Diabolical wind at Augusta giving even veteran golfers fits

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Augusta National is a maddening puzzle to figure out even in the calmest conditions. Its combination of humps, bumps, slopes and swift greens unite as allies against pain-free processions around the course.

Toss in wind and it’s downright diabolical.

And a bunch of other names not suitable for print.

“It’s golf. It’s a four-letter word,” Rickie Fowler said after an 8-over-par 80 in Thursday’s first round of the 80th Masters.

Fowler wasn’t alone in his despair. When the 89 players awoke to a wind advisory for the region — with warnings of wind gusts reaching 45 mph — they knew it was going to be a long day among the Georgia pines.

Winds didn’t reach 45 mph, but they were steady in the 15-20 range with frequent gusts reaching 30 mph. The players won’t get much of a reprieve, either, as the forecast calls for winds reaching 30 mph Friday, then 25 mph Saturday before calming to 10-15 mph Sunday.

It will be a cold wind in the morning — the next two days will break with temperatures in the mid-30s. Welcomed warmth will follow, but that means the wind speeds will pick up.

“One of the toughest days I’ve ever seen around Augusta National,” Paul Casey said after is opening 69.

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He won’t get any arguments from Fowler, or Masters champ Vijay Singh, who also shot 80. All told there were nine scores in the 80s — more than the eight in the 60s — and four more at 79. The course played to an average of 74.16.

Not everyone’s scorecards were wrecked, however. Defending champion and world No. 2 Jordan Spieth looked right at home again with a pacesetting, bogey-free 66 despite cracking the head of his driver on the eve of the tournament. After getting a new head and putting it on the same shaft Wednesday, Spieth wasn’t bothered at all.

“I would have signed for 2-under today and not even played the round, knowing the conditions that were coming up,” Spieth said. “Got a lot out of the round with what I felt like was kind of average-ish ball-striking. I just scored the ball extremely well, which is something I’ve been struggling with this season.”

The young Texan is two clear of Danny Lee and Shane Lowry. Three back at 69 was a group of five, including Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia. World No. 1 Jason Day shot 72, No. 3 Rory McIlroy stumbled in with two bogeys in his last three holes to shoot 70.

“I’m sitting here and if someone had have given me a 70 on the first tee, I probably would have taken it,” McIlroy said. “It was a tricky day.”

And one full of carnage. Ernie Els needed six putts on the first hole and took 9. Day had his first triple bogey at the Masters when he took 6 on the par-3 16th after hitting his tee shot into the water. Fowler took a snowman on the par-5 13th when he found Rae’s Creek with his third shot.

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The 12th hole, which rings pleasantly with its name, Golden Bell, was an unending, high-pitched siren to many. The shortest hole on the course at 155 yards is tucked into a corner of pine trees and is most susceptible to the wind because of the open expanse in front and to the right of the hole. Historically it is the third toughest hole on the course.

“Twelve is always hard, but when the wind’s swirling around and strong, that hole becomes a beast,” Lee Westwood said after his 71.

“You sort of tee it up with crossed fingers and then hope,” Louis Oosthuizen said after his 72. “ … It’s tough to be really aggressive around here in these conditions. You can so easily play yourself completely out of the tournament.”

Tom Watson knows all about the winds at Augusta. The two-time Masters champion is playing in his final Masters and with a 74, he’s in position to extend his stay after Friday’s cut.

“The wind was an issue, sure it was,” he said. “Twelve is going to be an issue with this wind. This wind is coming up through 13 and around those trees there. They can be playing downwind, into the wind, and you don’t know wind. … And if the winds keep up, these greens can get away from you possibly. (Tournament officials) are trying to get them so they don’t, I know that. But they know it’s going to blow really hard, so I wouldn’t expect that they’re going to get them too fast or too dry.”

But if they do? Buckle up.

PHOTOS: Thursday at Augusta National