Spieth gets hot on back nine, takes first-round lead at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Last April, Jordan Spieth tied for second in his first Masters.

In no round did he go lower than 70. That no longer applies.

Yesterday afternoon at Augusta National, the fourth-ranked player - who has a win and two runner-ups in his previous three tournaments, including last week's playoff loss in Houston - opened with an 8-under-par 64 to take a three-shot lead over four others after 18 holes of the season's first major.

Only one guy has ever started better here. That was Greg Norman, with a 63 in 1996. Remember, that didn't turn out well.

Anyway, this is Spieth's ninth major. The best the 21-year-old has done other than Augusta was a 17th at last June's U.S. Open.

Oops, almost forgot. Tiger Woods, in his first Masters in 2 years and his first tourney in 2 months, is at 1-over 73. He wasn't the favorite.

Spieth, who calls Dallas home, but has family ties in the Lehigh Valley, is the youngest first-round leader here, and the first to make nine birdies in a round since Woods in 2011 (second round).

"Sometimes, the hardest part of this tournament is getting off to a good start," said Spieth, who went 71-70-70-72 a year ago to finish three behind Bubba Watson. "I tried not to be so anxious . . . "

Paraphrasing his playing partner, Billy Horschel, Spieth said, "I need a tape recorder that just plays, 'Nice hole, Jordan,' on each tee box."

That probably happened when Spieth was making five birds in six holes, beginning at No. 8. On the 14th, he hit the flagstick with a shot from out of the woods that left him with a kick-in.

He had a sloppy bogey at the par-5 15th, where he put his second shot over the green, then came up short on not one, but two chips. But he curled in a sliding 15-footer for a birdie 3 at 18.

"When I was on 15, I knew I could get to 10 [under]," Spieth acknowledged. "I've never shot 10-under in a professional round in my life. Obviously, here that's pretty special. But 8-under here is nothing to complain about. I'm certainly OK with the day. It's really cool. I'll take three more."

Tied for second are four-time major winner Ernie Els, who was second here in 2000 and 2004; Justin Rose, who won the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion; Jason Day, who nearly won this thing in 2011 and 2013; and Charley Hoffman, whose only other Masters was 4 years ago.

Els is playing in his 89th major. Spieth was a month shy of his first birthday when Ernie won his first, the 1994 U.S. Open. Els had never broken 70 before on Thursday here. And the last time he shot even that was in 2004.

Rose's best finish here was a fifth in 2007. This was his third straight 67 in a major, having closed with a pair at the PGA Championship in August to tie for 24th. He also opened with a 67 here in 2004, when he held the first-round lead.

Day has never shot lower than 70 on Thursday at Augusta, either, although he did have a 64 on Friday 4 years ago in his debut. He made five consecutive birds before bogeying 17.

Hoffman, who played the last four holes in 4-under, played in the first group after honorary starters Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player hit their ceremonial drives.

"I certainly thought about what I'm expecting coming in," said Spieth, who practiced with two-time champion Ben Crenshaw, a fellow Texan playing his last Masters. "Obviously, everyone wants to win this golf tournament. It leaves your name in history. The hardest thing to do is put that behind you when you start. It's still tough to do. It's tough to sleep on a lead here, and I saw that last year [as the 54-hole leader].

"When I'm given the opportunity, I like to close it out. This is the most special place in golf. It's early right now, and I'm trying not to think about anything other than getting back on No. 1 tomorrow and trying to shoot a good score.

"I can pretty much control my own destiny from here. I'm pleased to be in that position again. Last year, it didn't go my way. I know how many things can happen."

Sergio Garcia, still among the best to never win a major, is at 68 with Russell Henley. It's the third time in 5 years Garcia has opened in the 60s.

Three-time winner Phil Mickelson is one of a half-dozen at 70. Rory McIlroy, who's trying to become the third guy in the modern era to win three straight majors and the sixth to win all four, is among 14 at 71. As is Watson, who's trying to join Nicklaus (1963-66) as the only ones to get three green jackets in 4 years. And two-time champ Tom Watson, who's 65. Only once in the last 2 decades has he started with a lower score.

The last first-round leader who won was Trevor Immelman, who went wire-to-wire in 2008.

"I'm not planning on looking at scoreboards at this point," Spieth said. "I need to play some really, really good golf."

He already did.