Thursday, Round 1

AUGUSTA, GA

"I think this could be the toughest Masters we've played in a while. You look at the forecast. They can do whatever they want with the golf course this weekend." - Shane Lowry, following round one.

Access gives our readers an edge. In 2026, RTL is elevating our game around the biggest events in golf. Following the first three rounds, we will be providing insights from Keith on the grounds, as well as input from the educated eyes of Joe Idone and John Haslbauer of the Preferred Lines show.

Round 1 summary:

• 1st place: Rory McIlroy, Sam Burns (-5, 67)
• Scoring average:
  • (Rd 1: 74.65, 2025: 73.59, 2024: 73.43, 2023: 72.38, 2022: 73.83, 2021: 74.52)
  • First nine scoring average: 36.96, second nine: 37.69
  • Morning wave: 74.57, afternoon wave: 74.74 (+0.17)
  • Hardest hole: #7 +0.42, easiest hole: #2 -0.35
  • The Field was well over par today with 11 eagles, 220 birdies, 347 bogeys, and 63 double bogeys or worse!
• Strokes gained T2G leaders:
  • Sam Burns, Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Jacob Bridgeman
• Betting favorites after Round 1:
  • McIlroy (+245), Scheffler (+340), Burns (+1000), Schauffele (+1025), Reed (+1500)
• Conditions: High of 71 degrees, wind 7-8 mph ENE

Friday 5 (and more)

Between the lines...

• Sam Burns hit 16 GIRs in round one. Shane Lowry was not only ranked second T2G, but he gained four and a half strokes on approach. Sharp iron play was rewarded.
  • Here's your top 5 SG:APP players on Thursday: Kurt Kitayama, Shane Lowry, Ludvig Åberg, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy
• "Yeah, absolutely. As it gets drier, the grass around the greens gets stickier, that ryegrass. So it makes it more difficult to hit the bump and runs. It also makes the putting through that grass a little bit trickier as well." - Rory McIlroy, following round one discussing around the green challenges.
• Bryson, Xander, Rory (the list goes on), all ran through the fairway on eighteen and into the fairway bunkers. More players on 15 found themselves blocked out by the trees on the left. Forget the greens for a moment, the fairways are getting fiery and fast! Staying out of the 12 fairway bunkers and controlling your tee shot is going to give you an edge on the leaderboard.
• We've seen so many players come undone at 11 over the years. Bryson was the latest victim today with a triple. It's only going to get harder. Only twice in the last seven years has a single hole at Augusta National played +0.6 strokes over par or harder. On both occasions, they came in the second round, to that carnage-indicing back pin, at White Dogwood. Watch out tomorrow. (Joe)
• The adverse effects of aggressiveness at Augusta. There's a reason the winner is almost always on the first page of the leaderboard after Round 1. Most weeks, Round 2 is where you look for players to bounce back big after a slow start. However, players who have no choice but to play aggressively on Friday may dig themselves a deeper hole if they abandon the disciplined game plan. I'm leaning on the side of fading aggressive players who are now behind the 8-ball, like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, or Min Woo Lee in R2 matchups and round over/under totals. (John)
• Approach is still king. Minimizing stress on your short game over 72 holes is paramount to success. This makes finding a way to still hit greens in regulation when missing fairways a special trait at Augusta National. No one did that better than Rory McIlroy today, he managed to hit 13 greens while finding only five fairways in his 5-under par 67. (Joe)
• Tee-to-green emphasis validated. This is not a tournament that can be won by exploding on the greens. Each of the top 3 players through round 1 ranks outside the top-10 in SG: Putting. Looking ahead for the next three rounds, it's best to prioritize the players who have been most consistent SG: T2G leading in, as putting stats have not always correlated on these distinct Augusta greens. (John)

For those familiar with our weekly Friday 5 content tradition, you know there are always a couple of live adds. Keep reading for RTL's round two bets.

Live Betting - The Masters

Friday card: N. Taylor over C. Smith (DK -110) T. Fleetwood over B. DeChambeau (DK -106) J. Bridgeman under 72.5 (FD -110)

* - Odds can change from site to site. Make sure you shop around before making each bet. Even though a bet is listed, it may have changed since the newsletter was published. FanDuel (FD), Caesars (CS), DraftKings (DK), BetMGM (BM), bet365 (B3), Bet Rivers (BR), ESPNBet (EB), Fanatics (FA)

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