Masters Notebook: Mahomes in Augusta, McIlroy sends errant shot off his father | Sports

Additionally, presumptive Jaguars No. 1 draft choose Trevor Lawrence was among the many celebrities watching the primary spherical of the Masters Match on Thursday on the Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership.

Lawrence was noticed by photographers on the course, sporting a lavender-colored adidas shirt.

It was unclear from the picture at what gap Lawrence was watching the motion. The Masters has restricted the variety of patrons this 12 months however the three gamers had been there as visitors of adidas.

FORE! DAD!Rory McIlroy hit his method on the seventh gap Thursday on the Masters proper the place he was aiming.

Downside was, he was aiming at his father.

Right here’s a story that will likely be a part of McIlroy household lore for most likely endlessly: Gerry McIlroy was standing close to the precise facet of the inexperienced, watching his son play his second shot from off to the left of the golf green. The ball wound up hitting Gerry McIlroy within the left leg.

“It was an ideal shot,” Rory McIlroy stated.

Nicely, type of. He wound up making bogey, which was his third consecutive one at that time.

“It was lifeless straight,” Rory McIlroy stated. “However I believe he was OK. He didn’t limp away. He walked away fairly swiftly, in order that was all proper.”

Gerry McIlroy is a fairly good golfer himself. He launched his son to the sport way back, and has developed fairly a following amongst his fellow members at his residence course, Seminole Golf Membership in Florida.

He’ll be getting mileage off this story for years.

Rory McIlroy additionally had a tee shot spray proper on the par-4 eleventh, inflicting some patrons to tap-dance out of the way in which. He completed with a 4-over 76, not precisely boosting his probabilities of lastly profitable a Masters and finishing the profession grand slam.

There’s a convention of types in golf that when somebody will get struck by an errant ball, the golfer indicators a glove and presents it to the individual as a part-apology, part-souvenir. McIlroy didn’t seem to be he was planning to provide one to his dad.

“I believe he simply must go and put some ice on,” he stated. “Perhaps I’ll autograph a bag of frozen peas for him.”

FLEETWOOD’S ACETommy Fleetwood had no birdies within the opening spherical of the Masters.

A hole-in-one made him smile anyway.

Fleetwood made an ace on the 170-yard sixteenth gap Thursday, the thirty second in Masters historical past. Of these, 23 have come on the sixteenth.

Fleetwood completed the day with 4 bogeys, the ace and shot a 2-over 74. There have been no aces on the Masters final 12 months; Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau each made one on the sixteenth in 2019.

LAST SHALL BE FIRSTBrian Harman was the final participant to get into the Masters. When he completed his opening spherical, his was the primary title on the leaderboard.

Harman made three birdies over the past six holes for a 3-under 69. That matches his finest rating at Augusta Nationwide, although it’s a small pattern dimension. That is solely Harman’s third look within the Masters.

He had little purpose to be imagine he can be right here in April.

Solely a month in the past, Harman was at No. 95 on the planet rating. He tied for third at The Gamers Championship, and that obtained him into the Match Play. The Match Play was the ultimate event for gamers to crack the highest 50, and Harman reached the quarterfinals. That obtained him to No. 49, and he was on his option to the Masters.

Being a late entry had its benefits.

“In all probability so,” Harman stated. “The earlier two occasions I’ve performed it, I’ve actually appeared ahead to it perhaps and ready an excessive amount of for it. I simply type of got here in right here, and I do know the course fairly nicely. I’ve performed right here bunches of time. I find it irresistible round right here. It’s only a matter of getting my sport prepared.”

Based mostly on what obtained him right here, he was prepared. Harman stated his quick sport has been on track, and that by no means hurts at Augusta Nationwide.

HAT’S OFFWhen Lee Elder, the primary Black participant to play within the Masters, went to the tee for the honorary starter ceremony with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Participant on Thursday morning, there have been about 100 individuals sporting inexperienced caps with “1975” written in white throughout the entrance.

It was self-explanatory. Elder broke the Masters shade barrier in 1975, and the hats had been a tribute. Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry — a golf ambassador and somebody who strives to see extra inclusion throughout the sport — was one of many individuals who helped organize for them to be handed out on the tee field earlier than the starter ceremony.

“There’s a bit of bit extra illustration now … and there’s a lot good historical past there,” Curry stated. “As a golf fan, you find it irresistible.”

Curry additionally posted a video on his social media channels Thursday with the hat, thanking Elder for what he’s executed for the sport of golf.

THE PRIZESEverybody is aware of the Masters winner will get a inexperienced jacket. That’s removed from the one prize out there at Augusta Nationwide.

There’s a number of crystal — all of it embossed with the Masters brand — that’s going to be handed out as nicely.

The participant with the low rating every day on the Masters will get a crystal vase. Crystal bowls are given out to commemorate a hole-in-one — Tommy Fleetwood was getting a type of after Thursday — or double eagle.

Each eagle is rewarded with a pair of crystal highball glasses, which had been on Michael Thompson’s thoughts when he reached the par-5 thirteenth in two. He rolled in a 25-foot eagle putt to develop into the primary winner of glassware this 12 months.

“These are the heirlooms that you just go on to your youngsters,” Thompson stated.