Tiger Woods takes full advantage of the slowing greens to flip his ball out of the bunker and stop it within five feet. He may be 48 and way past his prime but the thousands following this group are cheering and hollering his every shot. Must be great to still have that level of adulation.

Max Homa gives his birdie effort a fair rattle across the green but it pulls up a good six feet short.

Jason Day, from 25 feet, hits a confident putt that would have raced five feet past if it had not been dead on line and gravity taken over. Super birdie.

Homa tidies up before Woods follows him in.

It just might (see 11:57 post). I wonder if Brian Harman has bothered with any more putting aids leading up to the first major championship of the year?

The American, who won the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool last summer by six shots, was imperious on the greens and has just knocked in a 29-foot putt here to edge up the leaderboard.

Tom Kim also seems pretty pleased with himself, zipping his approach in through the gusts to 10 feet and then rolling in for his birdie.

Looks like we may have lift-off for this group.

Ludvig Aberg was getting a lot of love coming into the Masters, but his fellow Ryder Cup youngster Nicolai Hojgaard is also a huge talent and is showing exactly why.

The Dane has birdied four of his last six holes, including the 11th and 12th to move to four under for his first ever Masters round.

Tiger Woods is a little shorter than his playing partners off the tee on the long right-to-left downhill 10th. He plays his second to the green first but leaves it out right - the wind perhaps helping keep it wide - and his ball finds a greenside bunker. He's short-sided himself there.

The wind is howling and swirling and Jason Day steps away from his ball before returning to find the centre of the green. Max Homa punches a lower one to the left edge.

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Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy does not sound too happy about recording his best opening round at Augusta National since 2018: "Is it? That's sort of embarrassing if it is, but that's a good thing. Yeah, I guess. I kept it together. I stuck to my game plan. Didn't birdie two of the par-fives on the back, which was a little disappointing."

On Scottie Scheffler: "I think when they're playing with you it's hard not to notice. Scottie does such a good job of it, it doesn't look like it's six under par, and then at the end of the day it's six under par.

"He's just so efficient with everything. If you look at Scottie compared to the rest of the field, the amount of bogey-free rounds he plays and he shoots is phenomenal, and that's the secret to winning major championships and winning big-time golf tournaments is more limiting the mistakes rather than making a ton of birdies. I made three bogeys today."

Tom Kim did pretty well to save his par on the eighth in the end although both Brooks Koepka and Brian Harman was able to cash in with birdies after locating the putting surface in two.

Could that be that spark this trio need?

Pars at the last for Viktor Hovland and Cameron Smith as they finish on one under with an up-and-down pair of 71s.

Wyndham Clark bogeyed the last to finish one over and all three players will trudge off feeling a bit disappointed with their day.

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Rory McIlroy described his first round as "scrappy" and "wasteful" as he finished with a 71 - his first opening round under par at Augusta since 2018.

"It was okay," said McIlroy. "I held it together well. It was a little scrappy. The conditions are tricky.

"I think after the slow start sort of making a few birdies around the turn was good. A little wasteful coming in.

"I had a good chance for birdie on 15 in the middle of the fairway and didn't take that. Missed a shortish one on 16 and then the bogey on 17. Probably turned a three under into a one under there at the end.

"But overall still not a bad score, and obviously a lot of golf left to play."

England's Matt Fitzpatrick has been reflecting on his opening round which saw him drop shots on the 17th and 18th and he has one or two things to address with his clubs:

"It was a good day," he said. "I was pleased. I didn't drive it as well as I would have liked, but scrambled really well. I'm just having a couple more equipment issues, my short irons just do not want to spin.

"Like they do not want to spin. So you get some that I hit and the ball just goes forever. Prime example on the last there, [the ball] wants to go forever. You don't know when you're going to get them.

"The numbers are kind of OK but there is only so much you can do with the set I've got. I like the set. I have actually been hitting them well. Just having two or three [shots] a round where it's like, that is not right."

Tiger Woods is putting through his shadow on the ninth green. Never easy. His 30-footer up the hill pulls up a fraction short. A solid par though to round off a decent front nine for the five-time champion.

Maybe an hour or so of light left, how far through Amen Corner will he, Max Homa and Jason Day get? Nobody wants their first shot on Friday to be the tee-shot on 12, or second into 13!

Anyway, here's Homa to get within three of the lead. Boom. Heart of the cup. The American with a bogey-free first nine holes.

Tom Kim finished in a tie for 16th 12 months ago on his Masters debut but his chip on at the eighth will definitely not be a shot to add to his highlights reel, after pushing his approach miles right.

He has a fair chunk of the green to go at but manages to end up skipping off on the other side to leave himself 10 yards or so from the pin playing down a slope.

A birdie chance here looks almost certainly to have disappeared unless he can serve up something special.

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Scottie Scheffler produced what looked like an effortless 66 today, and explained his game plan to Sky Sports:

"It was pretty challenging out there, my thoughts coming into today were that I was just going to try and stay patient out there and take advantage of some holes where I could.

"It's so challenging around this place when the wind gets this high because it blows in so many different directions.

"You've got to really manage your way around the golf course which I thought I did a really good job of out there."

And Tiger duly gives the masses what they want.

A fine second shot into the par-five eighth sets up 40 feet for eagle.

That's not quite happening - but he gets it within three feet and it's a tap-in birdie.

Being under par in these conditions places him in the top 15.

-7 DeChambeau (65)

-6 Scheffler (66)

-4 Willett (68)

-3 Fox (69), Davis (15) Hatton (9), Homa (8)

Selected others:

-1 McIlroy (71), Fitzpatrick (71), Woods (8), Aberg (7)

E Thomas (72)

+1 Rahm (73), Lowry (11)

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Huge crowds following Tiger Woods around as always...

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Something to smile about at least on this back nine for Viktor Hovland as he sinks a birdie putt on the 16th to get back to two under.

Looking on the positives, Hovland's had a pretty dreadful back nine but with two holes to go he's T7 and just five shots off the lead.

Scottie Scheffler takes aim at the flag from distance and he’s got the right pace but it’s slightly off line.

Five foot to save par and stay one off the lead? No problem for the world number one who has looked at his ominous best today.

Xander Schauffele tidies up for his par. He stayed impressively in control after a tricky start.

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Tremendous from Rory McIlroy as he clips a wedge to a tap-in par on the 18th.

That ensures he will shoot under par in the opening round at Augusta for the first time since 2018.

He may be six back but McIlroy is in this tournament.

I didn't think he liked it that much around here? Tyrrell Hatton is motoring. He zips his nine iron into two feet on the ninth and another birdie is getting scribbled on his card.

Mathieu Pavon's drive follows almost the same path but his approach is a tad short and to compound matter he then takes three with the flatstick in hand.

Matt Fitzpatrick and Jon Rahm are finishing their rounds with a whimper. Both have made a bit of a meal off the last and end up walking off with bogeys.

Two shots dropped each on the final two holes.

I don't think either of them will enjoy their post-round refreshments too much.