In ideal conditions for most of the day, Sergio Garcia, with a bogey-free round, and Marc Leishman with a 31 on the back nine, both fired 6-under par 66’s to share the 18-hole lead at the Masters today.
Dustin Johnson, who had also gotten to 6-under after fifteen holes, gave a stroke back at the 17th hole and finished at 5-under 67 to take sole possession of third place.
Rickie Fowler, David Lynn, Ganzalo Fernando-Castano, Trevor Immelman, Fred Couples and Matt Kuchar finished at 4-under 68.
Rounding out the top ten on the leaderbaord were Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Adam Scott at 3-under 69.
World no. 1 Tiger Woods finished at 2-under 70 and world no. 2 Rory McIlroy finished at even par 72.
Garcia, Leishman, Dustin Johnson, Fowler, Fernando-Castano, Kuchar and Scott are all seeking their first major victory.
But the big story of the day may have been the play of 14 year old Tianlang Guan from China who birdied the 18th hole from about twenty feet just off the green to finish with a 1-over par 73. Guan is the youngest player ever in the history of the Masters and wasn’t yet born when Tiger Woods won his first green jacket. Guan, who was playing with two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw(80) and Matteo Manassero (75) showed no signs of his age as he needed only twenty-five putts on the day after hitting just eight of eighteen greens in regulation.
Fowler had an awkward round that included double bogeys on the first and tenth holes. Perseverance paid off as he came back with birdies after both of those double bogeys and managed to throw in four other birdies and an eagle at the par-5 15th. Aside from his trouble holes, Fowler played his sixteen other holes in eight under par and needed only twenty-one putts on the day.
Weather conditions look a bit problematic as thunderstorms move into Augusta tonight and may last until the early morning hours.
For full leaderboard information, go here.
By Mike Verrastro
