AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) The Latest on the first round of the Masters on Thursday (all times local):

4:15 p.m.

Tiger Woods feels like he played better than he scored at the Masters.

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Woods shot a 1-over 73 in the opening round Thursday, failing to make up any ground on the four par 5s. Woods has feasted on Augusta National’s longest holes over the years, but parred each of them in his return to golf’s first major.

He says, ”That was the difference in the round.”

The 42-year-old Woods has been away from golf for much of the last few years because of his four back surgeries. The Masters is his first major since playing the PGA Championship in August 2015.

He was back in the Masters field for the first time in 1,089 days.

Woods says he ”definitely didn’t score as well as I played,” noting that he has to be better on the par-5s.

The four-time Masters champion is far from concerned. He’s typically been a slow starter at Augusta, having shot under par just once (..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) The Latest on the first round of the Masters on Thursday (all times local):

8:15 a.m.

The 82nd Masters has begun.

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Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player officially got the tournament started Thursday morning with the ceremonial tee shot.

Player, 82, took the first swing followed by the 78-year-old Nicklaus under a clear, sunny sky with the temperature in the 40s. It is expected to be in the high 60s by the afternoon.

Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley told the crowd crammed around the first tee how privileged they were to have the duo with nine green jackets to start the tournament.

Wesley Bryan, Austin Cook, Ted Potter Jr. were the first group to tee off when play began.

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4:45 a.m.

No matter where Ian Poulter turns, there’s someone with an outstretched hand and congratulatory words.

Certainly, no one took a more harrowing path to the Masters.

The 42-year-old Englishman was the last player to qualify for the first major of the year, ..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) The Latest on the first round of the Masters on Thursday (all times local):

11:55 a.m.

Tiger Woods has his first birdie at the Masters in nearly three years.

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Woods almost drove the green at the par-4 No. 3, pitched to about 10 feet and made the putt to set off a huge ”Tiger Roar” at Augusta National.

It was Woods’ first competitive birdie at the famed course since April 12, 2015, at No. 15 in the final round of the Masters. He finished tied for 17th.

Woods gave the stroke back on the next hole when his tee shot found a greenside bunker. He chipped out and missed a 20-footer for par.

Playing partner Marc Leishman was leading the event at 2 under.

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10:25 a.m.

Tony Finau says he is ”optimistic” after a ”crazy day” at the Masters.

Finau dislocated his left ankle celebrating a hole-in-one during the Par-3 Tournament on Wednesday and then popped it back into place.

X-rays were negative. Finau was scheduled for more tests Thursday bef..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Tiger Woods gave galleries at Augusta National something to cheer for in his first round at the Masters in three years.

Playing partner Marc Leishman provided even more highlights.

Leishman birdied three of his first seven holes and was 3 under at the turn while playing alongside the main attraction at the first major of 2018.

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He took advantage of solid tee shots and even better approach shots while making consecutive birdies at the second and third holes. Leishman’s wedge shot at the par-5 second bounced onto the back fringe and spun back to within a few feet of the flag.

He nearly drove the green at the par-4 third and chipped past the hole. But he drained a sweeping, super-fast, downhill putt for another birdie. His approach shot at No. 7 checked up, spun left and landed a few feet away for another short birdie.

Even when Leishman wasn’t getting close for birdies, he was doing enough to save par. He came up just a few revolutions s..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) No matter where Ian Poulter turns, there’s someone with an outstretched hand and congratulatory words.

Certainly, no one took a more harrowing path to the Masters.

The 42-year-old Englishman was the last player to qualify for the first major of the year, winning last weekend’s Houston Open in a playoff after sinking a 20-foot birdie on the 72nd hole .

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”Nice putt,” someone said as Poulter lingered under the mammoth oak tree in front of the clubhouse at Augusta National.

He responded with a sly wink and a smile that signaled more relief than joy.

”To do it the way I did it, after all the disappointments, all the highs and lows, it’s really nice,” Poulter said on the eve of the Masters.

When the tournament begins Thursday, there will be no shortage of compelling storylines.

Tiger Woods is playing for the first time since 2015, healthy again and looking very much ready to contend for a fifth green jacket. Phil Mickelson is coming off a ..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Tony Finau injured his left ankle celebrating a hole-in-one during the Par-3 Tournament at the Masters and then seemingly popped it back into place.

