Former champion Sergio Garcia voiced what many of the world’s best golfers were probably thinking Thursday after a brutal opening round at The Masters.
Augusta National bared its teeth on the opening day of the first major of 2021, humbling many of the top players on tour.
So tough was the course on the day that Garcia compared it to fighting boxing icon Evander Holyfield.
“I fought hard, but I feel like I just came out of the ring with Evander Holyfield, like a 12-round match,” said the 2017 champion, who shot a four-over-par 76.
“I need to go home and rest.”
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Garcia wasn’t the only player who had a tough opening round, with 2019 US Open winner Gary Woodland also using a boxing analogy to describe his struggles, comparing it to fighting Mike Tyson.
In total, only 12 golfers broke par, led by Justin Rose with his seven-under-par 65, while there were five scores in the 80s.
There were also 12 scores of triple bogey or worse, including a seven at the par-four ninth hole by America’s Jordan Spieth.
Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy shanked a shot so badly at the seventh hole he managed to hit his father in the leg.
—PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 8, 2021
“I should ask for an autographed glove,” McIlroy’s father joked after the moment.
High-scoring on the opening day was largely caused by Augusta’s notoriously undulating greens, which were at their savage best Thursday.
As Insider’s Tyler Lauletta put it, the greens “proved extremely punishing” on the day — something that is likely only going to get worse as the tournament progresses and the putting surfaces dry out even more, making them even faster.
The brutal nature of Augusta this year contrasts with the unusually placid set up of the course at 2020’s tournament, where more than 50 players went under par on the opening day, more than four times as many as Thursday’s total.
