'Singhing in the rain', Jeev staggers Augusta

Some of the greats fell by the wayside and only nine players were under par as play concluded for the day at 7 pm. Tiger was not one of them, having got his first birdie only on the 13th hole (and he licked his finger and chalked up one in the air, to the merriment of the adoring public), another on the par 5 15th where his eagle putt from 40 feet missed by a whisker. He bogeyed the last two holes to score a 73 to Jeev's 72 par.

At the start of the day, Jeev was being referred to as the "Other Singh". By the end of the day, Jeev was ahead of Vijay Singh and some in the crowd were "Singhing in the rain"! At one point Jeev led the entire field at 3 under. Then he had four bogies on the second half and only one birdie

At the start of the round, if someone had asked Jeev what he would be happy with, my guess is that he would have accepted a par round. That's what he ended up with but for a long while, it looked like he would be the leader in the house.

He is disappointed but not unhappy. Some of the shots he played under pressure were as good as any one could have hit. Worth a mention are his second from under the trees at the 14th and his second to the green from 220 yards over water on the 15th.

I am writing so much about Jeev's game because at Augusta, Jeev IS the story and even I am being interviewed by other journalists about him! There is no doubt that he has become a celeb in the present annals of golf in the US. At the close of play, Jeev is in the top ten. 
 

THE LEADER BOARD AFTER  ROUND ONE (TOP TEN)
POS	PLAYER	TODAY	THRU	TOTAL	TOTAL PAR
T1	J. Rose	-3	18	-3	69
T1	B. Wetterich	-3	18	-3	69
T3	D. Howell	-2	18	-2	70
T3	D. Toms	-2	18	-2	70
T5	T. Clark	-1	18	-1	71
T5	V. Taylor	-1	18	-1	71
T5	Z. Johnson	-1	18	-1	71
T5	R. Beem	-1	18	-1	71
T5	J. Henry	-1	18	-1	71
T10	D. Love III	EVEN	18	EVEN	72
T10	H. Stenson	EVEN	18	EVEN	72
T10	B. Bryant	EVEN	18	EVEN	72
T10	T. Herron	EVEN	18	EVEN	72
T10	J. Singh	EVEN	18	EVEN	72

The day began with living legend Arnold Palmer kicking off the tournament by driving off the first tee as the honorary starter. He is so revered in golfing circles here that spectators queued up from the early morning to be able to see their icon.

Unfortunately, in India this happens only for Bollywood stars and cricketers! Maybe things will change (Ha!).What a player, what a gentleman, what an ambassador for this game.

Mickelson started off on the wrong foot and was 4 over the card after the first nine. Maybe he had visions of what Tiger did in 1997 when he was 4 over after nine (broke 20 records and one). However, he was only able to stay 4 over by the end. He had difficulty with his drive and missed short putts. In the interview, he exuded confidence and did not rule himself out.

Sergio Garcia, once considered a European challenger to Tiger, felt the conditions were really tough. I do not think he will be in contention. Els, a sure-shot contender before the start, has probably put himself out of it with six over.

Henrik Stenson (of the Swing on the Wing fame "" he and I were invited by Etihaad Airlines to drive off a jet plane wing during the recent Abu Dhabi Open) was the early leader and threatening a big score. Despite terrific confidence and a super attitude, he still lost ground and finished at level par.

The best score of the day was carded by Justin Rose, the only player in the entire field not to drop a shot today. He has played in skins game in India, courtesy BILT and, having played with many club members at DLF, would have a large Indian following. He was the clubhouse leader in 2004 and says all the experience he is gaining is making him a far better player.

Watch out for him. Can you imagine hitting only five greens in regulation and still scoring a three under? Only 20 putts for the round is just one worse than the lowest ever, by Mark O'Meara, and coupled with only 9 fairways out of 14, makes for a truly remarkable performance.

One of the greatest delights was to see Olazabal in action. He does not hit the ball long but has the most outstanding short game.

I made a mental note to try to copy him, but somehow it takes a little bit more than just watching. Several of the players whom I thought had a chance to win "" such as Casey, Harrington, Ogilvy, Scott and so on "" might still show but will not win.

Lastly, we should talk about Tiger a bit. His first round scoring average at the Masters is 72.69 and, therefore, he is right on track. In these circles here, it is widely felt that he will recover, relative to the field, and begin to lead.

The pressure of a Tiger on your tail begins to tell even on the bravest of them. He just did not get it going and that is uncharacteristic. Only four off the lead, the money is still on him. April 6 will be a defining day for who could win.

The weather is going to play a major role as a cold snap is predicted, taking day temperatures to between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit and night temperatures to below freezing with possible frost.

Coupled with gusting winds and very firm fairways and greens, extraordinary character is called for "" which Tiger has in abundance. So does Jeev. But Tiger has more experience and is, after all, the world's number one.