Par 5s hurt Dustin Johnson in first round of Masters

Dustin Johnson set a Masters record last year when he made eagles on three of Augusta National’s four par 5s. He made a birdie on the other par 5 to finish 7-under on the four holes.

In the first round of the 80th Masters on Thursday, Johnson finished 2-over on the par 5s.

One of the longest hitters on the Tour, Irmo’s Johnson usually manhandles Augusta’s longest holes. But he didn’t have any birdies and made bogeys on Nos. 2 and 15.

“I played pretty well, except for the par 5s,” said Johnson, who finished at 1-over 73. “I was terrible on those.”

Johnson left his second shot in the deep bunker on the right side of the No. 2 fairway and could not get up and down to save par.

He was over the No. 8 green after hitting a 290-yard 3-wood second shot and made par. He three-putted for a par on No. 13.

On No. 15, his 3-iron shot of 220 yards came up short and landed in the pond, leading to a bogey. “I just missed it,” Johnson said.

Johnson had his first Top 10 finish in the Masters last year.

A NEW RECORD

A new tournament. A fresh start. But one hole into his round, it all fell apart for Ernie Els on Thursday.

The multiple majors winner made a record-high 9 on the par 4 first hole. He six putts.

The old record high was an 8, set by Olin Browne (1998), Scott Simpson (1998), Billy Casper (2001) and Jeev Milkha Singh (2007).

WINDY DAY

The windy conditions made for a tough day for many golfers.

Several former champions struggled, including Ian Woosnam with an 82, Vijay Singh with an 80 and Trevor Immelman with a 77.

But the surprise high score of the day belonged to Ricky Fowler, who was considered to be among the pre-tournament favorites. A back-nine 8-over 44 led to an 80.

Fowler had a triple bogey on No. 13 and a double bogey on No. 16.

“Golf’s tough,” Fowler said. “There’s a fine line (between good and bad shots), especially at this place.”

Asked how disapppointed he was with his start, Fowler said, “Very.”

AMATEUR SHINES

Playing in the same threesome with Jordan Spieth and Paul Casey, amateur Bryson DeChambeau finished at even-par 72.

“It’s something I will never forget,” DeChambeau said of his first competitive round at Augusta. “Especially playing with Spieth, and him shooting 66. The crowds were great in supporting all three of us.”

DeChambeau was so impressed with his first Masters experience that he came out early to watch Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player hit their ceremonial first shots as honorary starters.

“It’s my first Masters,” he said, “and it’s a special experience.”

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 11:55 PM with the headline "Par 5s hurt Dustin Johnson in first round of Masters."