Paul Casey cut an elated figure upon the completion of his spectacular opening-round that saw him rise to the top of the Masters leaderboard.
The Englishman was in red-hot form on Thursday and couldn’t have asked for a better start when he opened his week’s account with a bogey-free seven-under-par 65.
Casey, who has had his fair share of bad fortune at Majors over the years, made the most of his early tee off after rain halted proceedings for almost three hours at Augusta National.
READ: Tiger on the move in Augusta
‘It was just very, very solid golf. I did the right things when I needed to. You rarely walk off this course going, ‘It could have been two or three better,’ but it kind of felt that way. I don’t want to be greedy. I’m very, very happy with my 65,’ the 43-year-old said.
The suspension of play due to darkness meant many players haven’t even got close to finishing their opening rounds yet, which subsequently saw Casey end the day’s action at the summit of the leaderboard.
Casey finished the PGA Championship in T2 in August and looks to be striving for more consistency in recent times, despite struggling at times on the PGA Tour since golf’s restart.
He is, however, determined to build on his swift start in Georgia and is looking forward to some big performances over the weekend.
READ: Frittelli starts with a bang
‘I’m in a very fortuitous position. I still get to be a professional golfer and play championship golf, but I didn’t know how the fan-less experience would be. And so far, I’ve not enjoyed it. The Masters, though, it still has a buzz to it. There’s an energy and a little bit of a vibe. Yes, it’s clearly a lot less than what we are used to, but there’s something about this place. I felt excited to be here.’
