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 1. SERGIO SET UP FOR ANOTHER TRY
Sergio Garcia is atop the leaderboard at a major for the first time since the 2007 British Open. He opened with a 66, and Friday will go a long way toward showing if he can set himself up for another chance at winning his first big one.
2. YOUNG MASTER
What would have been more likely at Augusta National? A woman in a green jacket or an eighth-grader playing in the Masters? Both came true in the same year. Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore are the first female members, and 14-year-old Guan Tianlang opened with a 73. He will try Friday to become the youngest player to make a cut in PGA Tour history.
3. AUSSIE! AUSSIE! AUSSIE!
The Masters is the only major that an Australian has never won. Marc Leishman would not seem like the one to break this streak, but he ran off four straight birdies on the back nine and was tied for the lead.
4. SHARING THE STAGE
Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson are stars in their own rights. But the photographers are spending as much time taking pictures of their significant others at Augusta National
-- Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn (Woods), tennis star Caroline Wozniacki (McIlroy) and Paulina Gretzky (Johnson).
5. COUPLES IS COOL
Everyone wants to be as cool as Fred Couples, and at age 53, he can still work his charm at the Masters. Couples shared the lead going into the weekend last year. He was two shots out of the lead going into the second round this year.
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6. TRACKING TIGER
Tiger Woods shot 70 in the first round, though there's no reason for the world's No. 1 player to panic. He has only broken 70 once in the first round, and Woods has won the Masters four times. He was tied for 13th place going into Friday.
7. WHAT WILL PHIL DO NEXT?
Phil Mickelson said his biggest problem was not being aggressive enough. Mickelson said soft greens were the reason 45 players shot par or better, and he had to rally for a 71. Lefty promised to attack the flags on Friday.
8. SUB-AIR SYSTEMS
Thunderstorms were expected to roll through Augusta overnight, which usually means a soft golf course. The Masters has a mind of its own. There are sub-air systems beneath the greens that suck out the moisture. In other words, officials can make the greens as fast as they want.
9. NO ROARS FOR RORY
Rory McIlroy made five birdies. That's the good news. He also made five bogeys for a 72, and the two-time major champion has to step it up a notch if he wants to get into contention going into the weekend for the third straight year at the Masters.
10. AMATEUR HOUR
The Masters invites six amateurs to the first major of the year, and one of them had a day to forget. British Amateur champion Alan Dunbar didn't make a par until the ninth hole. He didn't make a birdie until the 15th hole. By then, he had an 83 and was bringing up the rear.
[Associated
Press; By DOUG FERGUSON]
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