Tiger Woods aims for his fifth Masters win, Phil Mickelson his fourth and Rory McIlroy his first.
All three tee off today and USA TODAY will be live blogging.
TIGER WOODS: �Tell us how will the four-time winner do?
THE MASTERS: �Tee times and scoreboard
Everyone hopes the round can get in with weather threatening to spoil the day.
ESPN begins coverage at 3 p.m. ET
2:59: USA TODAY's Gary Mihoces checks in with this: Randal Lewis, playing his first Masters at age 54, shot a nine over par 81 in his opening round and had a heck of a good time. "This is just a dream come true," said the financial adviser from Alma, Mich., who earned his spot by winning the Mid-Amateur last September. "What can be bad about a sunny day at Augusta in the first round of the Masters?" The other five amateurs in the field are all youngsters, including 20-year-old Hidecki Matsuyama of Japan, low amateur at last year's Masters.
2:56: Stenson drops back to -5. That's two bogeys in the leader's last three holes.
2:51: Mickelson birdies the third hole to get to even par for the day. McIlroy is +1 through the third. Verplank blew up after getting to -3. He has bogeys on three of the last four holes and is at even par through 12.
2:47: Tiger pars the 14th, to stay at -2, and tied for fourth. There are seven players at -2, with Jiminez joining that group after a birdie on No. 14.
2:43: Jason Dufner has moved into a tie for second with Lawrie at -3, with a birdie on No. 7. Sergio Garcia is off to a hot start, with birdies on No. 2 and 3, to put him at -2. It looks like the wind is picking up at Augusta.
2:39: Stenson's -6 score through 15 holes is quite the turnaround for him at Augusta. He has missed the last two cuts at the Masters, and three of the last six.
2:36: Mickelson pars No. 2, so he's still at +1 for the day.
2:34: Stenson gets that stroke back, with a birdie on the par-5 15th. He's back to -6, with a three-stroke lead.
2:30: McIlroy bounced back from that double-bogey on No. 1, with a birdie on the second hole.
2:25: Tiger emerges from Amen Corner unscathed. He went in a bunker on No. 13, but recovered and had a 15-foot birdie putt that went right by about 5 inches. The par keeps him at -2, three shots off Stenson's lead.
2:20: Stenson has his first glitch of the day. The leader bogeys the 14th, and drops to -5. But he still has a two-stroke lead.
2:15: Mickelson got in trouble with a wayward approach shot on No. 1, and opens with a bogey.
2:14: Defending champ Schwartzel gets into the red numbers with a birdie on 13. In the clubhouse at -1 are Stricker, Harrington and Cink.
2:10: The four-man cluster tied for third place at -2 is Tiger, Keegan Bradley, Aaron Baddeley and Jason Dufner.
2:07: Stenson saved his par on No. 13 after a wild tee shot and still leads at -6. Tiger made his par on No. 2, and is still at -2.
2:05: Horrible start for McIlroy, as going into the woods with his tee shot leads to a double-bogey on No. 1.
2:02: Phil Mickelson is on the course, as is Rory McIlroy. McIlroy was wild off the tee on No. 1, hitting into the woods.
1:59: Alvaro Quiros waded into Rae's Creek and made a great recovery out of the water, but then just missed his birdie putt. Still, that creek shot is one of the biggest crowd pleasers today.
1:54: Verplank bogeyed No. 9, so he drops into a four-way tie for third at -2 with Woods, Dufner and Cantlay. Lawrie is in the clubhouse at -3, and Stenson still leads at -6 as he tries to make par on No. 13.
1:50: Tiger leaves his birdie bid two feet short on No. 11 and settles for a par that keeps him at -2, four shots off Stenson's lead.
1:44: Stenson went into the right side woods with his tee shot on No. 13, but is out of trouble after a nice recovery shot. Tiger is on the green in two at No. 11, and has about a 15-footer for birdie.
1:39: Tiger heats up as Amen Corner beckons. He birdies No. 10 with a 6-foot putt and is at -2, tied for fourth.
