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The Masters, live coverage: Sergio Garcia defeats Justin Rose on first playoff hole

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Live coverage of the 2017 Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

Garcia wins his first major in playoff with Rose

Garcia after making the winning putt.
(Matt Slocum / Associated Press)

The 73rd hole started when Justin Rose pushed his shot to the right, landing in the hay with a yawning tree branch blocking a natural route to the hole. All he could do was punch out short of the green.

Sergio Garcia knocked his drive straight, almost 300 yards down the fairway.

Garcia put his second shot to within about 12 feet. Rose put his third to within 14 feet. Rose missed to left, essentially conceding the tournament to Garcia.

All Garcia had to do was two putt. He only needed one.

Garcia fell into a crouch, clenching his fists and showing the kind of emotion that has been a trademark of his 18-year career.

Sergio Garcia has won the Masters.

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Garcia and Rose head to a playoff at the Masters

Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose were headed for a playoff after finishing 72 holes tied at nine under.

Rose took a one-shot lead after a birdie on the 16th hole, but then he gave it back with a bogey on 17.

Both hit great approach shots on the 18th hole, but Rose missed his seven footer and Garcia missed a five footer. Both missed to the right.

The playoff will start on 18 and then if still tied go to 10. It will continue until there is a winner.

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Rose and Garcia tied with three holes to play

Once again the back nine at Augusta on Sunday shows why it’s the most exciting stretch of holes in all of golf.

Sergio Garcia’s chance was all but gone as he had to take a penalty stroke at 13, but he has clawed his way back into a tie with Justin Rose after 15 holes at nine-under par.

Garcia put his second shot par-five on the 15th hole, inches away as it rolled to 15 feet. He made it for eagle. Rose, meanwhile, made a short putt for birdie.

It’s match play with three holes to play.

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Rose maintains two-shot lead after 13 holes

Justin Rose has a two-shot lead heading into the 14th hole. From the fairway, you would have expected more.

Sergio Garcia got into trouble on 13 with his drive when he put it under an azalea bush. He had to take a one-stroke unplayable lie penalty. He chipped out, and his fourth shot ended eight feet from the pin.

Rose, meanwhile had a nice drive and was just off the green in two.

Rose had a four-foot put for birdie. Garcia had an eight footer for par. Rose missed to stay at eight under. Garcia made to stay at six under.

Matt Kuchar is the leader in the clubhouse at five under. Thomas Pieters is five under after 16 holes.

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Justin Rose takes two-shot lead as Garcia starts to falter

Justin Rose is playing rock solid golf propelling him to a two-shot lead after 11 holes. He’s at eight under.

Sergio Garcia, who at one point was up by three shots on the front nine, bogied the 10th after missing the green to the right, leaving him a difficult shot. He then bogied the 11th after an errant tee shot. He’s at six under.

Thomas Pieters has birdied four holes in a row to tie Garcia at six under after 15 holes.

Matt Kuchar got a hole-in-one on the 16th hole. He’s at five under along with Thomas Pieters.

Adam Scott and Charl Schwartzel are at four under.

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Garcia and Rose head to back nine tied

Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose head to the back nine tied at eight under par.

Garcia had a three-shot lead on the fifth hole, but Rose birdied six, seven and eight. Garcia has parred the last six holes.

The only person with a reasonable chance to catch either of them is Rickie Fowler at five under.

However, stranger things have happened on the back nine on Sunday at Augusta.

Charl Schwartzel is at four under; Matt Kuchar, Paul Casey and Thomas Pieters are at three under.

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Garcia’s lead dwindles to one through seven holes

The seventh hole could have been a big swing hole for Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose.

Garcia was looking at bogey after putting his tee shot in the trees and his second shot in the bunker. He chipped to within six feet.

Rose, meanwhile, was perfect down the fairway and put his approach to four feet.

They both made their putts.

Garcia is eight under and Rose at seven under.

Rickie Fowler is alone at five under and Paul Casey, Charl Schwartzel, Ryan Moore and Charley Hoffman are at two under.

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Garcia ups his lead to three after five holes

Sergio Garcia is starting to put some distance between himself and the field. Or maybe it’s just the field backing up.

Garcia has two birdies and three pars through the first five holes and has a three-shot lead over playing partner Justin Rose.

