Shane Lowry was thrilled to partner Tiger Woods for a first time in a Major but was left disappointed in not matching the defending champion’s effort in posting a two-over par 74 on the opening day of the 84^th Masters.

Lowry’s effort of two bogeys and 16 pars left him trailing well down the board and nine shot adrift of early first round leader Paul Casey and with the former Irish Open winner posting a blistering seven-under par 65.

Lowry’s two-over tally was a 10^th occasion in 11 rounds of the Masters he’s not broken 70 and with his lowest score a 68 on day one in 2016.

“I can’t seem to get my head around this place,” said Lowry.

“I Played lovely in, played really good going into it, and just off to a bad start.

Shane Lowry shoots a 74 on day one of the 2020 Maseters

“It’s not that I was chasing all day, but I just felt like I couldn’t get a putt to the hole.  I felt like I kept leaving myself nice putts underneath the hole and just kind of struggled to get the ball to the hole.

“But look, it is what it is.  I’ll regroup tonight, and whatever time we do play at tomorrow, I’ll be ready to go and try and shoot the best score I can.”

Casey earned a pair of Augusta National logoed crystal goblets for his second hole eagle ‘3’ and in a round that also included five birdies.

Defending champion, Tiger Woods, and who partnered Lowry played his best golf all year in signing for a four-under par 68, and like Casey, producing a bogey-free round.

It was the first occasion since the 2009 PGA Championship that Woods has been bogey-free in a major and a maiden time he’s not dropped a shot on day one of any Masters.

The only downturn for Woods, and all competitors, was there is a ‘no patrons’ policy this year as Lowry said to Woods, and smiling, was an advantage.

“I said to Tiger, with my draw, it’s a bit of an advantage not having any crowds out there,” said Lowry.

“I thought that was good.  It was nice to play with Tiger my first time I was able to play with him.  It is pretty cool.

“Though I didn’t want to get distracted by it today, and I don’t think I did, but playing with like my golfing hero is just pretty cool around this place, and as the Open Champion playing with the defending champion, that was just kind of a bit of a surreal experience”.

The trio of Lowry, Woods and reigning US Amateur champ, Andy Ogletree had been due to tee-up at 7.55am local time but that was first put back to 8.05am with a 10-min delay to the start of the 84^th Masters.

However, the opening three groups off both the first and 10^th tees, had only played one hole when a siren sounded to halt play due to storms that turned parts of the Georgia golfing gem into mini streams.

Play was delayed for two hours and 40 mins making for an overall delay of 10 minutes shy of three hours.

It meant that Rory McIlroy, and rescheduled to tee-off at 2.50pm local time, and British Amateur winner, James Sugure at 3.01pm would not complete their first rounds due to some three hours less daylight compared to a normal April Masters.

Lowry made his way to the 10^th in what was the first time the Clara golfer had been drawn with the 15-time Major winning Woods.

Lowry chose an emerald green/near-Augusta coloured hirt for only his fifth Masters and while Woods went with a 3-wood off the downhill 10^th, Lowry had pulled out the driver sending his ball 322-yards down the fairway.

He found the green in regulation and then two-putted from 34-feet for a par before finding a right greenside bunker at the par-4 11^th but then sending his third past the flag and only just managing, and possibly due to the dampness of the course, in not rolling into the water.

He the chipped to six-feet but missed his par putt.

Lowry pared the next two holes but then clipped a branch down the left side of 14 and then in finding the green he three-putted for a bogey ‘5’, and also would prove to be his only other dropped shot of the day.

For his remaining 13 holes Lowry was a picture of patience and also scrambling when he had to, such as being well left and well short off the 18^th but then getting his second to just short right of the green but chipping and then holing an eight-footer to save par.

Then at the ninth, Lowry hit a booming 340-yard drive downhill leaving himself a wedge ahead of a 13-footer for birdie but with his putt just dropping to the right.

“I am very disappointed with my day, but I did enjoy my day,” Lowry admitted.

“I just need to regroup now tonight.  I played it really, really nice in practice and I played really well in Houston last week, so no reason why I can’t go out and shoot a good score tomorrow.

Fellow Irishman Graeme McDowell arrived at the ninth, and also his last hole, two groups behind Lowry’s three-ball standing on the tee at two-under par.

It had been frustration for McDowell early on in his 10^th Masters and a first Augusta tee-time since 2016.

McDowell had hit a 300-yard drive off 10 but then missed the green right in taking a bogey ‘5’ while there was the sight of him bent over his club after finding water guarding the green at the par-5 13^th and then to two-putt from 10-feet for a second bogey.

G Mac also played a super second shot over the water guarding the par-5 15^th only to three-putt for a par before superbly chipping-in for birdie at the 16^th.

Graeme McDowell birdies from off the green on No. 16. #themasters pic.twitter.com/diDNMYPMr7

— The Masters (@TheMasters) November 12, 2020

He got back to level with a birdie at the second and then into the red with a birdie at the par-3 third hole or his 12^th of the round

McDowell then jumped to two-under par after a great lay-up at the par-5 eighth hole and from around 90-yards he landed his third to five-foot for birdie.

His drive at the ninth, and albeit it travelled 319-yards was in the trees left and then walking off with a humbling double-bogey ‘6’ to end his day then sharing 50^th place at level par.

It is the third time McDowell’s began with a first round 72 and also his equal third highest Augusta opener with a 69 on day one in 2009 his lowest score.