England’s Justin Rose takes a three-shot lead into the second round of the 89th Masters but already looming large in the former US Open’s rear-view mirror is doublt Masters winning Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler has not won since last December’s Hero World Challenge but that could all change this week where he seeking to capture a third Masters title in four years.

And in an interesting statistic Scottie’s birdie at the fourth hole on day one ensures that in 21 rounds of Augusta National he has now birdied every hole on the course.

Scottie Scheffler has now birdied every holes at Augusta National.  Image Augusta National

“I felt pretty good. Anytime you can keep a card clean out here, it’s a really good thing”, said Scheffler after his round.

” I struggled for what felt like two pars today.

“I had to make two really good up-and-downs. But other than that, the golf course was in front of me most of the day, kept the ball in play, did a lot of really good things out there.”

First-Round Leaderboard

Justin Rose (1^st/-7)

• Matches his career-low 18-hole score at the Masters Tournament (65/R1/2021/finished 7^th) to lead by three strokes
• From 1985 to 2024, four players have led by three or more strokes through 18 holes at the Masters: Justin Rose (2021/4), Charley Hoffman (2017/4), Jordan Spieth (2015/3), Darren Clarke (2003/3); of those, only Spieth went on to win
• Fifth first-round lead/co-lead at the Masters, surpassing Jack Nicklaus (4) with the most first-round leads/co-leads in Masters history
• Holds the first-round lead/co-lead on the PGA TOUR for the 20^th time, converting two of prior 19 (2010 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, 2011 BMW Championship)
• No first-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win on the PGA TOUR this season (15 stroke play events)
• At 44, is the oldest player since 50-year-old Fred Couples in 2010 to lead/co-lead through 18 holes at the Masters, and the fifth-oldest all-time
• 2013 U.S. Open champion matches his career-best score in relation to par in a round of a major championship (fourth time in 275 major championship rounds)
• First-nine 31 (-5) marks his low first-nine score at Augusta National Golf Club (previous: 33, multiple times)
• Making his 20^th Masters appearance, owns six top-10s in 19 prior starts; was T2 to Jordan Spieth in 2015 and lost a playoff to Sergio Garcia in 2017
• Two top-10s in six PGA TOUR starts this season, both coming in Signature Events (T3/AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, T8/Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard)

Miscellaneous Notes

• Canada’s Corey Conners (T2/-4), making his 200^th PGA TOUR start, records his first opening round in in the 60s at the Masters in his eighth appearance; previous-best position through 18 holes at this event: T7/2022; matches the lowest opening round by a Canadian at the Masters (Mike Weir/2009)
• Scottie Scheffler (T2/-4) posts his second bogey-free round at the Masters Tournament (R1/2024); marks his first time making birdie on hole No. 4 in 21 rounds; has now made at least one birdie on all 18 holes at Augusta National Golf Club
• Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg (T2/-4), runner-up at the 2024 Masters in his first major championship appearance, is now 11-under through his first five rounds at Augusta National, bettered only by Jordan Spieth (13-under through first five rounds)
• In his ninth appearance, Tyrrell Hatton (T5/-3) cards his lowest opening round at the Masters (previous, 71/twice)
• 2020 and 2024 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (T5/-3) is in search of his third major championship title; posted three top-10 results in the four major championships in 2024 (T6/Masters Tournament, 2^nd/PGA Championship, Won/U.S. Open, MC/Open Championship)
• With a hole out from 191 yards on the par-4 14^th hole, Fred Couples (T11/-1), in his 40^th appearance, makes his first career eagle on a par-4 at the Masters; at age 65 years, 6 months, 7 days becomes second-oldest to break par in a round at Augusta National Golf Club (Tom Watson/2015/71/R1 at age 65 years, 7 months, 5 days)
• Rory McIlroy (T27/E) cards two double bogeys in his last four holes (Nos. 15 and 17); first time with multiple double bogeys or worse in a round at the Masters Tournament since 2014 (R2)
• Nick Dunlap’s opening-round 90 marks the highest 18-hole score on the PGA TOUR since Aguri Iwasaki carded 91 in round two of the 2024 Open Championship