Finau flew his ball to the back of the seventh green Wednesday on the Par-3 course at Augusta National and spun it back into the hole for an ace. He started running toward the hole to celebrate, then turned and backpedaled before landing awkwardly on his left ankle. He dropped to one knee and ended up pushing the joint back into place.

Finau, ranked No. 34 in the world, ended up withdrawing from the event but stuck around for the final two holes. He gingerly walked to a golf cart and was driven off the course.

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Tom Watson won the exhibition at 6-under, one shot better than Tommy Fleetwood and Thomas Pieters.

Jack Nicklaus’ grandson, who was caddying for the six-time Masters winner, made a hole-in-one at No. 9.

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For more AP golf coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-Golf

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) The new, more social, Tiger Woods was only occasionally seen Wednesday as he made his way around the front nine of Augusta National in the final tune up for a Masters green jacket that suddenly seems very much in reach.

There weren’t many trips down memory lane with playing partner Fred Couples and no long conversations with the firefighter from Massachusetts, who had to look up occasionally at the gray skies and wonder what bolt of lightning would strike him next as he played alongside the greatest golfer of his time.

It was Woods as he might have been 10 years ago, deep in concentration and fixating so much on the smallest details that he walked off a section of the sixth green to measure just which spot he needed to land his ball on when play finally begins for real.

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Woods had his game face on, and for his legions of fans that’s probably a good thing. He had a few smiles with Couples, but if the next smile out of him comes when he’s ..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Blame it on a generation that thinks nothing was ever as great as what just happened.

Maybe it was a tough winter, and nothing melts frigid memories like the sight of azaleas, dogwoods and Rae’s Creek. It sure didn’t hurt that all the best players, as young as 23-year-old Jon Rahm and ancient as 47-year-old Phil Mickelson, are winning tournaments and hitting their stride.

The competition is so steep that four players have a chance to be No. 1 in the world.

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”This is my 42nd Masters,” club chairman Fred Ridley said Wednesday. ”I have never been a part of this week where there’s been any more excitement.”

But the real reason for all the talk that this Masters might be the best ever still comes down to one guy: Tiger Woods.

In San Diego and Los Angeles, in Tampa and Orlando, fans flocked by the thousands when Woods returned to competition after a fourth back surgery and suddenly looked very much like a 14-time major champion capable of re..

We love the Par-3 Contest for lots of reasons. The cute kids caddieing for their fathers or grandfathers. Wives and girlfriends enjoying themselves alongside their loved ones. Legends of the game like Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson competing alongside the young stars of the day. It's one of the best parts of Masters Week.
One of the underrated parts, perhaps, are the trick shots that pros have been known to attempt during the Contest. We saw Nick Faldo hit a tremendous putt a couple years back. And this year, we had something we've certainly never seen before—Bubba Watson hitting a crazy putt … with a wedge. Huh?
You really need to see it to appreciate it. We know Bubba is highly skilled with all clubs in the bag. But this was straight ridiculous.
https://twitter.com/CBSSports/status/981613512689627143
RELATED: Bubba Watson is excited for Augusta, but there's another big event on his mind
Bubba, always an entertainer. Of course, he did this while playing with Wes Bryan, ..

Kevin C. CoxAUGUSTA, Ga. — Because golfers under age 10 for the most part stay off Twitter, and Las Vegas sports books presumably aren’t exploiting the sentiments of underage gamblers, it’s hard to know where our children’s allegiances lie for the 2018 Masters. To find out, Golf Digest asked TGA Premier Junior Golf, a franchise-model company that operates golf-based curriculums within elementary schools and community centers, to run a simple poll.
Despite spring break and a few other complications, TGA coaches across the country were able to ask 404 children, ages 5-9, the obvious question: “Who do you want to win this year’s Masters?” Here are the results:
Bubba Watson, 2 votes
Rory McIlroy, 3
Dustin Johnson, 12
Justin Thomas, 14
Rickie Fowler, 35
Phil Mickelson, 40
Jordan Spieth, 79
Tiger Woods, 219
“I couldn’t believe all the kids that voted for Tiger Woods, considering they were all born after he won his last major,” said Dave Robinson, the franchise owner of TGA of Southwest Michi..