Masters 2015 leaderboard and scores: Jordan Spieth dominates 1st round at Augusta

While all the anticipation for Thursday afternoon at the Masters centered on Tiger Woods, it was Jordan Spieth who was the show of the first round. Woods scrambling around Augusta was fascinating to watch, but it was the contrasting sharpness of the next generation, the 21-year-old Spieth, that shot to the top of the leaderboard with a near record round.

Spieth’s 8-under round of 64 is one shy of the Masters record, and the overall major championship record. A total of 26 players have recorded a 63 in a major championship round but just two came at the Masters. No one has ever shot 62, despite repeated close calls in recent years. With just four holes to go, Spieth sure looked to be on track for a 10-under 62 but a bogey at the par-5 15th extinguished those hopes. He’ll “settle” for a 3-shot lead after 18 holes.

Watching the score come together was stunning, but that Spieth is on top of the leaderboard should not come as a surprise. He entered the week with a win and two second-place finishes in his last three events. His putting has been flawless and he had already shown he could navigate Augusta successfully, posting that runner-up last year in his Masters debut.

Spieth shot all four rounds last year under par, but never broke 70. This was a mix of precision and a few lucky bounces that pushed the number to that near record round. He raced out to a 5-under through 10 hole open, but it started to become special down around Amen Corner on the back nine. He hit a putt at the par-3 12th that he started walking after as if he’d missed, only to have it drop in for a birdie.

At the 13th, he caught a nice break when his drive went right through the dogleg and looked to be lost in the trees. After yelling fore, however, the ball came shooting back out into the fairway. Spieth went on to hit a perfect wedge to a foot and post another red number to get to 7-under.

At the 14th, he lost his drive right again but still had a bit of an opening to go at the flagstick. And he did just that, rattling the pin and nearly holing out for an incredible eagle.

That tap-in birdie put the #62watch on high alert and we knew we were watching perhaps one of the all-time rounds. It felt like he had the cheat codes and wasn’t going to give anything back to the course or the field.

But he told Tom Rinaldi he started thinking about his score on the par-5 15th -- an easy birdie opportunity that would have him on the number to match the record. Before that, Spieth said he “didn’t know how many under par I was” and was “just kind of in the zone.” When he started thinking about getting to 10-under is when the dream died. Going for birdie or even eagle at the 15th, he pulled the wrong club and hit his approach shot over the green and would card his first bogey of the day.

There were no lasting effects from that 15th hole bogey. After posting two steady pars, Spieth managed to get his approach shot on that top tier at the 18th green, setting up a chance at one final birdie. The putt was still unlikely, but the way he’s rolling it right now, the ball went right in the center to cap the day with another red number.

It was a fitting end to one of the more memorable opening rounds in recent Masters history.

Even though the 64 was clearly the round of the day, Spieth did not run away from the field. The conditions were relatively benign. Jason Day, playing in the final group of the round, posted five straight birdies at one point. Charley Hoffman and Justin Rose set the pace in the morning with 5-under rounds of 67. Even Tiger scrambled to that 1-over round and didn’t embarrass himself.

Here’s where the field stands after 18 holes: