The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From The First Round Of The 2025 Masters

This is the good, bad, and ugly from Round One of the 2025 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

Round One of the 2025 Masters at Augusta National Golf Course is in the books. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from Thursday.

The Good: Justin Rose

Justin Rose was magnificent on Thursday, opening up a three-shot lead with a seven-under 65 over a trio at -4. Rose’s putter was on fire, and it marked the fifth time that he’s led The Masters after one round, a tournament record.

The Good: Fred Couples

Is Couples, 65, going to win The Masters? No. But if you’re 65 and you’re firing off a one-under 71 at Augusta National, that’s something to be proud of. The former champion made the cut two years ago, becoming the oldest player to do so, and he’s put himself in solid position to do so again. His swing is as smooth as ever, and he holed out from the fairway for eagle at 14.

The Good: Scottie Scheffler

Yeah, he’s three back of Justin Rose, but I guarantee you that Scottie Scheffler would’ve been fine with a bogey-free 68 to start off his title defense. The putter was really working for him, and he remains the favorite to win the tournament.

The Good: Ludvig Aberg's Back Nine

Last year’s runner-up was not off to a stellar start on Thursday, playing the first nine in even par. But, he fired a bogey-free four-under 32 on the final nine, putting him into a tie for 2nd. He’s perfectly positioned.

The Bad: Jordan Spieth's Inconsistency

Spieth made the turn at -2, and looked poised to be in the top ten after day one. But, he played holes 10-14, the site of many horrors for him over the years at Augusta, in +4, and ultimately finished eight shots back at +1. He really struggles to put a full good round together at majors these days.

The Bad: Jon Rahm

I think it’s fair to say at this point that the move to the LIV Tour has hurt Jon Rahm. After being one of the best major championship players in the world, he’s been awful in those tournaments since, and that continued on Thursday. Rahm shot a listless 75 and is 10 shots back. The PGA-LIV merger can’t come soon enough.

The Bad: Hideki Matsuyama's Terrible Luck at Hole 13

Matsuyama was a solid -1 through 12 holes, with scoring chances at 13, 14, and 15 awaiting him to pick up some ground on the leaders. But, the former champion’s perfect wedge after laying up on 13 rattled the bottom of the flagstick and ended up in Rae’s creek. What could’ve been a tap-in birdie, or even an eagle, ended up being a double-bogey 7. He finished at +1

The Ugly: Rory McIlroy's Collapse

Rory was -4 and in prime position in the 15th fairway to reach the Par 5 in two and two-put to get to -5. Instead, Rory did what he does best at Augusta. He choked. Rory hit his second shot over the back, and then made the crucial mistake on the chip of flying it too far and the ball was unable to stop on the green before rolling into Rae’s Creek. That turned into a double-bogey, and he made another double from back behind the green on 17, too. What was once a great round ended up at even par.

The Bad: Nick Dunlap

Dunlap won twice last year on tour, once as an amateur and once as a pro, and earned his spot into this year’s Masters. He did not take advantage, firing off a stunning 90, including an amateurish 47 on the back-nine. He’s 11 shots back of second-to-last.

Jose Luis Ballester's Run-In With Rae's Creek

Ballester, one of the best amateurs in the world, shot a respectable 76 in his maiden trip around ANGC. But, he will be forever known as the player who decided to relieve himself in Rae’s Creek on Hole 13. Nobody saw anything inappropriate, but for a tradition-laden place like Augusta, it was truly shocking.