Golf
South African-born Rose leads after opening round at the Masters─── MORGAN PIEK 08:15 Fri, 11 Apr 2025
South African-born Justin Rose took the clubhouse lead after the first round of the 89th Masters at Augusta, which teed off on Thursday.
Rose matched his career-best round at the major, carding a seven-under-par 65 with eight birdies and a single bogey, giving him a three-shot lead. It’s the fifth time in his career that the Englishman has held the clubhouse lead at the Masters.
Three shots back, Canada’s Corey Conners, American Scottie Scheffler, and Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg all finished tied for second on four-under-par 68. The defending champion, Scheffler, announced himself as an earlier contender for a third green jacker with his strong start, and he will fancy his changes for a back-to-back titles.
Justin Roses. Photo: Masters
The 44-year-old former US Open champion, Rose, said it wasn’t the easiest round, but his strong start made a big difference on what's known to be one of the toughest courses in golf.
“I’m delighted to get off to such a great start – and that definitely happened right out the gate,” said Rose, a two-time Masters runner-up.
“The first few holes, everything was going exactly where I was aiming. The first hole, which is one of the trickiest on the course, I managed to roll in a nice 25-footer down the hill, right to left – just what you need to settle the nerves at the Masters.
“Holes two and three are birdie chances, so to be three-under through three really put me on the front foot. I felt like I was playing great golf.
“When I did find myself in a bit of trouble – early on, around the fifth – I made a great putt to save par.
“Then, around the middle of the back nine, there were a few moments where the momentum could’ve swung, but I made solid up-and-downs on 14 and 15 to keep the round going.
“The only blemish came at 18, but there’s no point dwelling on that.
Scottie Scheffler. Photo: Masters
“I think it was a really solid day’s golf on a course that was a proper test. Looking at the leaderboard, there weren’t many low scores out there, so you had to play a lot of quality shots – and I’m thrilled with how I played.”
Charl Schwartzel is the leading South African on two-over-par 74, sitting in a tie for 51st. Christiaan Bezuidenhout opened with a four-over-par 76 to share 73rd, while Thriston Lawrence had a difficult day, carding a seven-over-par 79 for a tie in 90th.
