Playing in the final year of his exemption as the 2012 Open champion, Ernie Els remained in contention with an opening round of even par 72.
Els was South Africa’s best placed golfer, with all four countrymen struggling on a tough day for scoring at Augusta National.
Earlier, Louis Oosthuizen birdied the last to finish +5; one shot better than Branden Grace who finished +4 after he started double, bogey, bogey before another drop on 9 saw him out in 41.
Grace sandwiched a bogey on 14 with two birdies before finishing with three pars to sign for a 76.
Els bogeyed 2, 6 and 7, but managed to keep the bogeys at bay on the back nine with a birdie 4 on 13 setting him for a strong finish as he got shots back on 15 and 16.
The Big Easy then hit his approach to 6 feet and sank the birdie on 17 to move into red figures before a wayward drive on 18 cost him a shot on the last.
All eyes were on Els on the first after his six putt last year.
‘I was really nervous on the tee, so it’s nice to get that one in and kind of get going,’ said Els after his even-par 72. ‘But then I bogeyed 2, so …’
He just smiled. He knows the highs and lows at Augusta National are as extreme as it gets in golf. Given that this might be his last appearance here, he’s enjoying the challenge.
‘The good is really unbelievably good here, and the bad is just as bad here,’ he said. ‘So you got to be tough.’
2008 champion Trevor Immelman went out in 40, five bogeys and a birdie on 5, and came home in 39 to shoot 79.
2011 winner Charl Schwartzel was +4 after 12, but finished +2 after a back nine which consisted of 7 pars and two birdies. His round of 74 was good enough to see him end the first day in a share of 26th place.
Photo: Getty Images
