AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Play has been suspended due to darkness during the first round of the 88th Masters Tournament. The suspension happened at 7:51 p.m. The opening round was delayed for two and a half hours Thursday morning due to storms in the Augusta area. The tournament will resume at 7:50 a.m. Friday morning.
After the weather cleared Bryson DeChambeau, the 2016 low amateur making his sixth Masters appearance, went off in the fifth group of the day and shot 65 to hold the clubhouse lead at -7.
DeChambeau missed the cut here the last two years. His best finish was a tie for 21st in the 2016 tournament.
“It’s always great getting off to a hot start, 3-under through the first three holes kind of gets you settled,” DeChambeau said. “I knew it was going to be a tough day today with the wind and even tomorrow. So a lot of patience is required around this golf course and making sure you’re just stroking on your line, putting it good, hitting good iron shots and driving it well. In order to win major championships, you’ve got to — especially out here, you’ve got to do everything well.”
One shot behind DeChambeau is 2022 champion Scottie Scheffler (-6), who recorded his first bogey-free round at the Masters.
“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.
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.”
Five-time champion Tiger Woods had his starting time pushed back until almost 4 p.m. due to the delay. He finished 13 holes at -1 before darkness fell.
“The wind was all over the place,” Woods said. “It was one of the most tricky days that I’ve ever been a part of. It was hard to get a beat not only on what direction it was going, but the intensity, and it kept switching all over the place, and then you had to — the timing was affecting putts on the greens. It was a very difficult day.”
Woods will play 23 holes on Friday attempting to make the cut at the Masters for a record 24th time.
The tournament began, as always, with honorary starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson.
“The wonderful memories that I have of this golf course, from the beginning, memories are so important in your life,” Player said. “They say it’s the cushions of life. And so it’s gratitude.”
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This story will be updated throughout the day.
