Sergio Garcia and Fred Couples – yin and yang at the Masters, and in the hunt

Sergio Garcia and Fred Couples – yin and yang at the Masters, and in the hunt











Jay Busbee April 11, 2013 7:55 PMYahoo Sports






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Sergio Garcia hits his tee shot on the 11th hole during the first round of the Masters. (USAT Sports)AUGUSTA, Ga. – They are the yin and yang of this golf course, its warmest ambassador and its coldest detractor. They are aging optimism and youthful pessimism, victory with a smile and defeat with a scowl. They are Fred Couples and Sergio Garcia, and after the first round of the 2013 Masters, they sit within arm's length of each other atop the leaderboard.



This was one of those Augusta afternoons that's like a day off from school; you don't want to waste it because you don't know when it's coming around again. It's not getting any easier than this, so Thursday was the day to go low.

Fred Couples, hands down the coolest golfer on the course, sidled his way to a 4-under afternoon marred only by two bogeys, including a late one on 18 that kept him two strokes off the lead of Garcia and Marc Leishman, who are tied at 6-under.

At 53, Couples is grayer now, walking a little more gingerly thanks to persistent back pain, but he's still the same suave player that captured the 1992 Masters with a combination of skill and insane luck. His Sunday tee shot that year on 12, which rolled back to within inches of Rae's Creek but somehow hung on the bank, still stands as one of the most fortunate shots in Masters history.







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Fred Couples tips his cap as he walks off the 11th green. (USAT Sports)



Something about Augusta, then, brings out the best in Couples. He hasn't won on the PGA Tour since 2003, but in that time has carded three top-6 finishes and another two top-15s at Augusta. He was tied for the lead after round two last year, and held the solo lead in 2010.

Can Couples hold on for another green jacket two decades after his first? Honestly, it's doubtful; this is a rugged course and it hurts even the ones who love it the most. But it's impossible to deny that this place keeps Couples playing young … and he passes along the feeling to his fans.

[Related: Tianlang Guan, 14, is in the hunt after Round 1]

Garcia, meanwhile, is a player old before his time. Still only 33, he's been his own worst enemy almost since he arrived on Tour as the first of Tiger Woods' supposed rivals back in 1999. He's borne the "best player without a major" mantle for so long that it might as well bear his name. And the farther he goes in his career, the farther away that goal seems.

Augusta in particular has bedeviled him. The course has given him more cuts than a cheap razor, and in 15 attempts he's only managed two top-10 finishes. He melted down here in 2009, cursing the course conditions in a rant that left many observers thinking he'd spat on the Mona Lisa.

"I don't like it, to tell you the truth," he said at the time. "I don't think it is fair. Even when it's dry you still get mud balls in the middle of the fairway. It's too much of a guessing game. … They can do whatever they want. It's not my problem. I just come here and play and then go home." (Naturally, he backpedaled in a statement two days later.)

On Thursday, at least, he and the course reached something of a truce. Garcia birdied the first and never looked back, never surrendering a stroke back to par as he finished with six birdies.

[Watch: Sergio's fragile confidence at Augusta]

"It's obviously not my most favorite place, but we tried to enjoy it as much as we can," Garcia said on Thursday evening. "Sometimes it comes out better than others. Today was one of those good days. We'll enjoy it while it lasts."

If that quote sounds resigned, even flat-out defeatist, it sounded that way as he was speaking it. Thursday, Garcia had to defend himself against the suggestion that he was only marking time until another defeat at Augusta.

"Every time I tee off in a tournament, my goal is to play the best I can and win the tournament," he said. "It doesn't change this week."

Both Garcia and Couples have a long way to go to get within sight of a green jacket, much less win one. Both men have history working against them. But at Augusta, history might, just possibly, work in your favor.

[Related: Slideshow: Lindsey Vonn at the Masters]

"The beauty and the bad thing of this game is that it can have such highs and such lows," Garcia said. "The most important thing is to make sure you get through those [lows] nicely."

They won't have long to wait. Garcia tees off at 8:39 a.m. Friday, and Couples follows 11 minutes later. If they're both still in the red by midafternoon, a historic weekend for both men could be in the making.

Garcia and Leishman share Day 1 Masters lead

Garcia and Leishman share Day 1 Masters lead











PGA.COM April 11, 2013 8:21 PM

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Sergio Garcia matched his best-ever Masters score with a 66 on Thursday.(Getty Images)


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Sergio Garcia is still chasing that first major title.


It never figured to come at Augusta National.

But there he was Thursday, after a bogey-free opening round, sharing the top spot on the leaderboard at the Masters.

"Obviously, this is not my most favorite place," Garcia said, trying to be diplomatic. "But we try to enjoy it as much as we can every time we come here. Sometimes it comes out better than others. Today was one of those good days. Let's enjoy it while it lasts."

Garcia's 6-under 66 tied him with Aussie Marc Leishman, on a cloudy day that was made for going low. There wasn't much wind until late in the afternoon, when a storm front approached Augusta. There wasn't a blistering sun to bake out the greens, which were receptive to accurate shots.

The Spaniard took advantage, rekindling memories of the teen phenom known as "El Nino," who seemed certain to win numerous major titles after he battled with Woods at the 1999 PGA Championship, losing by a single stroke.

Garcia has challenged in other majors, but rarely at the Masters -- a course that doesn't seem to fit his style or shaky putter. In 14 previous appearances at Augusta National, he has finished in the top 10 only twice.

Last year, after a dismal third round took him out of contention, he bluntly conceded that he didn't think he was capable of winning a major.

Obviously, he feels different now -- though there's still some trepidation in his voice about what's still to come.

"Every time I tee off in a tournament, the goal is to play the best I can and have a chance at winning. That doesn't change this week," Garcia said. "Today was a nice day, one of those days you really enjoy. Hopefully I'll have three more of those and we'll see what happens on Sunday night."

With all eyes on Tiger Woods, the overwhelming favorite, plenty of others stood out amid the azaleas and towering Georgia pines.

There was Leishman, who had played two whole rounds at Augusta National.

There was David Lynn, a Masters rookie who was just two strokes back.

Lynn was the early clubhouse leader, then Leishman surged to the front with four straight birdies on the back side starting at No. 13. The Australian sure didn't play like someone who had missed the cut in his only other Masters appearance, in 2010.

"The first time I was here," Leishman recalled, "I was like a bit of a deer in headlights, I guess. I found myself looking around a little bit too much and not concentrating on getting the ball in the hole."

He was hardly on a roll coming into Augusta, having missed the cut in his two previous PGA Tour events. But it all came together, for one day at least.

"To be sitting here is pretty cool," Leishman said. "But it's only Thursday afternoon, so a lot of golf to play."

No Australian has ever won the Masters.

Lynn, a runner-up to Rory McIlroy in last year's PGA Championship, birdied four of five holes around the turn and rolled in a testy 15-foot putt at the final hole to save par.

"It's about playing the percentages," the Englishman said. "When I was on the ninth, I turned to my caddie and said, `We're leading the Masters.' He just looked at me and smiled. I told him, `I'd rather be leading it Sunday afternoon.' But it's not a bad thing to see your name up there leading the Masters. That's always something I can look back on."

Lynn moved from the European to the American tour this year, a change that seems to have rejuvenated his passion for the game.

"It's given me a second wind," Lynn said. "Everything is new. I'm going to different places every week, different courses. It's like I've started my career again almost."

Dustin Johnson was one shot off the lead after a 67. Lynn was joined at 68 by a group that included Rickie Fowler, who went on the wildest ride of the day -- a 4-under score despite two double-bogeys.

Jamie Donaldson turned in the shot of the day, acing the 180-yard sixth for the 24th hole-in-one in Masters history. He is only the fifth player to make a 1 at the hole known as Juniper, with its towering tee box and a green at the bottom of the hill. Donaldson was the first to do it since Chris DiMarco in 2004.

Woods was still the favorite after opening with a 70.

But it appears he'll have a lot of competition.

"I felt like I putted well today," said Woods, whose only lower opening-round score at Augusta was a 68 in 2010. "We've got a long way to go. I've just got to out there and play shot for shot. The golf course is going to change dramatically. You've just got to make adjustments."

Woods has already won three times this year and reclaimed his No. 1 spot in the world rankings. But he hasn't captured a major since 2008, and it's been eight long years since he claimed his fourth green jacket at Augusta. He is still four majors shy of tying Jack Nicklaus' record 18 championships -- a mark that becomes a little more daunting each time the 37-year-old Woods fails to win one of golf's biggest events.

