…. Augusta, Georgia.
FIRST ROUND NOTES, FACTS & FIGURES – 77th MASTERS
Weather
Mostly cloudy with a high of 81 degrees. Winds S 7-14 mph.
First-Round Leaderboard
Sergio Garcia
Marc Leishman 66 (-6)
Dustin Johnson
The first-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win the Masters Tournament 15 times in the previous 76 events. Dating to 1985, Trevor Immelman (2008) is the only player to carry the first-round lead/co-lead on to victory.
Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Australia’s Marc Leishman shoot 66s to lead the first day of the 2013 Masters. (Photo – www.pgatour.com)
Sergio Garcia
Garcia missed the cut in his last two majors coming into this week (2012 British Open and 2012 PGA Championship).
Seve Ballesteros won his second Masters Tournament on this date 30 years ago (April 11, 1983). Seve had a final round 69 to win by four shots. It was also 14 years ago today (April 11, 1999) that Jose Maria Olazabal won his second Masters Tournament with a final round 71.
Sergio Garcia and Gonzolo Fernandez-Castano (4-under 68) were both born in 1980, the same year Seve Ballesteros won his first Green Jacket.
Active consecutive major appearances (including 2013 Masters):
Player Consecutive starts
Sergio Garcia 55
Adam Scott 47
K.J. Choi 44
Below is a list of the players in the field with the most starts in a major without a victory (including this week):
Lee Westwood 60
Sergio Garcia 58
Steve Stricker 58
Thomas Bjorn 49
Adam Scott 48
K.J. Choi 48
Garcia has converted one of his nine first-round leads/co-leads on TOUR into victory (2008 THE PLAYERS Championship). He has held two first-round leads in majors:
1999 PGA Championship 2nd
2007 British Open 2nd
The 2007 British Open was the last time Sergio Garcia held a lead after any round in a major. He held sole possession of the lead after the first three rounds at the 2007 British Open before a final round 73 put him in a playoff with Padraig Harrington.
This is Garcia’s first lead after any round at the Masters.
Garcia is making his 15th start at the Masters with two top 10s (8th/2002 and T4/2004). He matched his lowest round at the Masters (2004) today with a 66.
Today was Garcia’s first bogey-free round at the Masters since round three in 2002 (8th).
Marc Leishman
Leishman is trying to become the first Australian to win the Masters.
Leishman has never held a lead/co-lead after any round on the PGA TOUR. He is making his 114th start on TOUR this week.
Leishman missed the cut in his only other start in the Masters in 2010. He got into the 2010 Masters by finishing in the top 30 in the 2009 FedExCup standings (20th) as a rookie.
Leishman was named PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in 2009, becoming the first Australian to earn the honor since the award’s inception in 1990.
Leishman earned a spot in the Masters this week after winning the 2012 Travelers Championship. At the Travelers Championship, Leishman was T20 and six shots off the lead entering the final round. He fired a bogey-free 8-under 62 in the final round, matching his career-best round in the second best comeback in tournament history. Leishman finished his round at 3:39 p.m. and the last putt of the tournament fell at 6:01 p.m. Roland Thatcher, who was in the final round had a chance to tie the lead with a birdie, but a bogey-5 sealed Leishman’s first win on TOUR.
Geoff Ogilvy, who did not qualify for the Masters this week, is the last Australian to win a major (2006 U.S. Open).
Dustin Johnson
Johnson has made six of nine cuts on TOUR this season with a WD. His two top 10s were a win at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and T4 at the Shell Houston Open.
Johnson is playing in his 17th major and third Masters Tournament. Last year, Johnson was forced to withdraw from the Masters prior to the first round with a back injury. His Masters finishes: T30/2009, T38/2010 and T38/2011.
Today was Johnson’s best round at the Masters. His only other round in the 60s was a 68 in round two in 2011.
Fred Couples (4-under 68)
Longest time between major championship victories since 1934:
Hale Irwin 11 years (1979-1990)
Henry Cotton 11 years (1937-1948)
Ben Crenshaw 11 years (1984-1995)
Julius Boros 11 years (1952-1963)
Note: Fred Couples won his last major 21 years ago (1992 Masters).
