Reporting from Augusta, Ga. — If Justin Rose was looking for validation of his recent decision to change his putter and putting grip, he received it immediately Thursday. His first putt at the Masters was a 20-footer for birdie that dropped.
Rose made a 25-footer for birdie at No. 3 and added a 30-footer at No. 10, a convenient path to a first-round 69 and a spot near the top of the leaderboard.
“That always smartens up a scorecard when you’re making some putts of length,” Rose said.
Rose said he was recently craving a change with his putting and spent time at his home with putting coach David Orr “toying around” with a stash of extra putters. He also went to work in his Science and Motion (SAM) PuttLab, a technological contraption that offers analytical feedback on the putting stroke.
With that, Rose finally settled on a mallet putter and claw grip to use at Augusta National.
“I noticed that the stroke felt a lot smoother,” he said. “Then the numbers on the SAM PuttLab were incredible. There was a big spike, a big improvement. So it was a mixture of feel and science telling me it was working for me.”
Mickelson is up to par
Going out to play early in the wind, Phil Mickelson surmised that even par would be a good score. He achieved that, carding 72, but it left him six shots of the lead of Jordan Spieth.
Will the three-time Masters winner change his strategy now?
“I don’t know why I would,” he said. “I mean, [Friday’s condition] is going to be very similar to today — just try to hit the ball in the right spots and take advantage of the pin placements that give you birdie chances.”
Asked about Spieth’s performance, Mickelson said it was a “great round,” but he cautioned that “there’s a lot of difficult golf” left to play.
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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) One over par through 15, Mickelson rallied with birdies on 16 and 17. He finished, though, with a three-putt bogey when his first roll uphill died 12 feet short.
Three of a kind
Arnold Palmer couldn’t miss it. Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player wouldn’t allow it. So the iconic trio united again early Thursday on the first tee for the Masters’ ceremonial opening tee shots.
Palmer, 86, was without a club, having decided long ago to be simply a spectator. Wearing his green jacket, he rose from a chair and offered a thumbs-up when introduced by Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne. Nicklaus fought back tears.
“To be on the tee with Arnold still being a part of us, it was gratifying and sad,” Player said. “Because everything shall pass. But it was nice to have him on the tee. I dedicated my first tee shot to him in respect.”
Player, who at 80 made a hole in one in the par-three competition Wednesday, hit a good one and outdrove Nicklaus, 76.
“I hit a pop-up,” Nicklaus said.
Another old guy
Tom Watson, who is making his last Masters appearance and received warm ovations on every hole, opened with a decent 74 despite a double bogey on the seventh hole and a bogey at 18.
“I think 74 is not bad for old folks,” Watson, 66, said.
The two-time Masters champ shot 71 on Thursday last year, but struggled to 81 the next day. Watson is trying to make his first Masters cut since 2010, when he tied for 18th.
Notable
Rickie Fowler made double bogey or worse three times in his round and stumbled to an 80 — his worst score in 21 Masters rounds. Fowler suffered a double on the first hole, triple-bogeyed the 13th and double-bogeyed the 16th.
Bubba Watson, the Masters winner in two of the last four years, collapsed with a six-over 41 on the back nine and shot 75. Watson made his first-ever bogey on the par-five 15th and first double-bogey at 16 when his tee shot found the water.
