Masters 2023 results, highlights: Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka join Viktor Hovland atop leaderboard after Round 1

Sam Jarden

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Masters 2023 results, highlights: Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka join Viktor Hovland atop leaderboard after Round 1 image

The sight of lush fairways, towering magnolias and blooming azaleas can only mean one thing: it's time once again for a tradition unlike any other.

LIVE: Updates, highlights from Round 2 at the Masters

The sports world will shift its gaze to Georgia this week for the 87th playing of the Masters Tournament. For the next four days, the world's best golfers will navigate the rolling hills and pristine greens of Augusta National Golf Club. Come Sunday afternoon, only one will earn the privilege of slipping on the iconic green jacket.

This year's event will be unique for a number of reasons. For one, it will provide us with another rare chance to see Tiger Woods tee it up against the game's best. The 15-time major winner has played in only one PGA Tour event this calendar year: the Genesis Invitational back in February. He made the cut that week, ultimately finishing tied for 45th. Who knows how many more times we'll be able to see Woods tee it up at Augusta as his competitive career winds down?

MORE: Can Tiger Woods contend at the 2023 Masters?

It also represents one of the first times we'll be able to see PGA Tour players and LIV Golf players go head-to-head. The breakaway LIV tour has rocked the world of golf since its inaugural event last summer, with many of the world's best players turning their backs on the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-funded league. Former PGA stars like Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and Phil Mickelson will be back playing against their former rivals in a reunion that is sure to create some tension.

Defending champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the clear favorite this week, but he'll face stiff competition from a stacked field that includes other superstars like Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and more.

MORE: Who will win the Masters 2023? Odds, betting favorites, expert picks for the green jacket

The Sporting News is tracking all the key moments from Thursday's Round 1 at the 2023 Masters Tournament:

Masters leaderboard 2023

  Player Score (hole)
T-1. Viktor Hovland -7 (F)
T-1. Jon Rahm -7 (F)
T-1. Brooks Koepka -7 (F)
T-4. Cameron Young -5 (F)
T-4. Jason Day -5 (F)

Click here for the entire 2023 Masters leaderboard

Masters live updates, highlights from Thursday's Round 1

(All times Eastern.)

7:10 p.m.: McIlroy bogeys the final hole to finish his opening round at even par, while Spieth birdies the 15th and 16th holes and pars the final two to finish at -3. The top of the leaderboard is packed with big names heading into the second round tomorrow. Let's hope the weather cooperates. 

6:40 p.m.: Amateur Sam Bennett just finished off a remarkable bogey-free four-under 68 to tie Scheffler on the day. Not a bad way to start his career at Augusta. 

6:38 p.m.: Another great birdie opportunity falls by the wayside for Scheffler as his birdie attempt on No. 18 slides past the left edge. He'll finish with a very respectable four-under 68, but it could have been much lower if some more putts had dropped. Still, he's in great position after the opening round. 

6:18 p.m.: McIlroy has rallied with birdies on the 15th and 16th holes to move back into red numbers. He snuck his putt on No. 16 in the right side of the cup to get to -1 on the day.

5:56 p.m.: Scheffler goes way over the green on his second shot into the par 5 15th, but he hits a fantastic pitch shot to set up a short putt for birdie. He rolls it in, taking his score on the day to -4. He's had a solid but unspectacular opening round so far.

5:49 p.m.: Australia's Jason Day birdies No. 16 and No. 17 then sinks a tricky par putt on the last hole to post a five-under round of 67. He hasn't won anywhere in nearly five years, but he does have one major victory (the 2015 PGA Championship) under his belt.  

5:42 p.m.: Spieth's decision to go for the green comes back to bite him in a big way. After taking his drop, he pitches it over the green and then fails to get up and down from there, leading to a costly double bogey. That drops him back to -1, six shots behind the leaders. 

5:35 p.m.: For the second time in three holes, Jordan Spieth has found the water on No. 13 after trying a risky shot to the green from the pine straw. He bogied No. 11 after hitting it into the pond by the green. We'll see if he can salvage a par to stay at -3.

5:24 p.m.: McIlroy's trend of poor opening rounds at Augusta National looks set to continue this year. He currently sits at +1 after 13 holes, and he just let another gettable par 5 go to waste without a birdie. With so many of his competitors going low today, it will be a daunting task to pull them back if he finishes over par today. 

5:14 p.m.: Scheffler hits a great second shot into the par 5 13th hole to set up an eagle putt, but it slides agonizingly past the left edge. He'll have to settle for a birdie to move to -3. He's missed a few makable putts today that would have put him right up there with the leaders. 

4:58 p.m.: Koepka finishes his opening round in style with an impeccable birdie on the 18th hole. That leaves us with a three-way tie at the top, with Koepka, Hovland and Rahm all at -7. 