Fred Couples (53 years, 6 months, and 11 days on Sunday) would become the oldest winner of a Major Championship if he were to win the Green Jacket for the second time. He would break the record for oldest player to win a major set by Julius Boros, who won the 1968 PGA Championship at the age of 48 years, 4 months and 18 days.
The oldest player to win the Masters is Jack Nicklaus (1986), at the age of 46 years, 2 months, 23 days.
Sam Snead is the oldest winner in PGA TOUR history at age 52 years, 10 months, 8 days (1965 Greater Greensboro Open). Couples would be the oldest winner if he were to win the Masters this week.
Couples is the oldest second-round leader in Masters history (2012). The previous record was held by Lee Trevino in 1989 at age 49.
Couples is making his 29th appearance at the Masters, with a win in 1992 among his 11 top-10 finishes and 26 made cuts. This is his 94th start in a Major Championship.
Couples’ 26 made cuts at the Masters is fourth best in tournament history: Jack Nicklaus/37, Gary Player/30, Raymond Floyd/27.
Couples is trying to join Sam Snead and Raymond Floyd as the only players in PGA TOUR history to win in four different decades.
Record for most years from first victory to last in PGA TOUR history:
29 years, 10 months, 9 days Fred Couples (June 5, 1983 – TBA)
28 years, 11 months, 20 days Raymond Floyd (March 17, 1963 – March 8, 1992)
28 years, 2 months, 17 days Sam Snead (January 17, 1937 – April 4, 1965)
David Lynn (4-under 68)
England’s David Lynn is making his 11th start on the PGA TOUR this season. He is playing his first season on TOUR as a member. He has made seven of 10 cuts this season with a best finish of T4 at the Honda Classic.
Lynn made two starts on the PGA TOUR prior to this year: T53 at the 2003 British Open and 2nd at the 2012 PGA Championship.
Nick Faldo is the only golfer from England to win the Masters (1989, 1990 and 1996). Scotland’s Sandy Lyle, who was born in England, was the first British golfer to win the Masters (1988). Lyle and Faldo are the only British players to win in Augusta.
Tiger Woods (2-under 70)
Woods only has one round in the 60s in the first-round at the Masters (68/2010/T4). He has never held a first-round lead at the Masters.
Woods’ first three wins at the Masters came after shooting an opening round 70. He had a 74 in the first round when he won his fourth Masters in 2005.
Tiger Woods is seeking his first Green Jacket since 2005 and fifth overall. Tiger Woods at the Major Championships:
Career Professional Majors: 60 (not including this week)
Cuts Made: 57 (2006 U.S. Open, 2009 British Open, 2011 PGA Championship)
Career Major Victories: 14 (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 Masters; 2000, 2002, 2008 U.S. Open; 2000, 2005, 2006 British Open; 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007 PGA Championship)
Career Major Top-10s: 36 (12-Masters; 8-British Open; 8-PGA Championship; 8-U.S. Open)
Tianlang Guan (1-over 73, T46)
Below are the youngest players to compete in a PGA TOUR event (Modern Era/Since 1900):
11 years, 11 months, 10 days Don Dunkelberger, 1937 Chicago Open (103, withdrew)
14 years, 2 months, 29 days Michelle Wie, 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii (72-68—140, missed cut)
14 years, 5 months, 11 days Marshall Springer, 1937 Chicago Open (missed cut)
14 years, 5 months, 17 days Tianlang Guan, 2013 Masters Tournament
14 years, 6 months Andy Zhang, 2012 U.S. Open (79-78—157, missed cut)
14 years, 8 months Marshall Springer, 1937 Western Open (84-90—174, missed cut)
Youngest to play in each major
14 years 4 months 25 days — Tommy Morris Jr, 1865 British Open (MC)
14 years, 5 months, 17 days – Tianlang Guan, 2013 Masters Tournament (TBD)
14 years, 6 months — Andy Zhang, 2012 U.S. Open (MC)
17 years, 10 months and 27 days — Ryo Ishikawa, 2009 PGA Championship (T56)
Youngest to make cut in a major (Modern Era/Since 1900)
14 years, 5 months, 18 days TBD (Tianlang Guan)
16 years, 2 months, 29 days Matteo Manassero, 2009 British Open (T13)
16 years, 11 months, 21 days Matteo Manassero, 2010 Masters Tournament (T36)
Youngest to make cut on the PGA TOUR (Modern Era/Since 1900)
14 years, 5 months, 18 days TBD (Tianlang Guan)
15 years, 8 months, 20 days Bob Panasik, 1957 Canadian Open (T66)
16 years, 4 days Tadd Fujikawa, 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii (T20)
16 years, 2 months, 23 days Justin Thomas, 2009 Wyndham Championship (T78)
16 years, 2 months, 29 days Matteo Manassero, 2009 British Open (T13)
Miscellaneous Notes
Rickie Fowler (4-under 68) is the first player since Raymond Floyd in 1992 to shoot in the 60’s with at least 2 double bogeys at the Masters.
