The Masters 2009 at Augusta, Georgia, begin on Thursday with Tiger Woods, playing in his first major since last year's US Open, the clear favourite, pursued by Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington
Augusta veteran Arnold Palmer acts as honorary starter early on the opening morning in perfect golfing conditions. His ceremonial drive finds the fairway to the delight of the assembled crowd
Former US Open champion Angel Cabrera birdies the 2nd, 3rd and 7th, making him three-under by the 8th, tying the early lead with Ross Fisher of England
At 73, Gary Player says this, his 52nd Masters, will also be his last, and the South African is one over after the front nine, only to card a double-bogey at the 10th
In what is likely to be his last appearance at Augusta, Greg Norman is two-under at the turn, and stays there until the end of the round. No Australian has ever won the Masters
Fisher, winner of the 2008 European Open, collects a bogey on 17 having found the sand, and another on 18, finishing his opening round on 69, one shot off the clubhouse lead
Cabrera also drops two shots by the time he reaches the 12th hole, leaving Tim Clark, winner of Wednesday's par- three contest, a shot ahead on four under by the time he reaches the clubhouse
World number one Tiger Woods, popular and bookies' favourite, approaches the first, which he pars. A fifth Masters win would be the American's 15th major
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, 19, is in the final grouping and is buoyant from a recent tour win in Dubai. He soon finds the sand, but recovers to par the first two holes
Shingo Katayama takes the clubhouse lead with a birdie at the last hole to tie at five under par with Chad Campbell, who makes five birdies on the first five holes, a Masters record
Reigning Open and USPGA champion Padraig Harrington, in the hunt for his third consecutive major win, and thought to be the golfer who could most trouble Woods, gets round in 69, three off the lead
After his furious five-birdie start, Campbell, at his sixth Masters, holes six straight pars and is overtaken by Jim Furyk on the leaderboard, before a birdie at 12 pulls him level again
Larry Mize, winner of the Masters in 1987 courtesy of a 140-foot chip in a sudden death play-off with Norman, finishes on 67, joining Katayama on five under par
The shot Campbell gains at 12 is the first of another run of birdies that take him to nine under. He misses the course record of 63 after bogeys at 17 and 18, but still finishes on seven under after a 65
Hunter Mahan, chasing the lead throughout his round, has a chance to join Campbell but bogeys the 18th to finish on six under par and a tie for second with fellow American Furyk
Another round of 68, this time from Kenny Perry, who will start the second round on four-under par with Todd Hamilton, Sean O'Hair, John Merrick, Aaron Baddeley, Mike Weir, Cabrera and Clark
Woods is out in 36, but he gets going on the back nine with birdies at 13, 14, 15, before missing good chances at 16 and 17 and bogeying the 18th to finish on two under
Of a host of teenage competitors McIlroy does best, finishing even, with Ryo Ishikawa (17) of Japan one over and Danny Lee of New Zealand (18) two over par
What are these?
E-mail this to a friend 
Bookmark with:
What are these?