VoxBlog

They wondered what could stop Dustin Johnson at this 81st Masters. The answer was three small stairs at his rental property, which ultimately forced the world No 1 and tournament favourite to withdraw in dramatic circumstances on the first tee moments before his starting time. “It sucks really bad,” Johnson said

The world No 1’s crestfallen image was the enduring image of a windy first round in which the Augusta National bared its notorious teeth.

It seemed to take chunks out of everyone, except for Charley Hoffman, the unfancied American who slipped the field. Fine player though he is, nobody but his loved ones was mentioning Hoffman’s name in a build-up concentrated on Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy. But there is the 40-year-old from California, four clear on seven-under

Spieth suffered. Last year, the American saw a five-shot lead disappear on the back nine courtesy of a quadruple bogey seven on the par-three 12th. It was another quadruple yesterday causing the havoc, this time a nine on the par-five 15th. Spieth is not yet out of it after a 75, but his insistence that Augusta holds no demons for him, looks more suspect than ever.

Johnson, however, will believe Spieth to be one of the lucky ones. After three wins in his last three events, he came here so confident of adding to the US Open he won last year. But as he got ready to pick up his two-year-old son, Tatum, from day-care on Wednesday afternoon so the freak accident happened. “'I was wearing socks and slipped and went down the three stairs,' Johnson explained. 'The left side of my lower back took the brunt of it and my left elbow is bruised as well.

Johnson still believed he could play after a night spent applying ice and then heat before going through the process over and over. It was in his favour that he was drawn in the final three-ball going out at 2.03pm and the morning report from his camp was optimistic.

The 32-year-old arrived at the course at 12,30pm followed a therapy session,. He lasted 15 minutes on the range, hitting easy wedges, but was in obvious discomfort and soon departed for the physio truck. He returned after 10 minutes of treatment, but it was obvious he was losing the race against time when his caddie – his brother Austin – had to tee up his balls.  Johnson could not even bend over.

After another five minutes Johnson consulted his coach, Butch Harmon, and then Fred Ridley, the chairman of the competition committee, joined the discussion. He advised Johnson that a physio could accompany him on the course and that he could receive treatment. Johnson told a reporter: “I’m going to give it a go.”

Yet after joining Bubba Watson and Jimmy Walker on the first tee he took a few practice swings, grimaced and walked off back to the clubhouse. There was less than three minutes until the tee time.

“I was doing everything I could to try to play, but I just don’t feel like there’s any chance of me even competing," Johnson said.

“I want to play, more than anything. I just can’t swing the club. I’m playing the best golf of my career and this is one of my favorite tournaments of the year."

The galleries plainly agreed. There were gasps when he signaled his intent to  withdraw. Johnson is indisputably the form player in the game, having won two World Golf Championships in succession, as well as the LA Open. And having made his major breakthrough at Oakmont , he seemed set to follow up on his tie for fourth last year. However, he must now wait.

Spieth displayed a different sort of agony on the 15th. Every eyeball was focused on him when he arrived on the 12th, the capricious 155-yarder over Rae’s Creek which had so much to crush his dreams of winning back-to-back greenjackets.

Spieth held firm and found the back of the green and when he two-putted for par the 23-year-old’s Augusta exorcism seemed complete. It was Hallelujah at Amen Corner. Alas, the ghouls had merely skipped forward a few holes. Spieth resisted the urge to go the green at the 530-yard par-five 15th, laying up in two.

His caution was misplaced. He hit his wedge into the water guarding the green and then flew his fifth shot over the putting surface. A chip and three putts and he was recording his biggest ever single-hole score in his PGA Tour career. Spieth fared well to limit the day’s damage to three-over, which is 10 off the runaway pacesetters but only six back of another American in second in William McGirt in second.

Hoffman’s 65 was an extraordinary effort, even if the conditions had calmed by the denouement of his round. He is made nine birdies including five out of six holes from the 12th. Hoffmann is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, but his only top 10 in major was recorded here two years ago, when he finished in a tie for ninth. He is in a rarefied atmosphere now. "It was the round of my career," he said.

In third is Lee Westwood, showing his fondness for Augusta yet again. The 43-year-old reeled off five birdies in succession from the 13th to move from three-over to two-under. Last year, the Englishman finished second to Danny Willett, but the champion has been enduring a dreadful run recently. Willett began with a double-bogey but retained his composure to post a commendable 73.

Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose and Andy Sullivan all shot 71s as the record 11-strong English representation set about proving the old adage of strength in numbers.  Paul Casey is on level par, the same mark as McIlroy who switched around his usual Augusta narrative and turned a 77 into a 72, with some brilliant scrambling and a huge slice of fortune on the 13th when his ball stayed on the bank when it appeared destined for the water. Out in 39, back in 33, McIlroy is nicely poised.

Westwood finishes two under

Well played by Lee Westwood, who finishes at two under and third on the leader board. He made par on the 18th hole.

And that's it for our live coverage this evening - tomorrow should be a good one. Can Hoffman pull off another round like that? Will McIlroy carry his better back nine form into Friday's play? As I type that he nearly puts his ball into the crowd... so let's leave that one hanging. 

Bubba's on form

What a putt. He's turned a double bogey into a par with a brilliant shot, tapping the ball sideways to allow the green to take it down and into the hole.

McIlroy is back on his game

Rory started like a man who really, really, really wants to win a green jacket and the pressure crushed his game. All of a sudden he's playing well and sticks the ball on the green within easyish putting distance of the 17th hole.

Hoffman for the birdie...

That's how close he was to a sixth straight birdie. He came in on 31 on the back nine. The round of his career, it is suggested.

Westwood down to two under

With another birdie on the 17th. He was three over not long ago! That's five in a row for Westwood and he's on the sixth tee now... and the shot is clean, on the fairway and should put him in with a decent chance.

Rory McIlroy sinks his putt for birdie and looks happy for about the first time today. Three birdies in four holes is nae bad.

Hoffman could have another birdie...

 It's a fantastic shot on the 18th and very conceivably a putt for birdie, to make it five in a row. That would put him under 64, something that the commentators would give 1000/1 to odds for.

McIlroy close to a hole in one

Rory's finally found his swagger and swing... on the 16th hole. Just in time. His tee shot is lovely, just right of the flag and designed to let the green take the ball to the pin and it very nearly does. Rory won't miss from two yards and that will be a birdie.

BUBBA!

Bubba sinks the pink with a wonderful long range putt, getting the crowd on their feet. That is an absolute beast of a putt - it's miles from the hole! And that puts him at one over.

English hopes

And now he's SEVEN UNDER!

Incredible scenes as Hoffman gets the ball in hole even earlier than people are supposed to for the fourth hole in a row! He's on fire. "The round of the year!" is how one commentator has described it.

And now he's six under

Incredible golf. Such golf. Many gold. Charley Hoffman has summoned the spirit of the great god of golf and is putting like he's found his happy place.

The wind has settled right down now as well apparently, which is making things a lot easier for everyone.

Hoffman is now five under

Terrific golf. Just splendid. It's another birdie for Charley Hoffman gets a four on the par five 15th and goes clear at the top. I like when someone nobody except the big golf fans really knows anything about leads the way in a tournament.

Paul Lawrie will always be the best. Not just because he is also from Aberdeen.

Birdie for McIlroy

He starts the fightback on the 13th hole and is now two over. That's after he stuck his ball in Rae's Creek - an impressive bit of golfing there from old Rory.

Thomas Bjorn is not exciting

He sounds like Henry Kissinger in the Simpsons.

I am reminded that it is 10:40pm when I hear his voice. Ewen Murray is doing his utmost to brighten things up but I can't imagine the Ryder Cup team should look forward to many inspiring, dramatic speeches in 2018. 

Hoffman -4

We have a new leader! Sound the golf alarms. He's now on par five hole 15, the same one which ruined Jordan Spieth's day earlier on.

Charlie Hoffman in joint lead

With a birdie on the 12th hole, Hoffman moves up to joint lead and hits a lovely shot on the 14th which gives him an outside chance of a birdie but as I type that it keeps rolling down the hill and is now miles away from the pin. Maybe not such a great chance after all.

McIlroy is back at it

"Absolutely sensational", says the golf commentator (not exactly sure who it was, sorry!) as McIlroy chips onto the green on a hole... I have no idea which because TV broadcasts still don't put any icons anywhere on the screen to let you know. After some Googling I know it is the 11th hole, where Rory should be able to save par and start to get that score down.

Fashion Watch

Danny Willett is wearing all-white, Phil Mickelson was a man in black, but Bubba Watson’s bright pink ball has stolen the show. There are rumours a luminous green one could make an appearance before Sunday...

Will McGirt in action

He's never played a competitive round at the Masters and he's the first (and only so far) to beat 70 (he finished on -69).

"The good thing for me is the times I've come down here this is the wind direction we had. Not as windy but I feel like those couple of rounds really paid off today.

"I played Tuesday with Bubba, I've picked some guys' brains the last few months. Fortunately for me I know a couple of members and had a good caddie and they've shared any knowledge they had."