American’s have won 8 of the last 13 Masters dating to 2000.
A player in his 20s has won seven of the last 10 major championships. Bubba Watson is the only player in his 30s to win in the last 10 major championships:
2012 PGA Championship
2012 British Open
2012 U.S. Open
2012 Masters
2011 PGA Championship
2011 British Open
2011 U.S. Open
2011 Masters
2010 PGA Championship
2010 British Open
First-time appearances
Three players won the Masters in their first appearance: Horton Smith (1934), Gene Sarazen (1935), Fuzzy Zoeller (1979).
Seventeen (17) players are making their first start at the Masters. Among the first-time players, John Huh’s 70 was the best of the first round.
George Coetzee
Nicolas Colsaerts
Jamie Donaldson
Alan Dunbar
Steven Fox
Branden Grace
Tianlang Guan
Russell Henley
John Huh
David Lynn
Thorbjørn Olesen
John Peterson
Scott Piercy
Ted Potter Jr.
T.J. Vogel
Michael Weaver
Thaworn Wiratchant.
Most first-year players at the Masters: 23 (1935), 22 (1962, 1966), 21 (1990), 20 (1980, 2008, 2011).
Amateurs in the field (6)
Tianlang Guan (China)
Steven Fox (USA)
Nathan Smith (USA)
T. J. Vogel (USA)
Michael Weaver (USA)
Alan Dunbar (Northern Ireland) 83
Best finish by an amateur in Masters: 2–Ken Venturi (1956), T2–Frank Stranahan (1947), Charles Roe (1961).
Past Masters champions in the field (19)
Angel Cabrera
Fred Couples
Ben Crenshaw
Trevor Immelman
Zach Johnson
Bernhard Langer
Sandy Lyle
Phil Mickelson
Larry Mize
Mark O’Meara
Jose Maria Olazabal
Charl Schwartzel
Vijay Singh
Craig Stadler
Bubba Watson
Tom Watson
Mike Weir
Tiger Woods
Ian Woosnam.
Lefthanders have won five of the last 10 Masters (Bubba Watson, Mike Weir and Phil Mickelson-3).
All five FedExCup champions are in the field this week: Tiger Woods (2007, 2009); Vijay Singh (2008); Jim Furyk (2010); Bill Haas (2011); and Brandt Snedeker (2012).
Ben Crenshaw is making his 42nd consecutive Masters appearance this week (1972-2012). Arnold Palmer played in a record 50 consecutive Masters from 1955 to 2004. Gary Player owns the most starts in Masters history (52).
Below is a list of how the defending champions have fared in the first round the past 10 years:
Winning Year Champion R1 the following year
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
There are 93 players in the field this week (87 professional and six amateurs).
Jamie Donaldson made a hole-in-one on the 6th hole. It is the first ace on No. 6 since Chris DiMarco’s in 2004.
Notes created by: Mark Stevens, PGA TOUR Media Official, (904-861-5112)
Please visit www.pgatourmedia.com for further information.
