facebook-pixel

Jordan Spieth overtakes Tony Finau in Masters first round with five-birdie run

It was the eighth time in his last 13 rounds at the Masters that Spieth ended a round with the lead.<br>

Jordan Spieth hits a shot on the 17th hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament Thursday, April 5, 2018, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Augusta, Ga. • Four strokes under par looked like the limit Thursday in ideal playing conditions at Augusta National Golf Club, until Jordan Spieth came along in the second-to-last threesome of the day.

Spieth pushed the leading score in the Masters to 5 under … then 6 under … and then 7 under with his run of five birdies, before he bogeyed No. 18 to post a 66. He’ll take a two-shot lead over West High School graduate Tony Finau and Matt Kuchar into Friday’s second round, with another seven players three strokes behind.

“I’ll always have a tremendous amount of confidence out here,” Spieth said. “Once you win here, you have an advantage over anyone who hasn’t won here.”

Tiger Woods shot a 73 in his first Masters round since 2015, the year Spieth won his green jacket. In contrast to Finau, who birdied all four of Augusta National’s par-5 holes, Woods birdied none of them.

Finau will tee off at 7:36 a.m. MDT in Friday’s second round, hoping to position himself for a big weekend in his first Masters appearance. His best finish in a major tournament is a tie for 10th in the 2015 PGA Championship.

While he’s sure to have other opportunities to compete at Augusta National, based on his PGA Tour success and Official World Golf Ranking, Finau didn’t want an ankle injury to defer his debut beyond Thursday.

“I looked forward to this week for a really long time, and to see the possibility of that slipping away … I had the confidence that I would come back, but I wanted to play now,” he said.

Finau and Kuchar distinguished themselves among the contenders at No. 18, where Finau made a saving par after hitting his approach shot left of the green and Kuchar posted one of the day’s 10 birdies on that hole. Earlier, four players — Charley Hoffman, Adam Hadwin, Henrik Stenson and Haotong Li — each stood 4 under when he came to No. 18, and each departed with a bogey.

They’re part of a seven-way tie for third, joining Rory McIlroy, Rafael Cabrera Bello and Patrick Reed.

All of them are chasing Spieth, who was not doing much until he eagled the par-5 No. 8. Then came his back-nine burst of birdies, starting on the par-5 No. 13.

Spieth was thrilled to get away with only a bogey at No. 18, after running into all kinds of trouble in the trees off the tee.

Defending champion Sergio Garcia posted an 81, with his waterlogged 13 on the par-5 No. 15 ruining an otherwise decent round. Garcia certainly will miss the 36-hole cut, just as 2016 champion Danny Willett did last April.

Spieth, meanwhile, is a reliable Masters pick. In his four previous appearances, he has a victory, two ties for second place and a tie for 11th. He has held at least a share of the lead after nine of his 17 competitive rounds at Augusta National. “His record’s spectacular around here,” Kuchar said.

“We build plans for the year to peak at certain times,” Spieth said. “And I believe that not just here at Augusta, but major championships, going back a number of years, I’ve played really well, and I think that has to do with the work of our team. We’ve got a great plan, and then gearing up myself and getting psyched for them and the right amount of confidence and composure that it takes.”

Storylines<br>Jordan Spieth makes five birdies in a row before bogeying No. 18 and settling for a 6-under-par 66 and a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Masters<br>Lehi resident Tony Finau is tied for second with Matt Kuchar, who makes a rare birdie at No. 18.<br>Sandy’s Mike Weir shoots even par on the back nine, making three birdies, to finish with a 76 and give himself a chance to make Friday’s 36-hole cut.