Here's a stat for you

No player has scored worse than seven on any hole in the Masters and gone on to win. Bad news for Mr Spieth...

Bubba Watson

Big drive at hole nine, a chip onto the green... but it's the one that is a secret, massive slope. It's not even secret - if you land anywhere south of the middle, you're in trouble, and Watson does exactly that. His ball rolls all the way down into longer grass.

Words from Justin Rose

"Every shot was a gut check moment out there, there wasn't any room for error even on the greens, man. I missed a couple foot hole for birdie which doesn't settle the nerves... to shoot one under in those conditions is a great start."

One of Rory's bunkers

KAAAAAH! 

What's that? Is it an eagle I hear? You better believe it buddy. Danny Willett eagles the 13th, with his second shot doing most of the work, covering just over 200 yards. He then manages to sink the putt. If he'd done it with the green jacket on it would have looked a lot cooler though, and as we all know, the most important thing for any golfer is to look cool.

Woops

Ross Fisher has ever so slightly misjudged a chip onto the green and is helpless as he watches it spin down the hill and towards a body of water he wishes wasn't there. I'm not sure if it's actually become seaborne but he'll be disappointed about that one, Clive. Especially as before it he'd scored a birdie on the 14th.

He finishes with an eight, which is a triple bogey.

And on the ninth...

McIlroy drives into rough next to the crowd. It's just not quite working today.

Big players missing big shots

Jordan Spieth his posted two quadruple bogeys in 22 Masters holes, this year and last. Recovers well, but an alarming tendency.

And Rory McIlroy has just totally undercooked a putt on the eighth hole, making par difficult. Then he hits it slightly left and a little hard, the ball rolls around the lip and McIlroy has to settle for a six. That puts him three over. He shakes his head and throws his club in the air, like a very timid version of this.

And then Fitzpatrick double bogies

Bad timing with that post. Fitzpatrick is done for the day after having a slip up on the last hole. He finishes at -1, putting McGirt out on his own at -3.

McGirt moves joint top

William McGirt birdies the 16th to move level with Fitzpatrick!

Sergio Garcia

It's the man with a Premier League footballer's name, the Spaniard has hit his first birdie of the day (our night) at the eighth hole, putting from about 15 feet.

McIlroy trees

Difficult one this (well it would be for me), as McIlroy hits the ball low and tries to let it ride up the hill and onto the green. He falls just short.

A lovely little chip

Great putt by Herhard Langer

59 year old Berhard Langer sinks a long range putt on the seventh for par. FIFTY NINE! 

McIlroy on the seventh

Rory drives his shot left of where he wants, with the ball landing on rough ground beneath and between a heap of trees. 

Fitzpatrick in the lead

The 22 year old young Sheffield star Matthew Fitzpatrick has moved to -3, putting him a shot ahead at the top of the leaderboard.

Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy is still +2 and about to play the seventh hole.

Jordan Spieth is not having fun

The American has had a disaster on the 15th, dropping four shots. He puts his third effort into the water, hits his next over the green and then manages to finish with a nine on the par five. There's something he doesn't like about this course.

Pieters misses a putt for par on the 18th

That's so unlucky. It's about a six yard putt but the ball drifts just wide of the hole, rolling past the hole. The follow up is actually pretty difficult too.

It's very windy

Curse you, wind! The elements are making themselves known now - there was a tornado warning the other day - and Adam Scott has his ball blown off the green.

DJ's interview

"I was gonna go move the car, I had my socks on, went to walk down the stairs and slipped, landed on my elbow and lower back. I've treated it, as soon as it happened I got my brother to help me up, got ice on it. I went out to try and hit balls, I could swing maybe 70 per cent max, it was impact and through impact it would catch. I just felt like I wasn't going to be able to compete.

"My heart was in it but the more I thought about it... I literally wouldn't have a chance.

"This is one of my favourite tournaments of the year. For me to pull out... it sucks really bad. I'm very sad. I feel like I wanted to play but I'm not going to be able to compete.

"The worst part about it is that in two days I feel like I'm going to be fine... but right now I can't swing. And on Sunday I'm going to be fine and playing golf again."

Another English hope

Sheffield's Matthew Fitzpatrick is now joint leader after making a birdie on the 14th hole.

Johnson speaks

"I have been worked on all morning and obviously I can take some swings but I can't swing full. I can't make my normal swing and I didn't think there was any chance I could compete.

 "I was wearing socks and slipped and went down the three stairs. The left side of my lower back took the brunt of it and my left elbow is bruised as well." 

