Catch-up time for Europeans after Jordan Spieth's day of Masters dominance

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John Huggan6 April 2018

For a few it will be a day of consolidation. But for most of the 23‑strong European contingent gathered for the 82nd Masters, the primary motivation during the second round will be catch-up.

Only four Europeans — Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy, Rafa Cabrera‑Bello and Bernd Wiesberger — broke par on day one as Open champion Jordan Spieth’s six-under-par 66 eased him to the top of the leaderboard. The 24-year-old Texan has played 17 rounds in four Masters and has led or been tied for the lead after nine of them.

Still, with 54-holes to play, anything can and probably will happen. Ask Sergio Garcia. One year after winning his maiden Major, the Spaniard opened with a round of 81, nine-over par. Which sounds bad — and is — but also understandable.

His card contained a 13 on the par-five 15th, where he dumped five balls into the pond fronting the sharply-sloping green. It’s safe to say Garcia will not become only the fourth man to retain the Masters.

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In contrast, both Stenson and McIlroy emerged from day one quite content,both shooting 69.

Stenson, who was celebrating his 42nd birthday, said: “I managed my way round the course pretty well today. I hit some nice chips and holed a couple of nice putts on four and 11. I did make a couple of bad swings, real trauma both off the tee and into the green, but overall I did a pretty good job.

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“Any time you shoot in the 60s you’ve got to be pleased. That score, without playing my best, is definitely promising. I just hope I can turn that notch up and see where that takes me on Sunday.”

Indeed, Stenson’s most stressful moments came on the 15th. Standing on top of the hill looking down on the green, the four-time Ryder Cup player watched as the unfortunate Garcia spun wedge after wedge after wedge back into the water.

“It didn’t really fill me with confidence,” he said. “There is such a small margin between a really good chance for birdie and a guaranteed bogey on this course. But I’ve learned over the years. I pretty much know where to hit it and what to do on every pin location. It’s just a matter of being able to do it.”

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As for McIlroy, the four-time Major champion dropped only one shot in a solid display that may have left him three shots off the pace — “My best start here in a few years,” he said — but was four better than the one-over par score amassed by Tiger Woods.

“Seventy-three is fine,” said Woods, whose remarkable return from spinal fusion surgery made him a pre‑tournament favourite. “By the end of the week this will be a pretty packed leaderboard the way the course is set up.

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"They have it right where they want it. It’s really hard to run away from it, but it’s also really easy to lose it out there. By the end of the week, a bunch of guys will have a chance to win this tournament.”

The clear message: he intends to be one of those guys.

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