Pacific's Byron Meth was the top amateur player after the round of the 2015 Masters, firing a two-over-par 74 on Thursday. He finished the first round in a tie for 54th, ahead of the other six amateurs in the field.
He finished the first round tied for first in fewest puts, needing only 25 put to finish the day. Meth tees off with Group 18 on Friday, April 10 at 11:03 a.m. (EST). To make the cut after the second round and advance to the third and fourth rounds on Saturday and Sunday, Meth will need to finish in the top 50 plus ties or within 10 shots of the lead.
Today's reaction from Byron after the Masters first round:
There's no award for low amateur after the first round of the Masters, but if there was I would own it.
If you told me I'd shoot 74 in my first competitive round at the Masters, I'd take it. My day began bright and early for my 7:56 a.m. tee time. I had an early breakfast with my parents in the grill room and warmed up at the range. A funny thing happened. I took a divot on a shot and it flew into my shirt pocket. I couldn't get it all out so I had part of a divot with me all day. Must've been my good luck charm.
If that was comical, this was cool. I happened to be stroking putts when Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player arrived at the first tee to hit the opening tee shots at 7:40 a.m. I was more in awe than anything. I stopped putting to pay homage. You don't get the chance to watch three legends of the game hit balls at the same time like that. Just the latest moment for me from this week that will last a lifetime.
When it was my turn to step up there, I couldn't stop smiling. The Masters has been something very special to me. My dad and I have watched the tournament almost since I've been in diapers sitting on his lap. Now I was about to tee off and it all felt so surreal. My first tee shot was a bit nervy. I tried to aim left, but I left the club open and tugged it into the trees. I had to chip out and made bogey. I really didn't settle down until my approach at the third hole. My wedge shot was the right number, right trajectory and right spin. It was also right on target, and that relaxed me because I was hitting these adrenaline-juiced shots to that point.
Since I played before the television coverage came on the air, let me run you through some of my birdies and bogeys. I carded my first birdie on No. 6 when I hit my 7-iron at the par 3, a pace or two off the fringe pin-high and rolled in the 20 footer. Then I got into red figures at the eighth hole. I could've skipped a chip for my third shot and spun it close to the hole but I decided to run it up short of the hole and give myself a good opportunity. I drilled the 13-foot right-to-lefter. But a poor drive on nine cost me a stroke. I was out in 36.
I created some positive momentum on the 10th hole after bunkering my second at No. 10. I had a 25-yard bunker shot and knocked it stiff. That was like stealing after fanning my tee shot and having 230 yards from the downslope for my second shot. I made par on the first two legs of Amen Corner at Nos. 11 and 12. Not so much at 13.
My round could've unraveled there at the par 5 after I blocked my tee shot to the right. I hit a poor 5-iron from the pine straw and still had a 5-iron to the green for my third shot. I knocked that one into Rae's Creek. I made double bogey. There's not many places I could walk off the green with a double and still be smiling. This is one of them. I told myself it's not the end of the world and it wasn't.
I traded bogies and birdies at 14 and 15 and 17 and 18. At the last, I hit 5-iron from 207 yards that scooted onto the green and nearly went in the hole. I made the putt from just off the back fringe. I started the early walk with my right arm raised. I just knew it was going to fall. My fellow playing competitor Larry Mize gave me a fist bump for that one. It also helped my putting stats: I tied for second in the field with only 25 putts.
As I said earlier, 74 for my first round at the Masters is a score I'll take any day. Well, maybe not tomorrow. I'd like to stick around for the weekend so red figures would help my cause. I tee off Friday at 11:03 a.m.