Day one co-leader Koepka throws down the gauntlet at Augusta Masters

LIV Golf League member Brooks Koepka grabbed a share of the opening day’s lead at the 87th edition of the Masters alongside two-time Hero World Challenge winner Viktor Hovland and world number three Jon Rahm on seven under par 65 at Augusta National on Thursday.

Koepka, winner just last week at LIV Golf’s Orlando event, and his co-leaders were two shots ahead USA’s Cameron Young and Australian Jason Day, with a six-strong pack including Tokyo Olympic champion Xander Schauffele sharing sixth place on four under 68s.

Barring a lone dropped shot on the back nine, Koepka had a near flawless round that included four birdies before the turn and a further three on his way back to the clubhouse to match Spain’s Rahm and Hovland of Norway.

The four-time major winner who is one of the poster boys of the ostracized LIV Golf League roster later posted a single-word tweet on his handle, “Nice.”

Fellow LIV man Phil Mickelson, a three time-winner at Augusta National Golf Club too brought in a sub-par score with a one-under 71 along with Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Reed, all of them a shot behind Cameron Smith in tied 17th place on two-under 70.

Event icon Tiger Woods made a shaky start to his 25th Masters campaign to sit in a share of 63rd place on two-over 74, his round studded with three popular pars against five dropped shots, one of which came at the very end.

Two of Tiger’s five bogeys came from three-putts, a surprise for a golfer considered something of a marksman on the greens.

Meanwhile, debutant Korea Joohyung ‘Tom’ Kim hit an impressive 70 in the opening round of the year’s first major, his card marred by a double-bogey seven that had otherwise contained two birdies and an excellent eagled par-5.

The disaster struck on the par-5 15th hole, as Kim’s third shot from out of the greenside trap caught a slope on the green and rolled off into the water. He missed a 13-foot birdie chance on the closing hole to end his day on a strong note.

Kim was the leading Asian performer in a share of 17th place with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion hitting a 71 along with Sungjae Im of Korea, who has two top-10s in three Masters appearances.

Rahm started with a four-putt double bogey but the world number three fought back with seven birdies and an eagle to match his career low score at Augusta National.

“If you're going to make a double or four-putt or anything, it might as well be the first hole, 71 holes to make it up. After that, I was focused on the fact that all the strokes were good. I just got to work and I had 17 holes to make up,” said Rahm, who holds four career top-10s at the Masters.