Rose is at five under with Paul Casey and Rickie Fowler at four under.

Adam Scott and Ryan Moore are at three under.

Perhaps themost disappointing round among the leaders belongs to Jordan Spieth, who is two over. He is at two under for the tournament, six shots behind Garcia.

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Garcia increases lead to two shots after three holes

Sergio Garcia’s eight-foot birdie putt on the third hole pushed his lead to two strokes early in the final round. Garcia is eight-under par.

Garcia has birdied two of the first three holes.His playing partner, Justin Rose, has parred the first three holes.

Rose stands alone at six under with Charley Hoffman and Rickie Fowler at five under.

Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth are at three under.

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Garcia takes one-shot lead in early in round

It didn’t take long for things to get interesting as the players went through the tough first hole and easy second.

Of the last two groups, only Sergio Garcia was able to put the second shot on the green. Jordan Spieth missed a five footer on the first for bogey to drop to three under.

But Garcia made his five footer for birdie to move to to seven under and a one-shot lead on Justin Rose.

Ryan Moore, Charley Hoffman and Rickie Fowler are at five under.

Adam Scott and Spieth are at three under.

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Fred Couples making some early noise

Fred Couples is off to a good start in the final round of the Masters. He birdied three of the first four holes to go one under for the tournament.

On the first hole, he put his approach shot to 10 feet and made the putt. The par five second hole had him put his second shot in a greenside bunker. He chipped to 10 inches and he had his second birdie.

On the fourth hole, a par three, he put his tee shot 15 feet from the pin and made the putt. He parred the fifth hole.

The leaders, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose, are at six under.

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Augusta National seems to be playing easier on Sunday

Augusta National seems to be playing easier than it has all week.

The early starters are showing more red numbers than past days.

the best round of the day so far belongs to Brenden Steele, who through seven holes has birdied one, two, three and seven. He’s two over for the tournament.

At two under for the day are Mathew Fitzpatrick (through 6 holes, four over for the tournament) and Daniels Berger (4, +4).

Those shooting one under are Steve Stricker (2, +3), Hideki Matsuyama (1, +3), Branden Grace (3, +4), Adam Hadwin (9, +7), Luis Oosthuizen (9, +7) and Marc Leishman (12, +8).

The top pairings will start to tee off around 2 p.m. EDT.

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Today’s official Masters weather forecast

It will be a spectacular Sunday at the Masters as high pressure moves directly overhead and provides abundant sunshine and low humidity. Cool temperatures this morning quickly warm into the 60s, and then into the upper 70s this afternoon. A light breeze early turns south to southeast this afternoon up to 4 to 8 mph. Temperatures continue to warm into Monday with light winds and mostly sunny skies.

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Rose and Garcia take one-shot lead to final round

After two rounds of the Masters, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia are at the top.

Rickie Fowler is a stroke back.

And most menacing at two shots back is Jordan Spieth, who has never finished lower than second at Augusta National Golf Club.

Charley Hoffman, the first-round leader and second-round co-leader, had a two-shot lead with five holes to play on Saturday. Then the wheels came off. He bogied the 14th and then put his tee shot in the water on 16 and finished with a double bogey.

He is two shots back at four under, along with Ryan Moore and Spieth.

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Hoffman up by one over Garcia, Spieth is two back

Charley Hoffman laid up on the 13th hole, put the approach to eight feet and made the putt for birdie. It gave him a one-shot lead over playing partner Sergio Garcia as the third round of the Masters headed for completion.

Hoffman is seven under par.

It’s quite an amazing leaderboard.

Three shots back were Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler. Spieth is through 17 holes, Rose through 16 and Fowler 14.

Adam Scott and Ryan Moore are at three under.

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Hoffman leads but Spieth is one shot back

After a bad tee shot, Jordan Spieth recovered and put his third-shot approach on the 15th hole within tap-in range to go to five under after 15 holes. That put him one shot in back of Charley Hoffman.

Hoffman parred the first two holes on the back nine.

Ryan Moore moved up to four under with birdies on 11 and 13. He’s tied with Sergio Garcia, who is playing even par on the round.

Justin Rose, Adam Scott and Rickie Fowler are at three under.

Charl Schwartzel, Jon Rahm, Fred Couples and William McGirt are at two under.