Spieth moving up the gears

And McIlroy is in a bunker on the third

This guy spends more time in the sand than David Hasselhoff. 

But seriously, he's landed in a bunker with his tee shot on the third. Wise up, Rory. 

Butch Harmon on Rory McIlroy's chances

"He would be the sixth one ever to do it. The first hole is the toughest one on the course today [because of the wind] but if you can get around an even par today you've played a heck of a round of golf."

McIlroy has just saved par on the second after landing in a bunker again.

Pieters falls to -1

He was five under not long ago but has suffered the same fate as quite a few players on the back nine. The Belgian hits six on the par five 15th.

McIlroy starts with a bogey

Danny Willett has made his way back to par, but Rory McIlroy didn't get off to a good start, smashing his drive slightly right and into the bunker. 

Pain in the follow through

According to DJ's coach, Butch Harmon, Johnson's back swing was absolutely fine but the follow through was causing real discomfort meaning he would lose serious power on long drives and taking too much away from his game to make it worth playing. It's a shame.

In other news, Rickie Fowler is now second in the leader board, on -2 along with England's Justin Rose.

Johnson's name is off the boards

Shame for Dustin Johnson - that fall proved costly as he withdraws from The Masters.

Corrigan on Johnson

This is from yesterday on what happened to Dustin Johnson to cause him to withdraw (today):

By James Corrigan

Dustin Johnson, the world No 1 and favourite to win this 81st Masters, is a big doubt to play in Thursday's first round after injuring his back falling down the stairs in his rental home on Wednesday afternoon.

With the Par Three tournament cancelled for the first time in its 57-year history due to storms, 32-year-old Johnson returned to his lodgings and it was there that the freak accident occurred. His manager, David Winkle, released a statement which stunned a sport making the final preparations for one of its showpiece events.

“At roughly 3pm today, Dustin took a serious fall on a staircase in his Augusta rental home,” Winkle said. “He landed very hard on his lower back and is now resting, although quite uncomfortably. He has been advised to remain immobile and begin a regimen of anti-inflammatory medication and icing, with the hope of being able to play tomorrow.”

The favourite is out

JOHNSON IS OUT!

It's been like this all day. He's in, he's out, he's... well he's definitely not shaking it all about because his back hurts. Poor DJ. The world number one walks up the first tee and then decides he's not up to it. 

JOHNSON IS HERE

 Not him - it's Dustin. He's walking up to the first tee. Oh the drama! Oh the GOLF!

Spieth taking on his foe

Jordan Spieth is up at Amen Corner, the place he fell apart in that dramatic collapse in 2015. And how will it go....

Spieth at the back of the green on the 12th. Not the best, but he's dry and probably glad that bit is over

McIlroy is up

Rory McIlroy, Hideto Tanihara and Jon Rahm are next to tee off. Will Rory get his career Grand Slam?

The current leader

He deserves a photograph.

Only one hole to go and Chappell will finish at -2 if he gets par. 

Rose at -2

 Justin Rose has made back to back birdies to move into -2. Here's a nice video about golf for you to watch, since there's no video coverage of the actual golf.

Another update on DJ

So DJ is back on range & suddenly looks great. 2:03 tee time. Will be interesting when he goes to driver on range. Irons look good.

Only half an hour until Johnson tees off and it's still not certain whether he'll play. He's with his coach and whacking some balls about but no confirmation yet. Again. 

Pieters has lost his lead

It was all going swimmingly but after a birdie on the 10th, Pieters has dropped shots. A bogey on the 11th and a double bogey on the 12th have put him at -2, putting Kevin Chappell (USA) on top again!

Spieth on the second

Even worse for Willett

And on the second, Willett tees into the rough and uses his second shot to land in the sand. He can still make par if he suddenly remembers how to play golf.

In other news, another swing in the Dustin Johnson story as it turns out he's grimacing in pain while hitting shots in the practise area.

Bad start for Willett

Not great for Britain's Big Hope, as he gets a double bogey on the first hole. His first shot goes flying into trees, two shots got him onto the green, and a two putt finished off the hole. 

In better news, here's a nice picture of the current leader back in simpler times when only three under. Now he's at -5.

DJ is fit

Good news for all fans of Dustin - the world number one is going to play at 7:03pm, having been passed fit for today's action.

The Johnsons

Still no confirmation on Dustin, but Zach Johnson is having a tough time. He's had consecutive bogies on 10th, 11th and 12th holes...

Pieters moves to five under!

What a round this is by the Belgian! You might remember him from the Ryder Cup - he was the very tall one - and a birdie on the 10th hole has extended his lead at the top of the leaderboard.

