US Masters: Fisher off to a flier at Augusta

ENGLAND'S Ross Fisher made a flying start and led on his Masters debut at Augusta National today – but it could have been even better.

The 28-year-old from Wentworth, playing only the fifth major of his career, was four under par after 14 holes and one ahead of South African Tim Clark – yet had already three-putted twice on the lightning-fast greens.

Fisher has already made his mark in the United States this season with a fourth-place finish in the WGC-Match Play in Arizona, but on his last start two weeks ago he was disqualified for a scoring error as he was missing the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

In near-perfect early-morning conditions, he sank eight-foot birdie putts on the second and third – and then converted a 12-foot chance on the short sixth.

A 25-footer followed at the 570-yard eighth, but he turned in 33 after sending his approach to the ninth 30 feet long and three-putting for bogey.

It did not take the wind out of his sails, though. Saving par from seven feet at the 10th kept him at three under, and then he fired in a wonderful approach to three feet at the difficult 505-yard par-four 11th.

After lipping out from 15 feet on the next, probably the most famous par three in golf, he was on in two at the long 13th but from 20 feet sent his eagle putt six feet past, missed the return and walked off with only a par.

Clark was trying to become the first player ever to win the eve-of-tournament par-three competition and the main event in the same week.

Runner-up to Phil Mickelson in 2006, he also had five birdies over the opening 13 holes, but for him there were also bogeys on the third and fifth.

It is hard to imagine Tiger Woods giving a television interview just before embarking on a major, but Padraig Harrington was prepared to as he arrived for his bid for a third successive one.

The Open and US PGA champion said that for him part of the key was "to smile and not get too intense.

"I have to enjoy the challenge and see it as a challenge. I've got to stay patient and see what happens," he commented.

True to his word, he had a smile on his face as he walked up to an opening drive which he had pulled on to the pine straw.

Short of the green in two, he scrambled a par, promptly birdied the long second and remained one under after four.

Mickelson, with a chance to take over from Woods as world number one, also birdied the second. But that followed a bogey, and he was level par after four.

Woods, seeking a 15th major and fifth green jacket, was among the later starters – as was Northern Ireland teenager Rory McIlroy.

Twice champion Bernhard Langer was a fine two under after seven, while fellow 51-year-old former winners Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam were level par and two over after 14.

Shortening the opening hole by 10 yards did nothing to help Lyle, who carded a double-bogey six.

Scotland's only representative in the 96-strong field, the 1988 champion hooked his drive into the trees and had to do the same with his second shot if he wanted to find the green.

Lyle managed the shape, but his ball had far too much on it – and from over the green he was left with an almost impossible chip.

The flag was on the back shelf of the 445-yard hole. But he went all the way off the front, chipped back to six feet and missed that.

It was the start of a rollercoaster ride. He birdied the sixth and seventh, bogeyed the ninth and 11th and then birdied the 13th and 14th.

Justin Rose, who remarkably has led after the first round on his last three visits, hit a spectacular fairway bunker shot to four feet for an opening birdie and remained one under after six – the same as 54-year-old Greg Norman on his return to the course after seven years.

Lee Westwood was level par at the same point. But Luke Donald bogeyed three of his first seven, and Oliver Wilson's debut at the event he once watched as an Augusta college player began with a bogey.