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Hoffman up by two, Spieth tied for second

There was a two-shot swing on the ninth hole when Charley Hoffman birdied and Sergio Garcia bogeyed.

Hoffman, who is now at six under, was able to sink a six-footer while Garcia three putted from 39 feet. Their group is through nine holes.

Tied with Garcia at four under are Jordan Spieth, who birdied 13.

Thomas Pieters and Rickie Fowler, both through 10, are at three under.

Justin Rose, Adam Scott, William McGirt and Ryan Moore are at two-under par.

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Lots of names near the top; Hoffman and Garcia lead

Sergio Garcia and Charley Hoffman remained one shot in front as the third round of the Masters approached the halfway point for the leaders.

Garcia lost a stroke with a bogey on the seventh but gained it back when he birdied the par-five eighth. Hoffman parred both holes. Both players are five under par through eight holes.

Rickie Fowler is one shot back at four under through nine holes.

At three under are Jordan Spieth, William McGirt, Ryan Moore and Thomas Pieters.

Adam Scott and Jon Rahm are at two under.

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Hoffman and Garcia tied for the lead

Sergio Garcia gained a stroke and Charley Hoffman lost one. And, suddenly there was a tie at the top in the second round of the Masters.

Garcia made a 38-footer putt on the fifth hole to go to five under par. Hoffman missed an eight footer to drop a shot on six.

Rickie Fowler is one shot back at four under.

Making a move is Jordan Spieth, who is three under for the day and the same for the tournament. He has played nine holes. He’s tied with William McGirt and Thomas Pieters.

Adam Scott, Jon Rahm and Fred Couples are at two under.

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Charley Hoffman extends lead to two shots

Charley Hoffman made a nine-foot putt on the fourth hole for his second birdie of the day and a two-shot lead Saturday at the Masters.

He also birdied the par-five second hole. Hoffman is through four holes.

Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia are at four under.

William McGirt, who bogeyed the sixth hole, and Thomas Pieters are another shot back at three under.

Jordan Spieth and John Rahm are at two under.

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Charley Hoffman jumps to lead, three are one-stroke back

Charley Hoffman climbed into the lead at five under after birdieing the second hole. He put his second shot on the par five in the trap, hit it to five feet and made the putt.

Rickie Fowler played the third hole poorly but finished with a big putt for a bogey.

He hit his first shot 60 yards to the left of the green, then failed in two attempts to get it on the green as the slope carried both shots back toward where the shot was hit. He hit his fourth shot 14 feet from the pin and made the putt for bogey.

Thomas Pieters, Sergio Garcia and Fowler are at four under. William McGirt is at three under and Jon Rahm at two under.

Five players are at one under including Jordan Spieth and Fred Couples.

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Rickie Fowler grabs one-shot lead at Masters

Everyone has teed on in the third round of the Masters and it didn’t take long before the quartet at the top started to go their separate ways.

Rickie Fowler grabbed the lead with a birdie on the second hole. He hit his third shot to within six feet of the hole and made the putt. He’s five under par.

Thomas Pieters bogeyed the first hole after putting his tee shot into the trees, but made it back to four under with a birdie at No. 2. He’s playing with Fowler.

Sergio Garcia and Charley Hoffman both scrambled for pars on the first hole and remained at four under.

William McGirt picked up a stroke and is at three under.

At two under are Ron Rahm and Fred Couples. They are through four holes.

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Scoring is heating up as leaders start to tee off

Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy both started out strong as the final groups began their rounds.

Mickelson birdied the difficult first hole with a 13-foot putt and on the par-five second hole, he put his second shot 14 feet away, missed, and then made a three-footer for birdie. He was at two under.

But then he double-bogeyed the third hole to drop back to even par.

McIroy put his second shot on the second green 30 feet away and two-putted for bogey. He then almost drove the short par four third hole, putting his tee shot 20 yards from the pin. He chipped to within two feet and made the putt for birdie. He is two under for the tournament.

The final two groups are getting ready to tee off.

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Jason Day shoots three under for best round among early finishers

Jason Day had the good fortune to be the first one on the course on Saturday, playing with a marker. He’s also posting the low round of the day of three under, making him three over for the tournament.

He used exceptional iron play, leaving himself short putts for birdie. And, if not for a couple of unfortunate short misses, he would have really tamed Augusta National.

