Augusta, Ga.
Spent most of the morning walking with Bubba Watson's group at The Masters. He's playing wit Sergio Garcia, whose pants are the same shade of pink as Bubba's driver. Not sure they coordinated that.
Bubba won this tournament two years ago and shot what might have been the most impressive round of Day 1, not making a single bogey while playing in the higher winds in the afternoon.
I followed him on the front nine and he was long and volatile as usual. He hit a bomb of a drive on No. 8, then, when his approach went left, he screamed that he had mud on his ball.
On No. 9, he drove long and left, and yelled at a photographer who snapped in his backswing. (Bubba was right to be angry.)
The theme of the week: You can't leave yourself above the hole. I watched two gropus play into the par-4 fifth hole, and all left the ball short of the green rather than chancing hitting it past the pin and facing a downhill putt, or winding up on a different tier.
I like that the course challenges the players' creativity. Thick rough forces all players to gouge the ball out and hope. Augusta National has shaved grass near the greens. So of the six players I watched, three putted, two chipped and Garcia used a fairway wood.
Garcia got to tap-in range. Joost Luiten putted in. Marc Leishman, who had made three birdies on his round, chipped past the hole and two-putted, leading to a collapse.