4:49 p.m.: Koepka sinks a nice putt for birdie on 17, and he'll head to the last hole just one shot behind the leaders. He leads a sizable contingent of LIV players in the field this week including Cameron Smith (-2), Joaquin Niemann (-2), Patrick Reed (-1) and Phil Mickelson (-1).

4:32 p.m.: Burns gets a terrible break on No. 10, finding a fairway divot with his drive. The tricky lie causes him to hang his approach shot out to the right and he can't get it up and down from there. The bogey will drop him back down to -4. 

4:17 p.m.: Koepka knocks it on the green in two on the par 5 15th hole and two-putts for his birdie. That moves him to -5 with three holes left to play. On the other side of the course, Jordan Spieth is moving up the leaderboard with three straight birdies. He's in a tie for sixth place at -4. 

4:02 p.m.: Here comes Sam Burns! The 26-year-old Louisiana native got off to a blazing fast start with two birdies and an eagle in his first three holes, and he just added another birdie to get to -5. He's fresh off a win in the WGC Match Play event just a couple of weeks ago, and he's definitely one to keep an eye on this week.  

3:46 p.m.: Jon Rahm stuffs an approach shot to a couple of feet on the 18th hole and taps in for birdie to tie Hovland at the top. What an amazing round of golf after a terrible start with a double bogey on No. 1. A dive into the stats reveals he is leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the field in strokes gained from tee to green, which bodes well for him the rest of the weekend. 

3:37 p.m.: Disaster for Rory McIlroy on the 7th hole. He hit his drive in the trees, punched out, dunked his approach into a bunker and failed to get up and down. That's a double bogey, dropping him to +2. 

3:23 p.m.: Hovland finishes his day with another great save, this time out of the same greenside bunker Woods found. That's a seven-under 65 to open his week, his best round ever in a major. 

3:16 p.m.: Woods gets a bad break after his drive on the 18th hole and faces an awkward stance with one leg in the sand trap. He's able to chase it up into the greenside bunker with his approach, but he can't get it up and down and he drops a shot on his final hole of the day. He finishes at +2, and he has some work to do to make the cut tomorrow. 

3:07 p.m.: Rahm sinks a birdie putt on the 16th hole to pull within one of Hovland, the closest anyone has been since this morning. If it wasn't for that four-putt on the first hole, Rahm would more than likely have the outright lead right now. 

2:56 p.m.: The conditions are perfect for scoring out there right now, but as always, there are quite a few players struggling. Bubba Watson shot a five-over 77 today, Matthew Fitzpatrick is currently +2 through six holes, and Bryson DeChambeau — who once called Augusta National a "par 67" for him — is +4 through 12 holes. 

2:47 p.m.: A nice approach on the 16th hole sets up a second consecutive birdie for Woods. He's back to +1 for the day with two holes left in his opening round. Meanwhile, Adam Scott just made an eagle on the 15th hole to vault up to -5 and into a tie for second place. 

2:34 p.m.: After a wayward drive, Hovland can't get another birdie on the par 5 15th hole. But Schauffele can. He sinks a short putt to cut the Norwegian's lead to just two shots. The third member of that group, one Tiger Woods, drains a bomb for birdie to move back to +2. 

2:12 p.m.: Hovland makes one of his first big mistakes of the day on the 14th hole, pulling his approach shot way left. But just like on the 10th, he hits a fantastic recovery shot and drains the par putt to stay bogey-free on the round. His lead has been cut to four shots with Schauffele and Brooks Koepka both reaching -4. 

2:10 p.m.: What a start for Sam Bennett! The 23-year-old chips in for eagle on the second hole to get to -3. This Masters stuff is easy. Scheffler also makes his short eagle putt to get to -2. 

2:05 p.m.: Scheffler hits another fairway on the second hole and sticks a magnificent approach shot to about a foot on the par 5. That will be a tap-in eagle, and our defending champion is already off to an excellent start.

1:57 p.m.: Will anyone be able to catch Hovland this week? He is playing some unbelievable golf right now. Another birdie on No. 13 has moved him to -7, four shots clear of the group tied for second. 

1:49 p.m.: Scottie Scheffler's title defense is underway. He splits the fairway on his drive and finds the green on his approach, but he can't convert the birdie putt. However, his playing partner, amateur Sam Bennett, knocks in his birdie putt on the first hole of his Masters career. The kid is impressive.  

1:37 p.m.: How about a one-under 71 to start the week for 63-year-old Fred Couples? He bogeys the last hole, but he's still tied for third after his opening round — and beating a lot of guys half his age. He is also the oldest player to break par at The Masters since Tom Watson in 2015.