He started with a bogey on No. 2, missing a two-footer. He birdied No. 3 by making a four-footer. Back to a bogey on No. 4, missing an excruciating eight-inch putt. He followed that up with an 11-inch birdie putt on the par-three sixth.

Then he caught fire, birdieing Nos. 12-15 with putts of six feet, 10 inches, six feet and three feet. He gave a shot back on No. 17 when he mishit his second shot and then left his approach 17 feet from the pin.

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Not many below-par rounds among early starters

Not much can be learned from the early players on the course at Augusta.

Branden Grace has the best round going at two under through 10 and four over for the tournament. He birdied one and three.

Others with rounds below par on Saturday were:

--Brandt Snedeker, one under through seven (four over for tournament) with a birdie on one.

--Bernd Wiesberger, one under through four (four over) with a birdie on three.

--Jason Day, one under through 12 (five over) with birdies on three, six and 12 and bogeys on two and four.

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Today’s weather in Augusta

Here’s today’s weather forecast from Augusta:

A cold start early this morning with temperatures in the low 40s across the city under clear skies. High pressure will continue to build over the region today, however some high, wispy cloudiness will sweep across the area in the late morning through early afternoon. Otherwise, sunny skies can be expected with highs warming into the low 70s. The wind will remain light this morning and shift out of the southwest at 4-8 mph for the afternoon. High pressure will dominate the weather pattern through early next week with the warming trend continuing. After another cool start in the upper 40s Sunday morning, temperatures will rebound quickly and warm into the upper 70s for the afternoon.

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Four tied for lead as second round of Masters ends

Things returned to normal at Augusta National Golf Club on Friday. There’s a leaderboard that even the casual golf fan can get excited about.

Sergio Garcia had six birdies and three bogeys put him at four under.

Thomas Pieters ignited his round with an eagle on 13 and birdie on 14 to finish four under.

Rickie Fowler had five birdies and one bogey put him at four under.

And Charley Hoffman survived a run of five bogeys in six holes to finish at four under.

Two strokes back is William McGirt and Justin Rose. Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson are among those at one under.

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Four tied for lead as second round starts to wind down

At the end of play on Thursday, Charley Hoffman stood alone after an otherworldly 65. As play was heading for conclusion Friday, it looked pretty crowded at the top.

Charley Hoffman, Sergio Garcia, Thomas Pieters and Ricky Fowler were all at four-under par.

Hoffman and Garcia are done for the day. Pieters is through 14 and Fowler through 13.

Pieters made his big move with an eagle on 13 followed by a birdie on 14.

Fowler got his fourth birdie of the day, and first on the back nine, on 13 to bring him to four under.

William McGirt, Fred Couples, Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose are at two under.

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Hoffman and Garcia tied for the lead as winds pick up

Charley Hoffman survived a disastrous six-hole stretch in which he bogeyed five holes and finished one-under par over the last seven holes to claim a share of the lead after two rounds of the Masters.

He’s tied with Sergio Garcia at four under who had six birdies and three bogeys after 17 holes.

William McGirt, Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson are all at two under. McGirt finished his round with a 73. Fowler has two birdies through six holes, and Mickelson has two birdies through four.

The wind is still causing problems for the golfers, especially on the back nine.

The current cutline is six over.

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Charley Hoffman rights his game, up by two shots

After a terrible stretch where Masters leader Charley Hoffman bogeyed five of six holes, the 40-year-old journeyman picked up three pars and a birdie on Nos. 12 through 15 to stretch his lead back to two strokes. He’s four under par.

The leaderboard today has become a little more big-name friendly, with Sergio Garcia and Ricky Fowler joining clubhouse leader William McGirt at two under.

Garcia’s round has been more up and down than his game has been. It was originally reported that Garcia carded a triple-bogey seven on the 10th hole. That knocked him from three under to even. However, it was later learned that there was a scoring error and it was just a bogey. Garcia has played 14 holes.

Fowler’s big move was getting an eagle on No. 2 and a birdie on No. 3. He’s through three holes.

McGirt started the day at three under and shot a 73 to drop back a stroke.

McGirt accomplished his round with bogeys on holes 1, 14 and 18, while he birdied Nos. 2 and 4.

“To be sitting on two under par right now, knowing that I’m going into the weekend, I get to play the weekend in my first Masters is huge,” McGirt said. “The good news is, I haven’t shot myself out of contention.”

