Masters 2023: Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland & Brooks Koepka lead as Tiger Woods struggles

World fig 3 Rahm recorded the lowest 18-hole people successful Masters past for players with a treble bogey oregon worse connected the archetypal hole

Spain's Jon Rahm recovered from a four-putt treble bogey connected the archetypal spread to stock the aboriginal clubhouse pb with Viktor Hovland and Brooks Koepka connected a scoreable opening time astatine the Masters.

A birdie connected the 18th moved the satellite fig 3 alongside Hovland, who had led for astir each of his round.

Koepka, among 18 LIV players successful the field, birdied the past to articulation them.

"We hide astir the opening greenish and it was astir arsenic comfy arsenic I've felt this year," said Rahm.

Another American, Cameron Young, is 2 shots down the leaders aft carding 67.

Ireland's 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry, American satellite fig 7 Xander Schauffele and Australia's 2013 Masters victor Adam Scott are wrong 3 shots connected a star-studded leaderboard.

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However, 15-time large victor Tiger Woods, playing successful the aforesaid radical arsenic Hovland and Schauffele, could not lucifer their exploits and carded a two-over 74.

Woods, 47, has said helium volition ne'er afloat retrieve from the superior car mishap wherever helium astir mislaid his limb successful February 2021 and his carnal information looked awkward connected the steep hills of the iconic course.

American defending champion Scottie Scheffler and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy - the world's apical 2 players and favourites alongside Rahm to triumph the Green Jacket - are among the aboriginal starters.

While bedewed upwind is forecast for the weekend, raising prospects of a archetypal Monday decorativeness since 1983, the calm conditions connected Thursday person enabled 8 players truthful acold to sprout nether 70.

European Ryder Cup subordinate Hovland's seven-under 65 was his lowest people successful a large championship

What other has happened connected time one?

American seasoned Fred Couples, the 63-year-old who won the Masters successful 1992, became the oldest subordinate to interruption par astatine Augusta since Tom Watson successful 2015 with a one-under 71.

Couples was two-over par aft the beforehand 9 earlier 4 birdies betwixt the 12th and 17th holes moved him into associated 3rd position.

However, a bogey connected the past saw Couples driblet down the leaderboard and was overtaken further erstwhile the aboriginal starters began scoring well.

An archetypal tract of 88 players astatine the opening men's large of the twelvemonth was reduced aft American brace Will Zalatoris and Kevin Na withdrew due to the fact that of wounded and illness.

World fig 8 Zalatoris, who was the 2021 runner-up and besides finished sixth past year, has been battling with a backmost wounded successful caller months.

The 26-year-old's withdrawal was announced minutes earlier helium was owed to tee disconnected alongside England's reigning US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick and American 2021 Open victor Collin Morikawa.

Na, 1 of 18 players from the breakaway LIV Golf circuit to beryllium invited, teed disconnected successful the archetypal radical with Canada's 2003 champion Mike Weir and managed to play the beforehand 9 earlier quitting erstwhile 4 implicit par.