French ace Gregory Havret had good cause to be pleased in sharing the honours of the best-placed rookie on the opening day of the 2011 Masters.
Havret grabbed six birdies in his round including three in succession from the 15th to record a superb two-under par 70 in the hot and slightly windy conditions.
Gregory Havrat - Equal leading Masters rookie on day one
The 34-year old La Rochelle born Frenchman qualified for the Masters in finishing runner-up to Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell in last June’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
Havret had been up since 6am and drove from where he is staying at 7am to arrive at 7.15am and then had some breakfast before heading for the range.
And Havret again displayed he’s comfortable in Major Championship play to end the round in 14th place and tied with fellow rookie Rickie Fowler and Japan’s Hiroyuki Fujita.
“It was a very good start and I am very pleased,” he said.
“I was two over par after 11 holes and the back nine was then nice to me with four birdies from the 13th to the 17th so it was a good way to finish.
“I birdied both the par five, 13th and the 15th and hit a very good 8-iron shot into 16 for birdie, and then holed from the back of the green on 17.”
Earlier, Havret missed an easy up-and-down chance for par at the third hole and then three-putted from 10-feet at the seventh hole as well as dropping a shot on the ninth after his drive clipped tree branches.
“This is Augusta and you have got to learn one way or the other,” he said.
“So I will take a 70 because I was hitting the ball really well yesterday and on Tuesday. My coach and I worked quite a lot also for the three days we were here on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
“Tuesday and Wednesday were the same and it’s carried over into today.”
Havret admitted he was nervous in stepping onto the first tee at 9.02am when he joined Sweden’s Karl Pettersson and American Ryan Palmer.
“I am always nervous but then I was a little more nervous playing Augusta the first time in the Masters,” he said.
“It was probably worst teeing up alongside Tiger in last year’s U.S. Open, and tomorrow I will probably be even more nervous because I have to wait to 12.20pm to start my second round.