There are seven golfers at one under.

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Charley Hoffman back in Masters lead as Sergio Garcia falters

Charley Hoffman, after bogeying five of six holes, has backed his way back into the Masters lead as Sergio Garcia found trouble on the 10th hole.

Hoffman’s downward spiral started on No. 6 and didn’t end until he parred No. 12. His putting fell apart as he missed several putts he would have made on Thursday.

Hoffman is at three under par after 12 holes.

Garcia had moved into a tie at four under, but then Garcia triple-bogeyed the 10th. It erased his four-birdie, one-bogey front nine.

William McGirt is in an enviable spot, having completed his round at two under. He can’t lose any more strokes.

Joining Garcia at one under are Ryan Moore, Jon Rahm, Andy Sullivan, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose.

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Sergio Garcia moves into tie with Charley Hoffman

Charley Hoffman’s second-round spiral continued as he bogeyed the 10th hole after an errant tee shot left him to pitch out and finally land on the par four green in three. He missed a 38-foot putt for par and had to navigate a seven-foot comebacker to get the bogey.

Sergio Garcia quietly moved to four under with a birdie on the ninth hole. It was his fourth birdie of the front nine, to go with one bogey.

It was unlikely that Hoffman was going to duplicate his opening round 65,but with a 38 on the front nine, he was in clear trouble.

Hoffman is through 10 holes and Garcia through nine.

William McGirt is in the clubhouse with a one-over 73 and two under for the tournament.

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Wheels may be coming off for Charley Hoffman

Charley Hoffman’s stay atop the Masters leaderboard may be coming to an end soon.

Thursday, he was putting lights out. Friday, he can’t make the easy ones.

Hoffman slipped to five under par Friday after bogeying Nos. 6, 7 and 8. On Thursday, he birdied two of those holes.

On the sixth hole he missed a seven-foot putt, on the seventh a two-footer and on the eighth a four-footer. He now sits at five under par after eight holes.

Sergio Garcia, along with Rickie Fowler a member of the best-player-to-never-win-a-major club, is two shots back at three under. Garcia birdied the first three holes and then bogeyed the fourth. He’s through eight holes.

William McGirt shot a one-over 73 and was the early second-round clubhouse leader at two under.

There are seven players tied at one under.

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Status quo as Hoffman maintains four-shot lead

Part of Charley Hoffman’s success on Thursday was his mastery of the par threes. He birdied all of them. On Friday, he was struggling on those holes.

On the fourth hole, he missed a seven-footer for birdie and on the sixth, he missed the green, had a poor approach and two-putted for bogey.

So, after six holes, Hoffman is back where he started the day at seven under. But then, so is second-place player William McGirt.

McGirt, started out with a bogey on one, then birdied two and four. He parred the next nine holes before bogeying 14. He is even for the round and three under for the tournament after 16.

Sergio Garcia has quietly crept to three under after birding the first two holes. He’s through five holes.

There are seven players at one under.

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Charley Hoffman birdies No. 2 and goes to eight under par, leads by four

Everyone was wondering if Charley Hoffman would have the same magic Friday that he did when he shot a 65 on Thursday. So far, so good.

Hoffman got a par on the difficult first hole then knocked his second shot on the par-five second hole to 22 feet. He two putted and moved to eight under after two holes.

William McGirt also picked up a stroke with birdies on two and four, after bogeying the first hole. He’s at four under par. He’s through 12 holes.

Sergio Garcia birdied the first two holes and moved into third, tied with Lee Westwood at two under. Garcia and Westwood have both played two holes.

There are six golfers at one under.

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McGirt chipping away at Hoffman lead

The wind started to pick up as the first golfers went out to start Round 2 of the Masters on Friday.

William McGirt, who started the day four strokes in back of Charley Hoffman, came out a little soft with a bogey on the first hole. But then birdies on two and four took him to four under, three shots back.

Hoffman, who had an unbelievable 65 on Thursday, is scheduled to tee off until 10:01 a.m. EDT. Lee Westwood, at two under, is to go off at 10:12 a.m.

There are eight golfers at one under.

