Aaron Rai made a fast start before settling for a 1-under 71 to sit tied 10th after the opening round of the Masters.
The Indo-British golfer raced to 3-under through four holes, briefly moving into the top three, but a few mid-round stumbles saw him finish four shots behind co-leaders Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns (67).
Rai, who won the Par-3 Contest earlier in the week, managed a neck issue well and showed resilience. Back-to-back bogeys at 11 and 12 slowed his charge, but a birdie on 13 steadied the round before a late drop on 17.
Akshay Bhatia’s round followed a similar pattern but with a tougher finish. The Indian-American was 2-under at the turn after birdies on 2, 4 and 8, but dropped shots across the back nine, including a double on 17, to close at 1-over 73 (T-33).
At the top, McIlroy and Burns set the pace at 5-under. Burns surged ahead through Amen Corner, highlighted by a 20-foot birdie on 12 and another on 13, before adding one more at 15. McIlroy matched him despite hitting just five fairways.
Patrick Reed and Jason Day were tied third at 3-under 69, while Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler were among those at 2-under.
Only 16 players broke par on a demanding opening day, setting up a tightly packed leaderboard heading into round two.
Photo – PGA Tour
Story – V Krishnaswamy