Guan Tianlang of China is just getting started. At age 14, he was the youngest player to ever qualify for the Masters, but showed he belonged with a solid 73 that included a 15-foot birdie from the fringe at the final hole.

His playing partner, two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw, led the cheers.

"I felt a little bit nervous on the first tee," Guan said. "But I hit a great tee shot and, after that, everything feels comfortable."

Shortly after dawn, the tournament began with ceremonial shots from three of golf's greatest players -- 83-year-old Arnold Palmer, 77-year-old Gary Player and the 73-year-old Nicklaus.

Palmer was clearly pleased with his effort, which settled right in the middle of the fairway. He pumped his right fist as the crowd roared.

"The only nerves are to make sure you make contact," Nicklaus quipped. "It doesn't make a diddly-darn where it goes."

Lynn contending in his second straight major

Lynn contending in his second straight major











PGA.COM April 11, 2013 8:49 PM

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David Lynn is high on the Masters leaderboard after a runner-up finish at the 2012 PGA Championship.(Getty …


By Paul Newberry, Associated Press


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- David Lynn spotted the leaderboard as he was making the turn in front of Augusta National clubhouse.

Yes, it was something to behold.

"It's obviously not a bad thing to see your name up there leading the Masters," Lynn said after Thursday's opening round. "But there's a lot to be done for the rest of the week, and hopefully I can keep my name up there."

The lead slipped away on Day 1, but a 4-under 68 left the Englishman just two strokes behind the front-runners, Sergio Garcia and Marc Leishman.

Not bad for someone playing their first Masters. But maybe not that big of a surprise, considering Lynn was the runner-up to Rory McIlroy in last year's PGA Championship.

He certainly had to be patient. This moment was 17 years in the making.

"It's taken me a golfing lifetime to get here," Lynn said.

The 39-year-old Lynn first played on the European Tour in 1996, his lone victory coming eight years later. But his career took a new direction after his performance last August at Kiawah Island -- McIlroy won by eight strokes but Lynn was next after back-to-back 68s on the weekend.

He cashed an $865,000 check, moved across the Atlantic to play on the PGA Tour, and began prepping for the Masters.

"It's given me a second wind," Lynn said. "Everything is new. I'm going to different places every week, different courses. It's like I've started my career again almost."

Heading into Augusta, he got some tips from old friend David Gilford, who shot 67 the first time he played the Masters in 1995.

The advice: "Don't be too intimidated by the greens. There are birdies out there. Try and be aggressive when you can be."

Lynn must have listened.

He got off to a strong start, knocking a wedge to 8 feet at the very first hole and rolling in the birdie putt. A 6-footer on the par-5 eighth pushed him to 2 under, then a perfect wedge that plopped down 6 feet below the hole left him with another easy birdie at No. 9, sending him to the back side with a 33.

Lynn finally stumbled at the 10th, where a tricky 3-footer slid by the hole for his first bogey. But Lynn birdied the next two holes, banging in a 40-foot putt at the tough 11th.

After giving back a stroke with another short miss at the 17th, Lynn rolled in a 15-footer to save par at the final hole.

"Obviously, it was great to make par there, finish on a high," Lynn said.

Lynn was still talking about his round in the media center when another name surged to the top of the board. Leishman ripped off four straight birdies on the back side to seize the lead.

That did little to dampen Lynn's mood.

"I know when I'm on my game, I can compete at that sort of level. What happened at Kiawah Island was basically confirming it to myself," he said. "Although McIlroy ran away with it that week, it was still, for me, an environment that I had not been in before."

Seems like he's getting used to it now.

"If you speak to more or less every golfer who is out here on various tours, they will all believe that they have performances in them as good as the top guys," Lynn said. "I've always believed that I could perform well. I just don't do it consistently enough. And why, I don't know. I guess right place, right time at the PGA and everything going right for me."

If he's in contention going into the weekend, he'll feel more comfortable with the role.

"You come out the other side with a bit more confidence," Lynn said. "I'm not going to sit here and say I'm going to be there Sunday night, but deep down, I know that I've got performances in me that could put me there Sunday night."