sport news Nicolai Hojgaardhas the wind in his sails in his maiden Masters posting an ... trends now
They say experience is worth its weight in jackets at Augusta. No one seems to have slipped that message into the pocket of Nicolai Hojgaard.
This is the 23-year-old Dane’s first Masters and yet he defied conventional wisdom and the elements to post a 73 that was more impressive than it might sound.
His four-under-par tally gave him possession of the early clubhouse lead, but it also represented the value of resilience on a day when gusts touched 25mph.
Those winds were growing stiffer and worse for the later starters, which included Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, but Hojgaard could still say he overcame a monumental challenge.
He certainly fared better than a quartet of former champions in Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson and Adam Scott, who all appeared to be hurtling towards the projected cut line of four over.
Nicolai Hojgaard enjoyed an excellent start to his maiden Masters, posting a 73 at Augusta
The 23-year-old Dane was the youngest member of Europe's victorious Ryder Cup team
To illustrate the adventures of Hojgaard, who was the youngest member of Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup team, consider his front nine — it took until the seventh hole before he reached a green in regulation. Indeed, his second shot on each of the first three holes was played from pine straw and his par at the fourth required an up-and-down from the sand, before a botched four-footer on five and a missed green at the sixth carved his starting score of five under to three.
By then he had already been out on course for longer than most, having needed to complete the final three holes of his first round before embarking on his second. He finally found some numerical progress with a birdie at the ninth when he holed a putt from off the green and then got back to five under with a 28-footer on 10.
A bogey via the trees on 11 was then wiped off by successive birdies on the 13th and 14th, before his run was halted by back-to-back bogeys after short approaches on the closing two holes. Given the conditions facing those still out on the course, four under par seemed highly likely to age well throughout the day.
No such luck for Dustin Johnson. The 2020 champion, back in the mainstream away from his day-job on the LIV circuit, has had a truly dismal trip to Augusta and was in danger of exiting the tournament without carding a single birdie. His opening round of 78 was woeful and his
