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| Couples leads at the end of an extraordinary first round at Augusta National |
 Fifty-year-old Fred Couples fired a 6-under 66, his best career round at Augusta National, to lead the field by one shot. But it was until he made his seventh birdie of the day at the 17th hole that he edged- guess who? Ageless Tom Watson who at 60 years of age shot a bogey-free 5-under 67. Amazing!! Who says Golf is boring? It’s a perfect time to get started in Golf Betting, Betphoenix offers you the best Bonus Packages in all Sports Betting to get the best value for your money. The Masters Tournament gives you a great opportunity to join the excitement at BetPhoenix.com Spotsbook. The best golfers in the world played under all kinds of weather on this opening day at Augusta National; it went from bright and sunny in the morning to rainy and windy, then to dead calm under the clouds and again windy with light rain in the afternoon. The tricky conditions, however, didn’t stop the players to shoot low scores in this unforgettable Thursday, 31 of them finishing under par. Couples, always a crowd’s favorite, followed his exceptional three straight victories on the Champions Tour with his best round at the Masters. Freddy sauntered along the golf course in tennis shoes and no socks and shot 66, his best score ever at Augusta and became the second- oldest player to be the outright leader for any round (Jack Nicklaus at 53 led the first round of the 1993 Masters). “I never really thought about what I was shooting,” said Couples. “It was a fun day for me. I still think I can play, and if I putt well I’ve got to be some kind of factor in my mind.” His prowess, though, was eclipsed by Watson’s and Tiger Woods’ stories. Watson, at 60 the oldest player in the field , picked up from his amazing ride at last year’s British Open (lost in a playoff to Stewart Sink) with a mistake-free 5-under 67 that kept him in the lead for most of the day. He finished tied for second with Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson, PGA Champion Y.E. Yang and K.J. Choi (who was in Tiger’s group). “My goals were to play better than I’ve played in the last five or six years, and I have achieved that—for the first round,” Watson said. “ I’m playing pretty well. I’ve said I have to play better than 90 percent to be successful on this golf course. Despite all that, the day belonged to Tiger Woods. He had not hit a competitive shot since winning the JBWere Masters in Australia on Nov. 15 for his 82nd worldwide victory. A four-time Maters champion, he never came to Augusta with so much uncertainty about the reception he would get after the scandal that unraveled following his car accident last November. The patrons, however, were polite and inclusively supportive, glad to get back the World No. 1 at the famous Masters Tournament after five months of absence. Tiger played as if nothing ever happened, shooting a 4-under 68 - his best first round ever at Augusta Natonal- that left him just two shots behind Couples on that extraordinary day at the Masters. Looking down the first fairway lined with thousands of fans curious to see how he would respond, Woods didn’t feel anything different from the other years. “I felt normal,” he said. Try to hit a little fade off the first tee, try to take something off of it and make sure I got it in play. That was about it. From there, I just went about my business.” It was the same old Tiger, or was it? He chatted along with his playing partners K.J. Choi and Matt Kuchar, and acknowledged the patrons with smiles and tips of the cap on almost every hole, pretty unusual for Tiger. But some things didn’t change: Although he pledged to control his emotions on the golf course, Woods twirled his club after a good drive and slammed it after a few bad ones. He pumped his fist after making the first of his two eagles at the 8 (the only player to eagle the 5-par 8th hole Thursday), and sank to his knees when he missed a birdie putt on the 16th. Just as always, he complained about not making enough putts, with reason in this particular round. “Otherwise, it could have been a very special round,” he said. Tiger looked relaxed, showing hardly any rust from his five-month layoff. “I was just pretty calm all day. I was just trying to plod my way along and not throw away shots,” he said. “It wasn’t a day I could slash it all over the place. Had to hit the ball well and make some putts…The course was there for the taking, there are a lot of low scores today.” Woods wasn’t especially satisfied with his performance, and dismissed any notion that it signified redemption. “It meant that I’m two shots off the lead,” he said flatly. “That’s what it means. To the question, “Nothing beyond that?” he answered “I’m here to play a golf tournament.” Some big names on the front page of the leaderboard after an eventful first round at Augusta National., mostly veteran golfers. The young guns Anthony Kim, Nick Watney and Ricky Barnes, however, are close by, tied seventh with Woods and Ian Poulter. This could be one of the most exciting Masters Tournament ever, join the fun of Golf Betting at BetPhoenix.com Sportsbook. Check out the odds and the lines and put a few wagers on your favorite players. Golf is even more fun to watch with a few bets riding on your picks.
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Man, what a day at The Masters!
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