Who else do you want to know about? Jordan Spieth? Well, the American is currently on par after bogeying the fifth hole, while Justin Rose is also bar, after scoring a four on the par three third hole.

Willett is on the course

"The defending champion, from England. Danny Willett!". Can he win back-to-back Masters? 

Mickelson's eagle

Here's Mickelson's superb second hole:

Johnson to play

According to a journalist from Golf Digest, it's game on for Dustin Johnson.

Barring something unforeseen, Dustin Johnson will tee it up this afternoon.

Pieters now at -4

A fantastic four on the par-five eighth hole has moved Thomas Pieters to -4. Close behind is Phil Mickelson on the fourth at -3 and Rickie Fowler at -2 on the sixth. 

Still no word on Dustin Johnson

Johnson injured his back when he slipped on a wooden floor, wearing socks, yesterday and a decision is "imminent" apparently as to whether he will compete in the tournament this year. There could be some big news any moment...

"It really depends on the pain level, making his swing, if he has the confidence to make a swing," said his coach earlier.

Danny Willett reliving the past

A photo of Pieters doing his thing

Jordan Spieth on the fifth hole

Here he is. Spieth has started well and is -1 after four holes. This photo is him walking towards the second tee, and I'm telling you that in case you're some sort of detective and need to know. 

Willett is eager

Danny Willett needs to cool his jets. He's not on for another 40 minutes (5:24pm BST). 

Highlights

Twitter is a horrible place at the best of times but today it's having a good one - here are highlights from the first round so far:

An eagle for Mickelson

Ooft. Phil Mickelson has just shown the second hole who's boss by sinking a putt from about 40-ish yards, getting off to a two under score after only two holes. Blimey.

Thomas Pieters off to great start

The Belgian has made three birdies already and is the new leader at -3! Still no sign of Shooter McGavin, but he'll be looking at that score board knowing he has a job on his hands today.

Paul Hayward on Dustin Johnson

Paul Hayward is in Augusta right now and has this for us:

Like a Grand National runner giving off bad vibes, Dustin Johnson has taken a walk in the betting market after his back injury scare. The World No 1 is now 8-1 behind Jordan Spieth, the new market leader, and Rory McIlroy.

GOLF!

Hello, it's time for some golf liveblogging. Get your seat belts on, it's going to be a rocky ride through a world of excitement! It might not be too thrilling for world number one Dustin Johnson, who might not even make it for his tee time at 7:03pm BST.

His coach Butch Harmon told Sky Sports that Johnson "didn’t get a lot of rest" last night but has been making "little practice swings at home". Will that be enough? Only golf can decide.

Handover

I will now leave you in the very capable hands of JJ Bull for the rest of day. 

So close

This would have been absolutely epic:

Better from the boy Scott

England's Scott Gregory recovered to par holes 3-6, but a bogey on the seventh leaves him +5 after seven holes. 

Smooth start

Spieth pars the first hole, as does Fitzpatrick. Lyle drops a shot on the seventh to fall to level par. 

Piercy in pole 

Incidentally Spieth wasn't born when Sandy Lyle won the Masters in 1988. 

Former runner-up Louis Oosthuizen meanwhile is not having a great day - he's +4 after five holes. Scott Piercy remains in pole position, with a handy -2 after eight holes. 

2013 champion Adam Scott is +1 after four holes, which Zach Johnson is +2 after five. 

How are those demons Jordan?

Jordan Spieth, who blew up so spectacularly on the back nine last year,  gets ready to go out alongside Martin Kaymer and Matthew Fitzpatrick. 

And what better time to repost this brilliant fate-tempting tweet from Spieth's sponsors Under Armour last year?

Amen corner

The first group of the day are reaching Amen Corner - the 11th and 12th hole, and the first two shots of the 13th. 

And this is what they look like...

No word of a Lyle

Scotland's Sandy Lyle, who won the Masters 29 years ago is showing that age is just a number. He's 59 but is -1 after five holes. 

Scott Piercy is now leading the way, at -2 after seven holes. Great recovery from the American having bogeyed the opener. 

Fowler's out

Rickie Fowler is getting going, and here's a reminder of who's going to be teeing off in the next hour.

• 3:12pm — Group 12: Russell Knox, Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama 
• 3:23pm — Group 13: Branden Grace, Brooks Koepka, Jeunghun Wang
• 3:34pm — Group 14: Jordan Spieth, Martin Kaymer, Matthew Fitzpatrick 
• 3:45pm — Group 15: Phil Mickelson, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Si Woo Kim 
• 3:56pm — Group 16: Brandt Snedeker, Justin Rose, Jason Day 

Full list of tee times here. 

