Three Sit Atop the Leaderboard After Day One at the Masters

Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, GA — April 6, 2023

Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm, and Brooks Koepka sit atop the leaderboard at seven-under-par after day one at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. The trio carded identical scores of 65. But, how they got there varied significantly.

The Norwegian professional Hovland came out red hot, making an eagle on the par-five second hole. He followed that with birdies on six, eight, and nine. A five-under score of 31 at the turn gave the field a number to shoot at. Two more birdies on the back nine took his score to seven-under-par and the early lead.

Jon Rahm put himself in a hole right from the start with a double bogey on the first. Birdies on the second and third holes brought him back to even par. Another birdie on the seventh, followed by an eagle on the par-five eighth, brought the Spaniard midway up the board at three-under par. A strong close with birdies on 13, 15, 16, and 18 brought the world’s third-ranked player into a tie with Hovland at 65.

Brooks Koepka, the two-time U.S. Open and PGA Championship winner, is still looking for his first green jacket. He made back-to-back birdies on two and three, then again on holes seven and eight to post a score of 32 after the opening nine. Another birdie on the 12th was followed by a bogey on 13. Birdies on 15, 17, and 18 brought him into the three-way tie for the lead.

The Followers

Cameron Young and Jason Day sit tied for fourth, two shots back at five-under par. Seven golfers are tied for sixth at four under, including defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Gary Woodland, and Xander Schauffele.

Tony Finau, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, and Justin Rose, four big names, are tied for 13th at three-under-par.

Other well know players dot the standings after less-than-spectacular rounds. Rory McIlroy is even par. Tiger Woods shot two over and is tied with Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, and par three contest winner Tom Hoge, nine strokes off the lead. Possibly outside the cut line of the top 50 players and ties that will compete Saturday and Sunday.

Will Zalatoris and Kevin Na withdrew, leaving the field with 86 golfers vying for the coveted title of Masters Champion.

Leaderboard