1:37: Stenson is still your leader at -6 after pars on the 10th and 11th. He had a chance to get the first birdie of the day on No. 11, but left his bid two feet short.
1:34: Not much of a round for defending champion Charl Schwartzel so far. He's at even par after following a birdie on No. 9 with a bogey on 10.
1:32: Looks like the 11th hole, smack dab in the middle of Amen Corner, is the one that's playing the toughest today. Still no birdies there.
1:29: Jason Dufner gets off to a strong start, with birdies on the first two holes. Stewart Cink is back in red numbers after a birdie on No. 15.
1:24: Verplank gets a third straight birdie, on No. 8, which has been a great scoring hole today. That gets the American into a second-place tie, at -3.
1:19: Scott Verplank nails birdie putts on No. 6 and No. 7 to get to -2. Also at -2, through 17 holes, is England's Ross Fisher.
1:16: Tiger pars No. 9 to remain at -1, tied for fifth. The pack at -1 has swelled to 17 players, and includes Kaymer, Schwartzel and Watney.
1:12: Stewart had been in the hunt at -2 but is back to even par through 14 holes after a double-bogey on the par-3 12th.
1:10: Our Gary Mihoces weighs in with this update from out on the course: A restroom at Augusta National Golf Club was significantly damaged in overnight storms Wednesday.By the start of play Thursday, the two-story facility looked good as new. The building, about 50-feet long and painted green, sits in the woods behind No. 16 tee. The only signs of any repair were some new-looking shingles on the porch roof on one side. All systems were go at the facility. Including this reporter's. "I just used it."
1:05: Henrik Stenson stays red hot. The Swede birdies No. 10 and extends his lead to three strokes, at -6.
1:01: Tiger is back in the red numbers after a birdie on the par-5 eighth.
12:59: Lawrie gives one back, with a bogey and No. 18. But he's still the leader in the clubhouse, at -3.
12:56: Stenson pars the ninth and maintains his lead at -5.
12:52: Lawrie birdies the 17th and gets within a stroke of the lead at -4. The Scotsman has played the last five holes in 5-under.
12:43: Setback for Tiger. He bogeys the seventh and drops to even par for the day, five shots off the lead.
12:40: Birthday boy Henrik Stenson eagles the par-5, 570-yard eighth, and surges to -5 to take the lead all alone. Stenson has never won a major. His best finishes at the Masters were ties for 17th, in 2007 and 2008.
12:35: Lawrie and Stenson make their pars and remain atop the leaderboard at -3. Lawrie is through 16, and Stenson has played seven holes.
12:31: Tiger stays steady. Another par on the par-3 sixth, so he's still in the pack of seven at -1, tied for fourth.
12:28: Tom Watson had bogeys on the first, third and sixth holes, but has made pars on No. 7 and No. 8 and is at +2 for the day.
12:22: Kaymer bogeys the par-3 12th, so he falls back to the big pack that's at -1 and which includes Tiger.
12:15: Boom, Scotland's Paul Lawrie makes eagle on the par-5, 510-yard No. 13, and also the par-5 No 15, and grabs a share of the lead at -3. Lawrie was the British Open champion in 1999, but his best finish at the Masters is 15th, in 2003.
12:12: Stewart Cink birdies No. 10 and moves into a second-place tie with Martin Kaymer, at -2. Kaymer is through 11 holes.
12:09: Woods pars No. 5, so he's still at -1, two shots behind Stenson. Today is Stenson's birthday, by the way. The Swede turns 36.
12:05: Stenson pars No. 6 and remains your leader at -3.
Noon: From Steve Dimeglio at Augusta: Solid two-putt par on 4 for TW, superb drive on 5, then he lets out big laugh with approach on 5 after seeing how bad it is.
11:55: Red numbers remain scarce. Only 10 of the 59 players are under par. Two icons -- Tom Watson (+2) and Ben Crenshaw (+3) are among a large group over par. Your leaders are Stenson -3 and Cink and Kaymer at -2.