1:23 p.m.: Viktor Hovland is absolutely on fire right now! He drains a lengthy birdie putt on No. 11 to move to -6, three shots ahead of his nearest competitors. Woods pushes his approach on the same hole way right and has to scramble for a bogey after a miscued pitch shot. That drops him back to +3, a full nine shots worse than his playing partner. 

1:01 p.m.: Woods slings a draw around a tree with his approach shot on No. 10 and his ball nestles up to within about 15 feet of the hole. It was a beautiful shot, but he can't pay it off with the putt and he'll have to settle for a par. Hovland gets himself into a real tough spot behind the greenside bunker on the same hole, but he pulls off a miraculous up-and-down to stay at -5. Everything is going his way right now. 

12:48 p.m.: Hovland does make his birdie putt to move to -5 and post a 31 on the front nine. One hole behind him, Jon Rahm hits his second shot to within a few feet on the par 5 8th and rolls in the eagle putt to move into second place at -3. He's rebounded magnificently after that brutal four-putt on his first hole of the tournament. 

12:37 p.m.: Hovland is absolutely locked in right now. He just put another approach shot to within a few feet on No. 9 and he has a great chance to get to -5 at the turn. Woods took an awkward-looking swipe at a ball below his feet and it ended up well right of the green. He has some work to do. 

12:27 p.m.: Woods finally picks up a birdie after hitting a beautiful pitch within inches of the hole on the par 5 8th hole. That moves him to +2 on the day. His playing partner, Hovland, also birdies the hole to take the outright lead at -4.

12:15 p.m.: Ireland's Shane Lowry just rattled off three straight birdies to join the leaders at -3. He's a major champion, having lifted the Claret Jug at the 2019 Open Championship. 

12:05 p.m.: Woods is really struggling with his putter so far. He just missed another short par putt on No. 7 to fall to +3. If this continues, he won't be around for the weekend. 

11:52 p.m.: Hovland sinks a nice birdie putt on No. 6 to move to -3, while Young gets up and down from a greenside bunker on No. 4 to remain tied with Hovland for the lead. Woods continues to hang in at +2, but he could really use a birdie soon.

11:32 a.m.: Wow, what an incredible start for Young! Three birdies on his first three holes have moved him into the solo lead at -3. Meanwhile, Woods misses a short par putt on No. 5 to drop to +2. Rough start for him. 

11:26 a.m.: A birdie on hole No. 4 moves Schauffele to -2. He stuck his tee shot to about a foot on the 240-yard par 3 and rolled in the putt. 

11:22 a.m.: Another new name joins the early leaders: Adam Scott. He became the first Australian to win the green jacket back in 2013. Birdies on the second and third holes have moved him to -2. 

11:17 a.m.: 25-year-old Cameron Young has birdied his first two holes to move into a tie for the lead at -2. He is still looking for his first career PGA Tour win, but he's been in contention at majors before. 

11:15 a.m.: A very uncharacteristically poor approach from about 50 yards leads to a disappointing bogey on hole No. 3 for Woods. He falls to +1 on the day.

11 a.m.: Jon Rahm with the worst opening hole of the day: He four-putts to double bogey.

10:52 a.m.: And there's a birdie for Xander Schauffele on Hole 2; only Tiger failed to golf his way into the red figures.

10:52 a.m.: No harm no foul for Tiger, who centers his par attempt.

10:51 a.m.: Here's an eagle on Hole 2, with Viktor Hovland sinking it to jump to the top of the leaderboard at 2 under. Fantastic start for the Norwegian.

10:49 a.m.: Tiger has a decent-enough look at birdie, but it just slides by and leaves him about 4 feet to salvage par. Not what he wanted on the first par-5 of the day.

10:40 a.m.: Tiger finds the bunker on Hole 2, but finds the fairway on his second shot — easy enough to turn around and get an up-and-down birdie.

10:31 a.m.: Meanwhile, there's a birdie at Hole 6 for Adrian Meronk to join the leaders at 1 under.

10:31 a.m.: Sure enough, Tiger two-putts for par, which is a pretty good start, all told. He'll head to the par-5 second hole with a chance to get his first birdie.

10:26 a.m.: Tiger takes a short approach and is squarely on the green at Hole 1 ... he'll have a lag putt to make for birdie but is more likely looking at a two-putt par to start.

10:18 a.m.: There's Tiger's first drive of the day — to raucous applause — and it's a nice little roller down the fairway. You can follow his first round with The Sporting News' Tiger tracker.

9:55 a.m.: Henley very nearly gets a hole in one at the par-3 sixth hole, which would have been just the seventh on Hole 6 in Masters history. He'll settle for a tap-in birdie.

9:50 a.m.: Nine golfers tied for the lead at 1 under, with Mike Weir having the most holes played, at eight.