Dustin update

Our golf correspondent James Corrigan writes in: Encouraging news from the Dustin Johnson camp. The world No 1 hopes to play this afternoon, despite falling down the stars while playing his son Tatum on Wednesday afternoon. 

Golf World spoke to his trainer, Joey Diovisalvi this morning "We got him to the point where he got mobility," said Johnson's trainer Joey Diovisalvi. 

"He was up and moving around and definitely going in the right direction. He was very much in an under control point going to bed last night He was walking around, a lot more mobility, took a couple of practice swings slowly without a club." 

Diovalsi added that the 32-year-old was determined to give it a whirl in his 2.04pm tee-time.

"He's obviously disappointed that he fell. He told us, 'I'm going to do everything I can to go out and play tomorrow,'" said Diovisalvi. "That basically is his attitude. He was playing with Tatum. Life sometimes happens. He’s not angry or upset, I'd say more discouraged."

New leader

The American Kevin Chappell is two under after three holes and is jumps to the top of the leaderboard ahead of Russell Henley. 

Things go from bad to worse for Scott Gregory, who shot a bogey on the second hole to find himself at +4 and at rock bottom. 

Big names get going

Former Masters champion Zach Johnson gets off to a poor start, dropping a shot on the first hole.  Louis Oosthuizen, the 2012 finalist, makes par.

The leaderboard now looks like this:

-1 R Henley (7), K Chappell (2), S Piercy (4) 

E B Steele (4), S Hagestad (3), S Lyle (1), L Oosthuizen (1)

Our men in Augusta have written in

James Corrigan: Brutal start for Amateur champion Scott Gregory. The 22-year-old from Hampshire took a triple-bogey seven on the opening hole. Nice drive, second a bit too long, two chips, three putts. That's Augusta, for you. harsh lesson.

Paul Hayward: English golf's strong showing in this year's field is at odds with falling participation numbers in Britain. According to one survey, 2.78m Britons played the game in 2016, compared with 4.1m in 2006.

Yet 11 golfers registered to England are teeing-off in Augusta, even without Nick Faldo, Luke Donald and Ian Poulter. There are 10 English players in the world top 60.

This was no comfort to Scott Gregory, the amateur champion, who took seven at the par-four first on his Masters debut. But the English are still coming, despite that participation drop-off back home.

Not so great Scott

English amateur Scott Gregory has emulated Brian Stuard and triple-bogeyed the first hole. Crumbs, probably not what he was dreaming about last night. 

Henley Royal 

Russell Henley is the early leader on one under after birdieing the second and fourth, but dropping a shot at the par-four third. Now genuinely do put all your money on him. His odds have shortened significantly to 40/1 from 66/1. 

Life of Brian

Brian Stuard is having a nightmare Masters debut, taking SEVEN shots on the par-four opening hole. It does look pretty windy out there to be fair, and a lot of them are struggling early doors. 

Meanwhile there's the first bit of British interest, with veteran (i.e very old) Scotsman Sandy Lyle grouped with the English amateur Scott Gregory. 

2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson and 2012 runner-up Louis Oosthuizen are also just getting started.  

Times to look out for

All the big guns will be out later today, and here are some key times for your diary:

• 3:34pm — Group 14: Jordan Spieth, Martin Kaymer, Matthew Fitzpatrick
• 3:45pm — Group 15: Phil Mickelson, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Si Woo Kim 
• 3:56pm — Group 16: Brandt Snedeker, Justin Rose, Jason Day
• 5:24pm — Group 23: Danny Willett, Matt Kuchar, Curtis Luck
• 6:41pm — Group 30: Rory McIlroy, Hideto Tanihara, Jon Rahm 
• 7:03pm — Group 32: Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Jimmy Walker

You can find all the tee-off times here.

Tricky beginnings

Trevor Immelman, Brendan Steele, Jhonattan Vegas, Mike Weir, Billy Hurley III, Scott Piercy have all got going. Summerhays and Henley continue to go well, but the South African Immelman is among those who have made a stuttering start. 

First blood Summerhays and Henley

The two Americans shot par on the first hole and were one under on the second. Put all your money on one of them to win it (don't actually do that). 

A couple of updates

First of all on the weather: it's very blustery out there, with winds gusting up to around 40mph. Thankfully though it is expected to remain sunny and largely rain-free for the next few days. 

Secondly on the world No 1 and favourite Dustin Johnson, who injured his back falling down the stairs in his rental home yesterday. Johnson's agent David Winkle says he still hopes to play, despite "landing hard on his lower back". 

