The first round of this Masters was the 2016 champion’s first competitive round of golf since he finished a lowly T-64 in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last September.
There are a multitude of theories emerging as to why just about everything went so disastrously wrong (on the course at least) for the European side in Wisconsin.
It will be a brief return to the top spot for Rose, however, as the closeness of the Official World Golf Ranking points system ensures Brooks Koepka will be No.1 again this time next week.
Koepka entered the tournament ranked third in the world, but with a victory or a solo second without Thomas winning, he can jump Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose to become No.1.
For an extra challenge, the European Tour had players take on “The Hickory Challenge” at Gullane Golf Club during a practice round at the Scottish Open earlier this week.
It will be a sense of déjà vu for Ryan Fox at Ballyliffin Golf Club on Sunday as he seeks to win his maiden European Tour title in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation.
Australian Golf Digest