9:27 a.m.: Following a bogey by McClean on Hole 5 and birdies by Scott Stallings, Russell Henley and Kevin Kisner, there's a four-way tie for first at 1 under.

9:11 a.m.: McClean holes a birdie on Hole 4 — his second of the day. He's atop the leaderboard at 2 under.

8:45 a.m.: The first player to birdie the opening hole in 2023 is one of the seven amateurs in the field, Matthew McClean — a 29-year-old optometrist from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

8:20 a.m.: Twenty years after becoming the first (and still only) Canadian to win the Masters, Mike Weir officially got things started in the first group off the tee along with Kevin Na. Weir made par on the opening hole, but Na had a rough start with a double bogey.

7:58 a.m.: Honorary starters Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson have taken their swings. Now it's time for play to get underway at Augusta National.

7:10 a.m.: The hole locations for Round 1 are out:

7 a.m.: Get ready for Day 1 with Augusta National's version of a hype video:

MORE: Watch the Masters 2023 live on Fubo (free trial)

What channel is the Masters on today?

  • TV channel: ESPN
  • TV broadcast times: 3-7:30 p.m. ET
  • Live streams: Masters.com, ESPN+, Fubo

The Masters will air live on ESPN for the first two days before shifting to CBS for Rounds 3 and 4. Televised coverage will begin at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, with Scott Van Pelt, Sean McDonough, Andy North and Curtis Strange handling commentary duties from Augusta.

Masters.com will provide free live streaming coverage of the tournament throughout the day beginning at 8:30 a.m. and running through the conclusion of play at around 7:30 p.m. ESPN+ will also carry a simulcast of the TV broadcast.

Here is the full breakdown of the Masters TV schedule (all times Eastern):

Date Time (ET) TV channel
Thursday, April 7 3-7:30 p.m. ESPN, Fubo
Friday, April 8 3-7:30 p.m. ESPN, Fubo
Saturday, April 9 3-7 p.m. CBS, Fubo
Sunday, April 10 2-7 p.m. CBS, Fubo

Masters tee times for Thursday

Tee time (ET) Group
8:00 a.m. Mike Weir, Kevin Na
8:12 a.m. Vijay Singh, Scott Stallings, Matthew McClean
8:24 a.m. Sandy Lyle, Jason Kokrak, Talor Gooch
8:36 a.m. Fred Couples, Russell Henley, Alex Noren
8:48 a.m. Adrian Meronk, Kevin Kisner, Louis Oosthuizen
9:00 a.m. Larry Mize, Min Woo Lee, Harrison Crowe
9:12 a.m. Sergio Garcia, Kazuki Higa, Keith Mitchell
9:24 a.m. Patrick Reed, Adam Svensson, Sahith Theegala
9:36 a.m. Shane Lowry, Mackenzie Hughes, Thomas Pieters
9:48 a.m. Bubba Watson, Seamus Power, Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira
10:06 a.m. Abraham Ancer, Chris Kirk, Keegan Bradley
10:18 a.m. Tiger Woods, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele
10:30 a.m. Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay, Kurt Kitayama
10:42 a.m. Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Cameron Young
10:54 a.m. Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Smith, Sungjae Im
11:06 a.m. Jose Maria Olazabal, Cameron Champ
11:18 a.m. Charl Schwartzel, Taylor Moore, Aldrich Potgieter
11:30 a.m. J.T. Poston, Francesco Molinari, Bryson DeChambeau
11:42 a.m. Bernhard Langer, Mito Pereira, Ben Carr
11:54 a.m. Danny Willett, Gary Woodland, Brooks Koepka
12:12 p.m. Sepp Straka, Harold Varner III, Kyoung-Hoon Lee
12:24 p.m. Phil Mickelson, Tom Hoge, Si Woo Kim
12:36 p.m. Billy Horschel, Harris English, Ryan Fox
12:48 p.m. Zach Johnson, Jason Day, Gordon Sargent
1:00 p.m. Brian Harman, Joaquin Niemann, Tyrrell Hatton
1:12 p.m. Dustin Johnson, Corey Conners, Justin Rose
1:24 p.m. Matthew Fitzpatrick, Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris
1:36 p.m. Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Sam Bennett
1:48 p.m. Tom Kim, Rory McIlroy, Sam Burns
2:00 p.m. Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau

Sam Jarden

Sam Jarden Photo

Sam Jarden joined Sporting News as an intern in 2020 and returned as a content producer in 2022. In between, he spent a year and a half at Turner Sports, managing the social media accounts for Bleacher Report, NBA on TNT, NBA TV and others. A proud UNC alumnus, he spends his free time following the Tar Heels, Buffalo Bills and Newcastle United FC, and has been known to occasionally hit the links.