Luckily for Johnson he doesn't tee off until 7.03 pm tonight so he does at least have the maximum recovery time. 

Hole one

This is how it looks:

And so it begins

The American pair Daniel Summerhays and Russell Henley are out to get us going. 

And here are the other groupings in the next hour or so:

All times BST (Friday tee times in brackets); * denotes amateur

• 1:00pm — Group 1: Daniel Summerhays, Russell Henley (4:07pm)
• 1:11pm — Group 2: Trevor Immelman, Brendan Steele, Jhonattan Vegas (4:18pm)
• 1:22pm — Group 3: Mike Weir, Billy Hurley III, Scott Piercy (4:29pm)
• 1:33pm — Group 4: Larry Mize, Brian Stuard, Stewart Hagestad* (4:40pm)
• 1:44pm — Group 5: Soren Kjeldsen, Kevin Chappell, Jim Furyk (4:51pm)
• 1:55pm — Group 6: Sandy Lyle, Sean O'Hair, Scott Gregory (5:13pm)

Arnie's Army

Everyone present at Augusta today was given the badge below for the opening ceremony today to honour the late, great Arnold Palmer. 'The King' won four Masters titles between 1958 and 1964. 

A reader writes in

Afternoon Charlie, 

Groups 3, 12, 14, 16, 28 are all fairly juicy but for me Group 25 with Big Henrik, El Pato Cabrera & Hatton is a super 3 ball for low scores. Henrik has got the Major monkey off his back & should be bang in contention on Sunday & Cabrera has a green jacket & runner up to Scott, so I'm expecting 3 low scores from this group. Backing Stenson for the green jacket. Should be a cracking 4 days.

Enjoy it! John

Officially under way 

 Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus have teed off, and the 2017 Masters has begun.  

Absent friends

Touching tributes paid to Arnold Palmer by the chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club Billy Payne. 

Here we go

The Honorary Starters ceremony is under way, and applause is ringing around Augusta for Arnold Palmer's widow Kathleen Gawthrop. 

Danny the champion of the world

This is also a great read - Danny Willett's brother PJ on the family WhatsApp group during Danny's victory last year. 

Preview reading

We have a huge number of articles to get you in the Masters mood, starting with Paul Hayward's scene-setter on the current state of golf. Paul writes:

Golf’s unusual problem is that it has too many good players and too few truly great ones. The best struggle against intense competition to achieve the holy state of dominance demanded by modern audiences. Nowhere are they under more pressure to attain global superstardom than at the Augusta National Club.

Golf correspondent James Corrigan explains how England has developed its record-breaking team for this year's event, and this is a wonderful read from Chief Sports Feature Writer Oliver Brown on the day 20 years ago when Tiger Woods shocked the world. 

Tee-off times

So, below is a full list of today's timings. Prior to all of that it will be Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player who will hit the ceremonial tee shots at 12.40pm to start the this years Masters. 

All times BST (Friday tee times in brackets); * denotes amateur

• 1:00pm — Group 1: Daniel Summerhays, Russell Henley (4:07pm)
• 1:11pm — Group 2: Trevor Immelman, Brendan Steele, Jhonattan Vegas (4:18pm)
• 1:22pm — Group 3: Mike Weir, Billy Hurley III, Scott Piercy (4:29pm)
• 1:33pm — Group 4: Larry Mize, Brian Stuard, Stewart Hagestad* (4:40pm)
• 1:44pm — Group 5: Soren Kjeldsen, Kevin Chappell, Jim Furyk (4:51pm)
• 1:55pm — Group 6: Sandy Lyle, Sean O'Hair, Scott Gregory (5:13pm)
• 2:06pm — Group 7: Zach Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen, Adam Hadwin (5:24pm)
• 2:17pm — Group 8: Tommy Fleetwood, Gary Woodland, J. B. Holmes (5:35pm)
• 2:28pm — Group 9: Adam Scott, Kevin Kisner, Andy Sullivan (5:46pm)
• 2:39pm — Group 10: Francesco Molinari, Daniel Berger, Thomas Pieters (5:57pm)

