At the golf Masters there is an immediate derby between competing leagues – Sport

Augusta,11 – Just to make clear immediately the contrast between “schismatics” and “loyalists” determined with the birth of the Arab League Liv, the first day of the Masters, unfinished due to the delays imposed by the bad weather at the beginning of the morning, temporarily sees two exponents of the circuits at the top competitors. In first place was Bryson De Chambeau, branded Liv, thanks above all to an extraordinary finish: 5 birdies in the last 6 holes sealed his remarkable score of 65 strokes, 7 under par.

A bit of a surprise because he had never accomplished much here in Augusta (21st best result), even missing the cut in the last two years. De Chambeau, a 30-year-old Californian but Texan by adoption, is considered the prophet of pure power, which he has always favored considering it decisive, even at the cost of changing his physiognomy by gaining kilos and kilos of mass (muscle and not fat, obviously). If by tradition the Masters field rewards precision rather than power, it is clear that in this circumstance De Chambeau, US Open champion in ’20, was able to perfectly combine both, especially in that crackling final.

Just one shot away (66) here is Scottie Scheffler, world number 1, Masters champion ’22, ideally a kind of standard bearer, with McIlroy (temporarily 15th after completing the round in 71 shots) of the players who remained faithful to tradition. For Scheffler, great regularity, with 6 birdies and no bogey. As expected, in short, it’s an immediate derby: after all, here in Georgia, the literary and cinematographic homeland of “Gone with the Wind” (the museum dedicated to the film is in Marietta, near Atlanta, two hours away by car) they have historical experience of secessions and fratricidal struggles. Although, for now, the other Liv players remain a bit in the shadows, with the sole exception of the Englishman Hatton provisionally sixth (-3 after 14 holes).

Double effort for Tiger Woods

But there is much that is provisional in the ranking, after the stop imposed by darkness. A good 30 percent of the participants will have to take on double the effort on Friday: completing the first lap and then tackling the entire second, light permitting. A physical commitment, on a very tiring course like this one with its thousand, pronounced differences in altitude, which could further complicate the life of the most awaited of all: Tiger Woods, of course. Having started among the last, just before 4pm, he had to stop at the 13th hole with a score of -1 (17th) which is even better than general expectations, considering all the troubles and the prolonged absence from the courses.

For him so far two birdies and a bogey, quite effective in the long game. How much will the double round for a total of 23 holes have on his leg held together with screws and metal plates? It will be the topic of the day, waiting to see if he really manages to hit the 24th consecutive pass of the cut, with access to the final two laps. Massimo De Luca