11:50: Mark O'Meara, the 1998 champ, withdrew with an injury this morning. He has not made a cut since 2005.
11:44: Stenson remains the leader at -3 and Kaymer, who has never made the cut at Augusta is -2. The group at -1 includes Woods, Harrington, Cink, Verplank, O'Hair, Jimenez, Francesco Molinari, and Lawrie.
11:36: You want a green jacket? Well, you better catch Stenson who is now -3. One of those chasing is Woods who birdied the third hole. This is good news for Tiger fans as he had been spraying tee shots like a hose. Even better news, when he won in 2001 and 2002 he birdied the third hole both times.
11:31: Woods has been driving like he has no clue but perhaps it won't matter. USA TODAY's Gary Mihoces says Woods is getting help from a higher power and he doesn't mean the execs at Augusta.
11:26: Schwartzel gets to red numbers with a birdie on No. 3. Are we looking at back-to-back titles? Woods was the last in 2001 and 2002.
11:18: Woods escapes with par on No. 2 (a par 5). Not bad since his drive started out under a tree. He is at even par which is good since only 4 of 50 players are in red numbers and 25 are over par.
11:13: While Woods is struggling on No. 2, Stenson and Kaymer remain the leaders at -2.
11:08: Woods second shot on No. 2 is a good one. But again he needs a chip and a putt for par. His driver has betrayed him thus far.
11:06: Woods' drive on No. 2 was bad enough to require a drop and he's still blocked by a tree. Good news is that he's only bogeyed this hole twice in his career.
11:04: Woods is having trouble with the driver this far. He has had back-to-back jacked shots. He went way left on No.1 but parred. On No. 2, a par 5 he put it further left.
10:58: Good sign for those who have Woods in the future book. He parred the first hole which traditionally has given him trouble. He started out by jacking his tee shot into a next county but recovered with a good approach, a chip and a putt. He is heading to the par 5, No. 2 where there have been two eagles already.
10:52: Henrik Stenson is our new leader after he eagled No. 2.
10:49: Leaderboard redux: Kaymer, Harrington, Cink and Baddeley are at -1. Woods is scrambling for par on No. 1.
10:45: Woods' second shot from the pine straw is with a wood. It is pure and short of the green but not in the bunker. A good recovery. He needs a chip and putt to escape opening trouble.
10:44: Bradley did double the first but playing partner and defending champion Charl Schwartzel got an opening par.
10:42: It appears Bradley will double-bogey No. 1 and join 23 other golfers already over par for the tournament.
10:41: Harrington, Cink and Baddeley at -1 are the only players under par at this moment. Keegan Bradley appears that he'll be over after the first hole.
10:36: Woods' first tee shot is jacked left off the fairway. He's already scrambling. "It blows my mind" said Strange about how far off line Woods can sometimes be. The tee shot came moments after Strange talked about how the field might waver with Tiger on the course. Woods is famous for how poor he plays No. 1.
10:33: ESPN just showed Keegan Bradley bombing his first drive into the wet turf. Woods is striding to the first tee. He's got that serious look on his face and ESPN's Curtis Strange loves "the focus."
10:32: You can't stop Tom Watson you can only hope to contain him. He has birdied No. 2 and back to even par.
10:30: Don't tell Greg Norman but 1987 winner Larry Mize is even through eight holes. With the leaders at -1, even par might look good after Day 1.
10:27: With 10 minutes before he tees off, 46% of voters in our poll think Woods will challenge but not win this week. There are 8% who believe he will win wire-to-wire. The voting booth is open all weekend.
10:21: A tweet reminder from USA TODAY's Steve Dimeglio. Keegan Bradley about to tee off. By the way, he won the last major played, the 2011 PGA Championship. Was his first major. Can he go 2-for-2.
10:15: Leaderboard update: Bogeys are laying around Augusta like a mob scene. -1 is leading and you have Harrington, Cink, Baddeley, Stanley, Fowler and Matsuyama sharing the top of the board.
