Bryson DeChambeau holds early lead at Masters

Bryson DeChambeau birdied the par-5 15th hole to break a tie with Ryan Fox of New Zealand for the mid-afternoon lead at the weather-delayed first round of the Masters on Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.

Fox, bolstered by an eagle on the par-5 eighth hole, had a clean card until No. 13, when a bogey 6 dropped him into a tie at 4 under par before DeChambeau’s sixth birdie of the round moved him to 5 under for the day.

The first golfer to complete an under-par round was Erik van Rooyen of South Africa at 1 under, though he was 4 under through 13 before struggling down the stretch.

There was a 2 1/2-hour weather delay before the first round of the 88th edition of the tournament finally got started in late morning. Many golfers had yet to begin their first rounds and not all will complete the round until Friday.

Englishmen Danny Willett, through 16 holes, and South Korea’s Byeong Hun An, through 12 holes, were two shots off the pace at 3 under.

The first birdie of the tournament was posted by Willett on the first hole.

Defending champion Jon Rahm of Spain teed off in the afternoon rather than during the morning. He was 2 under through nine holes, with a birdie on the par-4 third hole and a bogey on the par-3 fourth before back-to-back birdies on Nos. 7 and 8.

Will Zalatoris, the 2021 Masters runner-up, had a chip-in from less than 10 yards off the green to save par on the fifth hole.

Five-time champion Tiger Woods had his tee time pushed back from 1:24 p.m. to 3:54 p.m., so he won’t finish the first round until Friday.

–Field Level Media