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Charley Hoffman goes lights out, leads Masters by four

Charley Hoffman was meandering through the early part of his first round at Augusta National when the world’s No. 1 player, Dustin Johnson, was awarded a “did not start” designation after failing to recover from a freak fall on Wednesday.

But something happened when Hoffman approached the par-three sixth hole at one-over par. He birdied from 19 feet. In fact he birdied all four par threes, a sharp contrast to his nine over on the par threes in his previous three appearances.

Hoffman is known as a good wind player, and there was plenty of that on Thursday. He credits that to playing on the University of Nevada Las Vegas team.

The Poway High graduate followed up the sixth with birdies on eight (nine-foot putt), nine (nine foot), 12 (11 foot), 14 (22 foot), 15 (24 foot), 16 (two foot) and 17 (4 foot).

Hoffman has been on the tour since 2006, having won four tournaments. He qualified for the Masters by winning last year’s Valero Texas Open.

He has four-shot lead over William McGirt, who at 37 is playing the Masters for the first time. McGirt won at Memorial last year to qualify for the Masters.

Lee Westwood was at two under. There are eight players at one under, including Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia.

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William McGirt and Charley Hoffman lead Masters

William McGirt posted the only sub-70 round so far during the first round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. He is tied with Charley Hoffman for the lead at three under as the day heads to completion.

McGirt, 37, is playing in his first Masters, having qualified by winning his first tournament on the Tour, the Memorial, last year.

He birdied two of the par fives (two and 13) and also five and 16. He bogeyed the third hole.

Hoffman, born and reared in San Diego, has five birdies and two bogeys through 13 holes.

Jason Dufner is a shot back at two under and one hole to play.

There are 10 players at one under, including Phil Mickelson (finished), Ernie Els (through 17) and Sergio Garcia (12).

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Fitzpatrick and McGirt have slim lead at the Masters

Matthew Fitzpatrick and William McGirt were managing to beat the wind on the first day of the Masters, holding a one-shot lead as the first round was coming to a close.

Both were at three under, Fitzpatrick after 17 holes and McGirt after 16. Fitzpatrick managed his score with five birdies and two bogeys. McGirt was a little more even with four birdies and one bogey.

Jason Duffner (after 13 holes) and Charley Hoffman (9) were at two under.

There were 10 players at one under, including Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia.

The news of the day, of course, was world No. 1 Dustin Johnson posting a “did not start” after his back injury left him unable to compete at a high level.

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Logjam at the top of the leaderboard at Augusta

Now that the question of whether Dustin Johnson is going to play is answered (he’s not), fans can turn their attention to those who are playing.

And if you’re looking for some early clarity you’re not going to find it.

There is a four-way tie for the lead at two under par. Thomas Pieters (through 17) will likely be the new leader in the clubhouse if he can navigate the 18th. Pieters is most well known as the Belgian who was shooshing the crowd at the Ryder Cup.

Others at two under were Matthew Fitzpatrick (14), Justin Rose (13) and William McGirt (13).

Russell Henley, Kevin Chappell and Andy Sullivan are all in the clubhouse at one under. Rickie Fowler (16), Jason Dufner (10), Marc Leishman (4) and Bill Haas (4) are also at one under.

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Dustin Johnson withdraws from Masters

Dustin Johnson on the driving range before withdrawing from The Masters.
(Rob Carr / Getty Images)

Dustin Johnson didn’t look comfortable warming up after taking a fall in his rental home Wednesday afternoon. But on Thursday he still went to the first tee, took a couple practice swings, turned around and withdrew from the 81st Masters.

His absence takes a wide-open field and makes it the size of the Grand Canyon. Johnson, the world’s No. 1 player and winner of three straight tournaments, was the 11-2 favorite to win the Masters.

However, when he slipped and fell on some stairs, falling on his lower back, his hopes of winning his first Masters crashed with it.

The wind on Thursday has run roughshod over the field. With the last group going off, there is a four-way tie for first at two under.

Andy Sullivan (through 14 holes), Thomas Pieters (14), Rickie Fowler (13) and Justin Rose (10) are atop the leaderboard. There are seven players at one under.

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Wind picks up and Masters scores start to go higher

The wind started to pick up and the field started to come back to even par or worse during the first round of the Masters. That is, unless your name is Thomas Pieters.

The 25-year-old Belgian has a three-shot lead as final groups start to go off. He’s at five-under par after birdies on two, four, five, eight and 10. He’s played 10 holes.