10:08: The field is bunched up like planes over Kennedy. Kaymer, Harrington, Cink, Baddeley, Stanley and Matsuyama are all -1. Our dream of Crenshaw on Sunday fades a bit as he's back to even par. Sixteen of the 31 players on the course are over par.
10:05: Your attention please. Some major winners are on the tour. The group of Y.E. Yang, Geoff Ogilvy and Matt Kuchar are ready to engage Augusta.
9:59: Martin Kaymer has joined the field at -1 to trail by a stroke. Tom Watson is at +1. Crenshaw carrying the banner for the AARP crowd but how cool would it be to have Crenshaw and Watson on Sunday?
9:48: Ben Crenshaw has entered the wayback machine with Sherman and Peabody. He is at -1 and trails Harrington by a stroke. Stewart Cink and Aaron Baddeley are also at -1. Of the 30 guys on the course there are more players (16) over par than under.
9:34: Please rush Padraig Harrington to the Butler Cabin. He eagled No. 2 and is at -2. He's the only golfer on the course in red numbers. Hope Harrington is thinking about what goes well with green.
9:30: Andy North on Mike and Mike about another Sunday meltdown by McIlroy: "I don't think it will be in his mind at all," North said about the 10th hole that destroyed McIlroy last year. "He took it like a man. I think this is long-gone."
9:20: Analyst Andy North says on Mike and Mike that -13 will win the tournament. The field better get on its giddy-up then. There are currently no players (21 are on the course) in red numbers.
9:10: First guy in at under par please pick up your green jacket At Butler Cabin. Not only player is in red numbers. Eleven guys are at even. That includes Ben Crenshaw who parred the first two holes.
9:04: A weather warning courtesy of tweet by Jason Sobel of Golf Channel: Forget Tiger vs. Phil or Tiger vs. Rory. Biggest rivalry may be Tornado vs. Sub-Air System. Could be a situation that both sucks and blows.
8:50: The Tim Clark train has been stopped. There are now no players under par on the course and seven guys are tied at even. That includes two-time winner Ben Crenshaw who parred the first hole.
8:43: Nicklaus, Palmer and Player might not be compete on the course but they still compete off it. This from USA TODAY's Gary Mihoces at Augusta: Nicklaus recalled that we he played in his first open as an amateur in 1959 he stayed in the Crow's Nest, the cupola above the clubhouse. He said he and his fellow amateurs were charged $1 for breakfast, $1 for lunch and $2 for dinner. He said he sometimes ate two steaks for dinner and that he wouldn't have objected if they had charge him $4 for two dinner. "Nothing has changed," said Gary Player. "He still has deep pockets and short arms."
8:40: Good on Robert Garrigus. After triple bogey on No. 1 he comes back and birdies the second hole. He will bend but won't let Augusta break him.
8:38: Tim Clark continues to lead at -1 after three holes with half of the first 10 golfers over par.
8:36: USA TODAY's Steve Dimeglio quotes Phil Mickelson on watching Palmer, Nicklaus and Player tee off. "This is just one of the best things to watch. No way I was going to miss this."
8:33: From Gary Mihoces of USA TODAY at Augusta: Arnold Palmer recalled how Nicklaus and Player, as younger men, used to talk about retiring at age 35. "I said bull (bleep)," said Palmer. " ? If I could do it, I'd be doing it right now."
8:32: Tough start of the 2012 tournament. Nine golfers are on the board. Only one is under par (Tim Clark) while four are over par.
8:31: Report from USA TODAY's Gary Mihoces at Augusta: Yep, the "Big Three" all hit nice drives. "We could hear them all land though," Nicklaus kidded later during a press conference.
8:30: While you wait for the top dogs to tee off and the leaderboard to get interesting, here is some good reading about the first time at Augusta courtesy of USA TODAY's Steve Dimeglio.
8:21: Tim Clark is looking like Tiger from 1997. He is now the leader at -1 after two holes. 1982 winner Craig Stadler is +1 and two-time winner Jose Maria Olazabal is even after one hole.
