Reporting from Augusta, Ga. — If there had been specks of trash on the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday, they would have blown through these corridors of pines like confetti in Times Square.
Because there is not a piece of litter to be found, the evidence of just how gusty the wind was for the first round of the 80th Masters was in the rustling azaleas, starched pin flags and players’ pants billowing like sails on boats.
More than a few times the golfers paused to re-steady themselves over 12-inch putts. It was that unsettling at times.
And if the blustery conditions weren’t enough, 87 competitors were lashed by another front: stormin’ Jordan.
Fortunate to be in the early groups, before the wind reached its strongest, and seemingly oblivious otherwise to the peril, Jordan Spieth was the only player not to suffer a bogey, and he rolled in six birdies to open the defense of his title with a six-under-par 66.
There were others who had their own impressive days. South Korean Danny Lee shot a four-under 68 — a 22-shot improvement over the 90 he suffered in his second Masters round last year. That tied him in second with Ireland’s Shane Lowry, who had four birdies in a row on the front nine.
Perhaps because they have more experience in such weather circumstances, five notable Europeans were bunched with 69s: Paul Casey, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Soren Kjeldsen.
Those were rounds of beauty compared to the ugliness displayed by some of the week’s favorites.
Playing late in 35-mph gusts, world No. 1 Jason Day caught fire on the front with a five-under 31 and was one shot back of Spieth at the turn. He came home with a 41 for 72, including a waterlogged triple-bogey six at No. 16.
Two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson also scored 41 on the second nine in a 75, somewhat salvaging his score with a birdie at 18. Another top pick, 2013 champ Adam Scott, carded 76. Rickie Fowler was awful with an 80.
World No. 3 Rory McIlroy played later than all of them, and when he eagled the 13th and birdied the 15th, he was four under. But he fell back with bogeys at 16 and 18 to score 70.
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Danny Willett of England walks along the 15th hole during the final round of the Masters on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jordan Spieth gathers his thoughts on the 18th green before finishing the final round with a one-over 73.
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Jordan Spieth presents Danny Willett the winner’s green jacket Sunday evening at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Augusta National chairman William Porter Payne presents American Bryson DeChambeau with the trophy for being the top amateur at the Masters during the awards ceremony Sunday evening.
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Masters champion Danny Willett gives the thumbs-up sign to fans after the awards ceremony at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jordan Spieth gets a pat on the back from caddie Michael Greller on the 18th hole after finishing second at the Masters.
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Jordan Spieth takes a second drop on the 12th hole after one of the two times his shots landed in Rae’s Creek while hitting approach shots there during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Jordan Spieth plays his second shot on the 11th hole from the trees during the final round of the Masters on Sunday.
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Danny Willett reacts after making a putt at No. 14 on Sunday during the final round of the Masters.
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Hideki Matsuyama of Japan chips onto a green during the final round of the Masters on Sunday.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot out of the bunker during the final round of the Masters.
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Lee Westwood of England reacts after making an eagle on the 15th hole during the final round of the Masters.
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Jason Day of Australia reacts after playing a shot Sunday during the final round of the Masters.
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Patrons leave Augusta National Golf Club after the third round of the Masters.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot onto the 16th green during third round of the Masters.
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Bernhard Lange tips his cap to the crowd after putting out at No. 18 during the third round of the Masters on Saturday.
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Jordan Spieth walks out of the trees along the 18th fairway after hitting a recovery shot during the third round of the Masters.
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Jordan Spieth hits out of the rough along the 17th fairway Saturday during the third round of the Masters.
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Hideki Matsuyama of Japan plays his second shot on the 12th hole during the third round of the Masters.
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Rory McIlroy reacts to a missed birdie putt on the 17th green during the third round of the Masters.
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Sergio Garcia of Spain lines up a putt on the 13th green during the third round of the Masters.
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American Scott Piercy creates a splash of sand as he hits out of a bunker during the third round of the Masters.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 17th tee during the first round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy hits out of a bunker on the 18th green during Round 1 of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Ian Poulter, of England, reacts after missing a putt on the first hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Danny Lee, of New Zealand, hits a drive on the second hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Mike Weir of Canada hit out of a bunker on the second hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jason Day, of Australia, watches his drive on the second hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Charl Schwartzel, of South Africa, hits out of a bunker on the fourth hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Patrons walk along the first fairway before the start of play during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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A scorekeeper peers through a hole from behind a board during Round 1 of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Martin Kaymer of Germany down the fairway on the fifteenth hole during the first round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Australia’s Steven Bowditch putts on 1st hole during Round 1 of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in April. (DON EMMERT / AFP/Getty Images)
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Rickie Fowler hits out of the rough off the first fairway during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jordan Spieth hits on the second fairway during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Victor Dubuisson of France and caddie Leonard Francois walk up the third fairway during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Amateur Bryson DeChambeau tees off on the third hole during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jordan Spieth lines up a putt on the first hole during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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A scorekeeper places numbers on a leaderboard during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jack Nicklaus waves before hitting a ceremonial first tee shot before the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Steven Bowditch of Australia celebrates after chipping in a birdie on the first hole during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Lee Westwood of England chips on the second hole during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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A sign bearing the names of the honorary starters Gary Player of South Africa, Jack Nicklaus of the U.S. and Arnold Palmer of the U.S. before they ceremonially open the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player together on the first tee at the ceremonially opening of the first round of the 2016 Masters Tournament.
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Patrons wait for the gates to open near the first fairway before the start of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Patrons file onto the course after the gates are opened near the first fairway before the start of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Spectators line a fairway to watch the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(David J. Phillip / Associated Press) Spieth, 22, knew it was going to be a testing day, and he said he went out figuring a two-under score would be satisfactory. He surprised himself with the far better result, which he said was probably a stronger performance than the opening 64 here last year that put him on the path to an 18-under total.
“I definitely could make that argument,” Spieth said. “The way I was playing, I would say, was better a year ago, but the score that came out of the round may have been [more] impressive today.”
Spieth insisted earlier this week that his game was in good shape, despite recent inconsistent results that caused some to doubt his readiness. The Masters hasn’t been good of late to its champions — none of the last five being able to post a top-five finish in defense.
He also cracked the face of his driver Wednesday, so there was that change to overcome too.
All Spieth did was go out and set another Masters record. No previous wire-to-wire winner had started the following year’s tournament with a score as low as 66. Spieth now has led after five straight rounds at Augusta.
“I played a wonderful round of golf, but it was great to have a front-row seat to watch that,” Casey said of Spieth’s work.
“I was impressed with everything today. That was a flawless round of golf.”
Spieth did get into some trouble. It’s just that he made tremendous shots to escape it. Three of his big saves came when he missed the green at par-threes. He made nervy five-footers for par at Nos. 4 and 12 and drained a 15-footer at No. 16 after flaring his tee shot right of the green.
“It was really the par threes and the flat lies that I struggled with today, which are the driving range shots, the shots I hit a million times,” Spieth said. “I feel it was extremely special to stay bogey free on a day like today at the Masters.”
He shot 33 on each nine, with birdies on three of the four par-fives. Spieth capped the round by rifling his approach to six feet at 18 and making the birdie.
“Just scored the ball extremely well, which is something I’ve been struggling with this season,” Spieth said.
tod.leonard@sduniontribune.com
