on the 12th hole. Towards the end of play, he managed to snatch another birdie, leaving him trailing DeChambeau by four points going into Friday's game.

Nonetheless, he scored a double-bogey seven on the 15th hole, which is a par-five, and lost one more point at the final hole, ending up with an even score.

Similar to Hatton, Fleetwood has yet to win a major championship. He played in the last group on the course and made three consecutive birdies to finish the last nine holes strongly. However, he dropped back to a score of two under par after bogeying his final hole, which was the 10th.

On Friday, he came back and made a lot of pars, but unfortunately, he finished poorly with two bogeys and ended up scoring 72.

The sound of the hooter on Thursday indicated the end of Justin Rose's round on the 18th hole. Consequently, he was able to complete the hole and recorded a score of 73 strokes.

The BBC does not hold liability for any information or material present on websites outside of its control.