• 3:01pm — Group 11: Fred Couples, Paul Casey, Kevin Na (6:08pm)
• 3:12pm — Group 12: Russell Knox, Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama (6:19pm)
• 3:23pm — Group 13: Branden Grace, Brooks Koepka, Jeunghun Wang (6:30pm)
• 3:34pm — Group 14: Jordan Spieth, Martin Kaymer, Matthew Fitzpatrick (6:41pm)
• 3:45pm — Group 15: Phil Mickelson, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Si Woo Kim (6:52pm)
• 3:56pm — Group 16: Brandt Snedeker, Justin Rose, Jason Day (7:03pm)
• 4:07pm — Group 17: Rod Pampling, Williams McGirt (1:00pm)
• 4:18pm — Group 18: Mark O'Meara, Hudson Swafford, Roberto Castro (1:11pm)
• 4:29pm — Group 19: Ian Woosnam, James Hahn, Brad Dalke* (1:22pm)
• 4:40pm — Group 20: Ross Fisher, Pat Perez, Byeong Hun Am (1:33pm)

• 4:51pm — Group 21: Jose Maria Olazabal, Ryan Moore, Webb Simpson (1:44pm)
• 5:13pm — Group 22: Ernie Els, Jason Dufner, Bernd Wiesberger (1:55pm)
• 5:24pm — Group 23: Danny Willett, Matt Kuchar, Curtis Luck* (2:06pm)
• 5:35pm — Group 24: Vijay Singh, Emiliano Grillo, Toto Gana* (2:17pm)
• 5:46pm — Group 25: Angel Cabrera, Henrik Stenson, Tyrrell Hatton (2:28pm)
• 5:57pm — Group 26: Charl Schwartzel, Steve Stricker, Mackenzie Hughes (2:39pm)
• 6:08pm — Group 27: Charley Hoffman, Chris Wood, Yuta Ikeda (3:01pm)
• 6:19pm — Group 28: Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Shane Lowry (3:12pm)
• 6:30pm — Group 29: Bernhard Langer, Alex Noren, Patrick Reed (3:23pm)
• 6:41pm — Group 30: Rory McIlroy, Hideto Tanihara, Jon Rahm (3:34pm)
• 6:52pm — Group 31: Marc Leishman, Bill Haas, Justin Thomas (3:45pm)
• 7:03pm — Group 32: Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Jimmy Walker (3:56pm)

Telegraph Predictor: Pick one player to score under par in round one to be in with a shot of winning £250 >>

Preview

Afternoon all, first things first here's a full preview of the 2017 Masters tournament. 

What is it?

The Masters, one of the jewels in the sporting crown and the first golf major of the year.

When is it?

The tournament takes place over four days, between Thursday April 6 and Sunday April 9. The traditional par-three tournament also takes place on Wednesday April 5.

What time does it start?

The honourary starters will be teeing off at 7.45am local time on the Thursday - 12.45pm BST - before the pairings get under way. Featured groups begin at 10.15am ET - 3.15pm BST - on the Saturday and Sunday final rounds.

What TV channel is it on?

It's on Sky Sports 1 for all four rounds. Full coverage will begin at 7pm each day, with coverage of featured groups and Amen Corner available earlier in the day.

BBC Two will also broadcast live coverage of the final two rounds. Alternatively, Telegraph Sport will be delivering coverage of each of the four days to ensure you do not miss a key moment.

Why aren't the early rounds on TV? Click those words to find out.

What happened last year?

Our golf correspondent James Corrigan summed it up beautifully here:

A baby one week, a green jacket the very next. Danny Willett, the son of a Sheffield vicar, ensured his life would never be the same again by capitalising on Jordan Spieth’s capitulation and  winning Britain its first Masters in two decades.

On a final day bursting with at times excruciating drama, Willett, 28, was a model of composure as he claimed the glory on five-under, three clear of Spieth and Lee Westwood. But this day will also be remembered for Spieth’s Masters meltdown. Five clear after nine holes, three behind three holes later. This was an unprecedented Augusta collapse.

There seemed something synchronised in the timing and in the script. In 1996, Nick Faldo made the most of Greg Norman’s agony to win his third and final green jacket. And 20 years later, there was another Englishman grabbing his opportunity from the shadows of a great player’s torment  - also with a flawless 67. 

Except, Willett was not a five-time major champion like Faldo was and that is what made his nerveless round all the remarkable; that and the fact that he did not arrive at the course until Tuesday. The previous week his wife, Nicole, had given birth to their first child, Zacharia, and on “a tired cloud nine”, Willett’s preparation had at the best been hurried. To think, Zacharia was actually due on this Masters Sunday, but the necessity for a C-section meant he came 12 days early.

Now his father has arrived in the big-time. Willett is in the game’s top nine, with the world at his feet and the PGA Tour, with all of its billions, banging at his door. England has a new sporting hero and with four other players in the top 10 - including the resurgent Lee Westwood in third - England must believe it is at the start of a golfing golden age. 

What are the odds for 2017?

2017 Masters betting: Best offers, latest odds and tips

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