In second is Rickie Fowler, who birdied two, three and nine, while bogeying seven. He’s making the turn.

Phil Mickelson, who at one time was tied for the lead at three under, struggled and fell back to one under. He started with an eagle on two and birdie on four, but then he had back-to-back bogeys on five and six. He is through seven holes.

The leader in the clubhouse is Russell Henley at one under. Also at one under but still playing are Scott Piercy (through 17), Kevin Chappell (14), Andy Sullivan (11), Brooks Koepka (9), William McGirt (6), James Hahn (5), Pat Perez (4) and Jason Dufner (2).

It’s still unknown if Dustin Johnson will be well enough to play, although he is warming up in the practice area.

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Phil Mickelson grabs share of lead at the Masters

Phil Mickelson hits a shot on the fourth hole.
(David Goldman / AP)

Three-time winner Phil Mickelson eagled the second hole and birdied the fourth to grab a share of the lead at three under par in early play of the first round of the Masters.

He is tied with Thomas Pieters, who birdied the second, fourth and fifth holes and is through seven holes. Mickelson has played four holes.

Rickie Fowler, considered by some as the best player not to have won a major, is a shot back at two under. Fowler birdied the second and third holes and is through six holes.

The course is expected to be more challenging as the day progresses because the wind is forecast to pick up, although the front nine is considered more difficult.

Also at two under is Russell Henley, who has had an up and down round with birdies on two, four, 12, 13 and 14 and bogeys on three, 10 and 11.

Nine golfers are at one under par.

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Masters starts with an emotional tribute to Arnold Palmer

With a moment of silence, a few tears and two tee shots, the 81st Masters began.

It was the first Masters since four-time champion Arnold Palmer died in September. Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne told thousands crammed around the first tee that the unbearable sadness was surpassed by the love and affection everyone felt for “The King.”

He asked for a moment of silence, and then turned it over to Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player to hit the ceremonial opening tee shots.

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Scott Piercy the early leader at Augusta

As everyone waits to hear if Dustin Johnson will be able to play after suffering a freak injury and falling on his back, play started at the 81st edition of the Masters.

The wind was whipping up and favoring the heavy hitters, who can cut through the weather.

Scott Piercy was the early leader at two under. Piercy birdied the second, fourth and seventh holes after bogeying the first. He’s through eight holes.

At one under par were Sandy Lyle (after 6 holes), J.B. Holmes (5), Andy Sullivan (4), Thomas Pieters (3), Fred Couples (2) and Russell Knox (2).

Most of the favorites had yet to tee off.

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Weather will be a factor in opening round

Here is the official Masters weather forecast for Thursday’s first round:

Skies are clearing out quickly as drier and cooler air overspreads the region. Mostly sunny skies can be expected this morning before clouds redevelop by mid-day making for mostly cloudy skies for the afternoon. Breezy conditions have already developed behind the front and will likely increase to 20-30 gusting to 35 mph by 10 AM and continue through the afternoon. Gusts up to 40 mph are possible between Noon and 4 PM with isolated higher gusts to 45 mph. The wind should decrease this evening down to 15-20 gusting to 30 mph. Breezy conditions continue on Friday, but not as strong with peak gusts likely reaching 30 mph. High pressure settles overhead for the weekend allowing for a cold start Saturday morning with temperatures in the upper 30’s to low 40’s. This could lead to some patchy frost around daybreak. Otherwise, sunny skies and warmer temperatures can be expected with highs around 70 degrees. Sunday’s final round will be sunny and beautiful with highs in the mid to upper 70’s. Mostly sunny and breezy.

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Dustin Johnson, the Masters favorite, injures his lower back in fall down stairs

Strange things are prone to happen at the Masters, but most them occur on the back nine on Sunday.

On Wednesday, as rain blanketed the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, the world’s best player, Dustin Johnson, had his Masters hopes possibly take a tumble.

“At roughly 3:00 p.m. [Wednesday], Dustin took a serious fall on a staircase in his Augusta rental home,” Johnson’s agent David Winkle said in a statement.

“He landed very hard on his lower back and is now resting, although quite uncomfortably. He has been advised to remain immobile and begin a regime of anti-inflammatory medication and icing, with the hopes of being able to play [Thursday].”

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