Interesting first day. Not a lot of fireworks, but a handful of guys keeping Spieth honest after pretty good opening rounds.
What I found most interesting is how the back nine really slapped a few notable top-10 players around.
Jason Day played the last four holes @ +5.
Despite the 2-putt birdie on 15, Rory threw away two strokes over the last three holes.
Bubba had only one par over the last nine holes in what can only be described as a disastrous meltdown.
Fowler played the last nine holes @ +8, and a picture of his PGA Tour mugshot is being imprinted on milk cartons all over Georgia this evening.
Adam played the last 7 holes @ +3.
Dustin made double on 11, bogeyed the par5 15th and finished with bogey @ 18.
Just some really bad mental mistakes by the top players, out of position, in no position to really scramble, and the guys who fought their swings really didn't have much of a chance. And the bad news (or good news if you're one of the guys at +4, maybe +5 depending on what Jordan does Friday) for the guys hoping to sneak inside the 10-stroke cut line is that Friday isn't going to be any easier.
Jordan showed some of his usual major-type poise today, but he'll have to continue scrambling and putting, and as Spuzz accurately related - he'll have to tighten up his dispersion rate tomorrow. The wind will quickly dry the moisture out of the greens and any mistake made on the wrong side of the hole will be enormously exaggerated.
Side note: after chipping in for birdie in his opening hole his very first go-round at Augusta, last week's winner Jim Herman finished +3 for the day. Not great, but certainly respectable, especially considering the circumstances.