8:20: If Robert Garrigus wins the Masters he'll have to overcome a triple-bogey on No.1. Augusta has bitten its first participant of 2012. It won't be the last. Still no birdies.
8:10: Here is one more pick. This tweet from Dan Jenkins who is covering his 62nd Masters. If you're curious about my rooting interest, it's Rory. Not only is he a great kid, he appears to have the game to become The Man.
8:03: The field is going to have to catch Tim Clark. He has parred No. 1. He is the first man on the board.
8:00: The last of the last 10 Masters winners is an interesting list: Schwartzel, Mickelson, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, Mickelson, Woods, Mickelson, Mike Weir, Woods.
7:59: From USA TODAY's Gary Mihoces at Augusta: With Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne doing the introductions and commentary on the first tee, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus all put their ceremonial opening drives in the fairway. "Wow! ? Well played," Payne said after the 82-year-old Palmer sent his drive right down the middle about 210 yards, to roars from the crowd. The 76-year-old Player then hit his drive about 250 yards down the middle, on a line with Arnie's. "Beautiful," said Payne. Nicklaus, 72, drove his ball about 230 yards to the left of the fairway. "Wow!" said Payne. The general opinion among the hackers lining the ropes: they'd be happy with any of the three drives, especially if they were over 70.
7:50: Tweet from USA TODAY's Steve Dimeglio: My Masters picks: 1) Rory 2) Tiger 3) Stricker Longshot) Oosthuizen. Who you got?
7:45: If TV guys know anything the tournament is over before it has begun. ESPN's Rick Reilly, Curtis Strange and Paul Azinger are all picking Woods.
7:40: Tweet from Ron Sirak of Golf World: How cool is this! Phil Mickelson, who has last tee time of day, on No. 1 at 7:40 to watch Palmer, Player, Nicklaus hit ceremonial tee shots!
7:36: We are getting ready for the ceremonial tee shot. Are betting on Jack, Arnie or Gary to air mail their tee shot? You never bet against Nicklaus at Augusta but it is Player who does 1,000 situps a day. As for Arnie, he loves the spotlight.
7:35: Your finish last year: Schwartzel, Jason Day and Adam Scott tied for second with Luke Donald, Geoff Ogilvy and Tiger Woods tying for fourth
7:30: Here is a wager I'll be keeping an eye on. ESPN analyst Andy North says he's taking Woods, Mickelson and McIlroy against the field. Scott Van Pelt says he going with the field since they've done well in the past. (Charl Schwartzel is defending champ of course). When Van Pelt asked North for someone out of the field, North gave Hunter Mahan as his first pick. Mahan won last week's Shell Houston Open.
7:25: From USA TODAY's Gary Mihoces at Augusta: The Weather Channel says there is a 60 percent chance of afternoon showers or thunderstorms today and that a "few storms may be severe." The temperature forecast is for a high of 82.
7:20: McIlroy said he came in last year hoping to do well and have a chance to win win but this year "I want to win...a little bit more of a business approach you could say."
7:13: While you are waiting for Arnie, Jack and Gary to hit the first ball at 7:40, you can read how they prepared for their first Masters.
7:08: USA TODAY golf reporter Gary Mihoces from Augusta: Thousands of fans already line up in the dark outside the gates of Augusta National for opening day at the Masters. Gates were open at 7 a.m. but patrons not allowed on course just yet. When they do get on the course it should be remembered that "for the safety of everyone....running is considered to be unacceptable behavior." Ceremonial opening tee shots by Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player set for 7:40 a.m. One drive only for each of them today, then they'll return to the clubhouse and being legends. The first threesome of competitors teeing off 10 minutes later will be Craig Stadler, Brendan Clark and Tim Clark.
7:06: Mickelson has won the tournament three times since 2004. So it isn't surprising that he thinks about this tournament often. "The week we look forward to most," he said Wednesday. "It is my favorite week of the year. I just enjoy every minute of it."
7:oo: Woods after his Wednesday practice round said it will be "interesting to see how they set up the golf course" when talking about his club selection and the thought of selection when he's between clubs.
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