Good Day to Go for the Overs

The course was soft after five days of rain, but the players found Augusta National Golf Club extremely hard in the first round Friday. The average score was 76.2 -- the highest for the first round at the Masters in 15 years.

It was also the highest first-round average score in a major since the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie and the highest in a major since the second round of last year’s U.S. Open, when the average score at Bethpage Black was 76.4.

There were 14 rounds in the 80s, and the worst score was shot by 66-year-old Tommy Aaron, a 92.

Jack Nicklaus, 63, opened with an 85, his worst round in 41 years as a professional, covering 2,235 rounds, 594 tournaments, 145 majors and 43 Masters. His previous worst was an 83 in the first round of the 1981 British Open at Royal St. George’s.

“The course was fine,” Nicklaus said. “The course wasn’t much of a problem. I was. I had a lot of problems. I didn’t play well.”

Arnold Palmer, 73, shot an 83, beating Nicklaus by two shots.

Also, Palmer came within 10 shots of his age. Justin Leonard, 30, came within 52 shots of his age.

Rich Beem turned in a 74 to start and said it wasn’t all that awful out there.

“It’s in relatively good shape, considering the rain we’ve had,” he said.

Most players discovered that the best place to be was inside the ropes, or on the fairway. When they strayed, there was mud to greet them, or some things worse.

“It’s tough to walk in the slop,” Beem said.

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After the decision-makers at the Masters hinted that the tees would be moved up, they weren’t. So Augusta National played at its longest measurements -- 7,290 yards. That’s tough on a normal day, but exceptionally tough when the conditions are as wet as they were Friday.

“It’s just terrible out there,” said Nick Price, complaining even though he had a two-under 70 in the first round. “It’s unplayable, really. They’ve got the tees set up all the way in the back. It’s unbelievable they would do that.”

Said Scott Hoch, “Let’s just say they make our [PGA Tour] staff look good.”

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Figure this out: In the first round, the top six players in the rankings -- Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh -- were a combined 19 over.

The top three amateurs -- Ricky Barnes, Hunter Mahan, Ryan Moore -- were a combined one under.

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Fuzzy Zoeller opened with a 77 and afterward had a tip about the 18th hole, which he bogeyed after hitting a driver and a three-wood: “Don’t play it.”

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Charlie Coody, 65, has appeared in the Masters 36 other times, but he was in awe of the way Augusta National played Friday morning. Coody, the 1971 winner, might be playing the Masters for the last time.

“Without a doubt, this is the longest I’ve seen it play,” he said. “It was the most difficult I’ve ever seen the course play.”

Coody had an 11-over 83 in the first round, then waited for everyone to finish before the second round could begin.

Said Coody, “I wish I could keep going. I’m afraid if I sit down, I won’t get up.”

After finishing an 81 in his second round, Coody asked, “Anybody got a cart?”

As a matter of perspective, Coody’s 83 was one shot worse than Leonard’s 82. Gary Player, 67, matched Leonard’s score. Coody had an 81 with his only birdie of the day in the second round.

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K.J. Choi birdied the first three holes to start the first round. However, Choi bogeyed the first three holes on the back and finished with a four-over 76.

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Attention Tiger: Woods opened with a 76. The highest previous first-round score by a Masters winner was Craig Stadler’s 75 in 1982.

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If there was ever a round in which the players could have used lift, clean and place rule at the Masters, this was it, even though everybody knows that’s just not done here.

“We believe that’s the traditional way to play the game,” said Will Nicholson, chairman of the competition committee. “Read that book, ‘The Greatest Game Ever Played.’ The story about Francis Ouimet and [Harry] Vardon at Brookline in 1913. And they played in horrible weather.

“I’ll push that book. It’s a good yarn. And I’m not getting any royalties.”

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It was solid golf and only golf on USA Network during 5 hours 40 minutes of live coverage Friday. There were no commercials and no mentions of Martha Burk’s protest scheduled for today.

The Golf Channel, on its pregame show, provided about five minutes to Burk and her movement to bring attention to the fact that Augusta National has no female members.

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Staff writer Larry Stewart contributed to this report.