Campbell goes low for Masters lead

Golf Betting Lines

04/09/2009 - Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chad Campbell bogeyed his final two holes Thursday, but it was still enough for a seven-under 65 and the first-round lead at the 73rd Masters.

Former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan are knotted in second place at six-under 66 at the famed Augusta National Golf Club.

Tiger Woods, a four-time winner of the green jacket, appeared poised for the lowest opening round in his Masters career. He stood in the 18th fairway at three-under par, but nailed his approach over the green.

Woods hit his chip way too hard and gave himself almost 30 feet for par. He lagged it inside two feet, but walked off with a bogey and a round of two- under 70.

"Overall, I'm happy with the way I hit the golf ball today," said Woods, who also missed a four-foot birdie putt on 17. "A score could've been had out there."

Woods wasn't lying.

Thirty-eight players broke par on Thursday, a new Masters record for the opening round. Twelve more golfers shot even-par 72s, which meant half of the field was able to shoot par or better on Thursday.

But back to Woods.

His 70 left him in a tie for 20th place, but there's definitely something to be happy about. The three times Woods has opened with a 70 prior to Thursday, he donned the green jacket Sunday afternoon. (In his other win, the 2005 Masters, Woods only managed a two-over 74.)

"I was in position to shoot four- or five-under par," said Woods.

Padraig Harrington, looking for his third consecutive major victory, shot a three-under 69 and shares 14th place.

The reigning British Open winner and PGA Champion is one shot better than 54- year-old Greg Norman, who got into the field thanks to a tie for third last year behind Harrington in the Open Championship.

Norman's 70 ties him for 20th.

"The whole idea for any player is really get yourself off to a good, solid start. I did that today," said Norman, three times a runner-up at Augusta. "I had a lot of opportunities, really could have shot a nice, mid-60s score today. I didn't. I'm not complaining."

A two-time Masters champion and two-time winner this year on tour, Phil Mickelson struggled on Thursday. He managed only a one-over 73 and is tied for 51st place.

With all of these big-name talents hanging around, it was a man once voted Most Likely to Win a Major by his peers in Sports Illustrated that reached the top of the leaderboard.

Campbell established a new Masters record for best start when his 20-foot birdie putt from off the putting surface fell at No. 5. That marked five birdies in a row to start and left him only two shy of Woods' and Steve Pate's record of seven straight birdies in a round.

He cooled off some with six consecutive pars around the turn. Campbell did hole a gutsy 15-foot par save at the 10th to stay at five-under par for the championship.

Campbell barely got over the bunker at the par-three 12th, but the shot worked beautifully. He left himself with a tap-in birdie and that kicked off another run of spectacular golf.

Campbell laid up at 13 and knocked a wedge to seven feet. He converted the birdie effort, then made one of similar length for birdie at No. 14. Campbell pounded his second over the green at the par-five 15th, but he chipped inside a foot and tapped in for his fourth consecutive birdie.

He gave himself a decent chance at birdie at the 16th, but ran it by the hole. Campbell kicked in a the short par putt and walked to the 17th tee at nine- under par.

That number is significant not just in Masters lore, but in all major championship history. Nine-under 63 is the low round ever in a major and is the course record at Augusta.

Now, Campbell needed a pair of pars to join the elite company of golfers with 63s in majors. And that possibility definitely crept into Campbell's mind.

"It did, absolutely," admitted Campbell. "It's hard not to."

He lost his chance pretty early on 17. Campbell pulled his drive at 17 and found a bunker with his second. He blasted out to 15 feet and missed the putt to bogey the hole and fall to minus-eight.

At the last, Campbell drove into a bunker and only managed to get his approach 55 feet from the hole. He three-putted from there for a closing bogey, but still has sole possession of the first-round lead at the Masters.

"I'm definitely happy with the round that I played, but a little upset with the way I finished," acknowledged Campbell, who was the second-round leader in 2006. "It's just the first round, so we've got a lot to play."

Campbell has four PGA Tour wins, but none of those majors he was expected to claim when he won that vote in 2003.

Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open winner, only made two bogeys on his front nine, but caught fire late in his round. He birdied four in a row from the 14th to get in with his flawless 66. He hit every green in regulation.

"The key really was I hit a lot of really good iron shots and kept the ball in play with my driver," said Furyk, who has finished fourth at the Masters twice. "I made enough putts, but I hit a lot of really close shots on that back side."

Mahan tallied five birdies in his first 10 holes, but a double-bogey at 11 knocked him down the board. He recovered with four birdies in a row from 13 that got him into a tie at minus-seven, but an errant approach into the gallery at 18 cost him a share of the lead.

"I just hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, and played pretty smart when I had to and played aggressive when I was there and finally rolled in some putts," said Mahan.

One of the biggest surprises on Thursday was the play of 1987 champion Larry Mize. The 50-year-old shot a five-under 67 and is tied for fourth place with Shingo Katayama.

Mike Weir, the 2003 Masters champion, former U.S. Open winner Angel Cabrera, John Merrick, 2004 British Open champ Todd Hamilton, Aaron Baddeley, Sean O'Hair, Kenny Perry and Wednesday's Par Three Tournament winner Tim Clark are knotted in sixth place at four-under 68.

Defending champion Trevor Immelman shot a one-under 71 and is tied for 28th place with, among others, two-time winner Jose Maria Olazabal, 2000 champion Vijay Singh, Adam Scott and former U.S. Open winner and two-time titlist this season Geoff Ogilvy.