Hey! You smell that? It smells like azaleas and pimento cheese mixed with fear, confusion and elation. Must be the first major grades of 2015. Take the top 10 official world golf rankings and throw in a couple of random ones to mix it up a bit for that Georgia Masters flavor, and voilà!! An absolute potpourri of wonderful golf assessments from yours truly. No need to thank me, I do this every round of every major just for you. Enjoy!
Rory McIlroy
Grade: C+
World Ranking: No. 1
Score: 71 (-1)
The good news is Rory played the par-5s 2 under. The bad news is there are only four of them. Rory was great off the tee in Round 1, hitting 13 of 14 fairways, but then hit only 12 of 18 greens. He did go the whole round without a three-putt, which is why he gets the plus on his grade. Still, if he's gonna get that first green jacket fitted, he's gotta find a way to dominate those par-5s.
Henrik Stenson
Grade: D
World Ranking: No. 2
Score: 73 (+1)
You would think if you've made it to No. 2 in the world, you've had a little success at the Masters. You'd be wrong. Nine tries, zero top-10s. I guess he can take solace in beating his first-round scoring average of 75 with a 73 on Thursday. The three birdies in a row (13-15) followed by three closing pars hopefully will give him some momentum going to Friday.
Bubba Watson
Grade: C-
World Ranking: No. 3
Score: 71 (-1)
While getting under par as defending champion in Round 1 is a good thing, hitting 15 of 18 greens and taking 34 putts just won't get it done. Bubba was solid off the tee, hitting 12 of 14 fairways, which will give him confidence going into Round 2. If he makes his putter like him again, he'll be just fine.
Jordan Spieth
Grade: A+
World Ranking: No. 4
Score: 64 (-8)
Except for one hiccup on the par-5 15th, Spieth was all but perfect. Hitting 15 of 18 greens with 25 putts, there was a moment at which it looked like he might be going after the course record of 63. I'll admit it, I thought he might have a sophomore slump. Well, slap me and call me silly. But remember, the last guy in 30 years to win wire-to-wire was Trevor Immelman in 2008.
Jason Day
Grade: B+
World Ranking: No. 5
Score: 67 (-5)
He had bookend bogeys on Nos. 11 and 17, but Day made five birdies in a row and a great par on the final hole. It was pretty special for a guy who hit only nine fairways and 12 greens. He had only 26 putts for what may be the most significant stat of his round. Jason's chances in going for his first major may actually be boosted by seeing Spieth ahead of him on the leaderboard on Friday. I wonder what happens if he makes a birdie or two early on Friday.
Adam Scott
Grade: D+
World Ranking: No. 6
Score: 72 (E)
Remember a D is still a passing grade, and because Scott wasn't over par, I passed him. But hitting only 8 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens is putting too much pressure on the broomstick putter that's back in the bag again (thank goodness). It was that club that saved him, but if he wants a second green jacket, those other clubs better behave correctly.
Dustin Johnson
Grade: B-
World Ranking: No. 7
Score: 70 (-2)
Winning the WGC-Cadillac Championship earlier this year at Doral got Johnson off to a nice start. He had only one three-putt while hitting 12 of 18 greens in regulation. He's got some room for improvement if he wants to earn an A grade. Alas, for someone whose track record here is not stellar, this is a good start.
Jim Furyk
Grade: D
World Ranking: No. 8
Score: 74 (+2)
Why a passing D grade? Because Furyk's driving distance average of 271 yards was 10 yards shorter than the field average. He had zero three-putts and one of his two bogeys was on the hardest hole on the course, the 18th. The man hit only half the greens in Round 1 yet still managed to shoot only 74. PASS.
Sergio Garcia
Grade: B-
World Ranking: No. 9
Score: 68 (-4)
Sergio did what Sergio does. He makes very few mistakes and finds his way out of trouble. That's why he had only one bogey on the day. He didn't hit nearly as many greens as usual (11 of 18), but the putter was very good today (25 putts). The greenside bunker shot on the 18th may be his game-changer if he stays hot. It's Thursday and Sergio is in a good position so far. As is also usual, the question will now be, can his putter hold up for three more days. Get through Friday first.
Jimmy Walker
Grade: C-
World Ranking: No. 10
Score: 73 (+1)
So why does Walker get a worse grade than Tiger if they shot the same score? Because these grades are not weighed against each other. They're individual performances. That's why 9 of 14 fairways, 12 of 18 greens and 32 putts is unacceptable for a guy who's played so well this year. If he's gonna better his finish from last year he's gotta get better on the par-5s.
Tiger Woods
Grade: B-
World Ranking: No. 111
Score: 73 (+1)
We saw just a little bit of everything on Day 1 from Tiger. Some brilliance in the short game, some horror as well. His tee shots were similarly imbalanced. Woods birdied three of the four par-5s, hit 10 of 14 fairways, 11 of 18 greens and had only one three-putt. If it wasn't Tiger Woods, it would have just been a decent round of golf from a PGA Tour pro, but it is Tiger. Coming from where he was, this was an above-average start. It could have been a lot worse. Good thing the putter is working.
Mike Weir
Grade: F
World Ranking: No. 197
Score: 82 (+10)
It's hard to rip a friend, but sometimes necessary. It's time for the Canadian to consider shutting it down when it comes to playing Augusta National and the Masters. This is the fifth straight year that Weir has posted a score of 79 or worse. His 82 in Round 1 had to be hard on him, but more importantly hard on the guys he's playing with. I know golfers are hoping to find that one magical week, but it ain't happening here for Mike.
Tom Watson
Grade: A+
World Ranking: No. 956
Score: 71 (-1)
At 65 years old, Watson made four birdies, including one at the 10th hole that ranked fifth-most difficult in Round 1. It seems like every year one of the "elders" proves that you're only as old as you play. He was outdriven by almost 40 yards on average! Who knows if he can keep this up for three more days, but I sure would love it if he did.