Sponsored by:
Fred Couples, in the same group, shot 76, endangering his consecutive cuts streak, which stands at 22. If Couples makes the weekend, he would tie Gary Player's record.
Geoff Ogilvy, the third member of the group, triple-bogeyed the par-5 second hole and shot 75.
Dean Wilson likened the day to "Survivor" after he also shot 75. "It's really tough out there," he said. "Obviously the greens are very hard, fast. With them mowing the fairways backwards, it's long."
Nick O'Hern, who shot 76, the first-round average, said: "At the end of the day, my score doesn't look so bad."
Phil Mickelson's 76 looked even better. He missed a few short putts and was five over through seven holes, such a bad start that his wife, Amy, gave him a hug on the 7th.
"A little morale boost to keep me fighting," he said later.
Mickelson birdied the par-5 8th to make the turn in 40, but by the time he reached the par-5 15th he was limping along at six over par. He went for the green in two, a critical turning point that would either begin to reverse the damage or make Mickelson's bad round worse.
His approach made it over the pond but trickled over the putting surface and onto the shaved bank behind the green. He faced a tough shot to a far-left pin position. Taking little time, he opened up his lob wedge, took a full swing and caught it perfectly. The ball landed softly and stopped after a foot or two of roll.
Mickelson made his five-footer for birdie, and one more birdie on the par-3 16th left him at four over, the same score as his amateur playing partner from Scotland, Richie Ramsay.
"I don't feel I've driven myself out of it," Mickelson said. "Even par is going to be in the hunt tomorrow. If I get out and shoot a 68, I'll be right back in it."
That seemed like a big "if" amidst the carnage Thursday.
"The golf course is winning right now," said Billy Mayfair, who also shot 76. "I expect it will probably win this week."
Rose has been sidelined with a bad back, but his round was not entirely unexpected. He shot an opening 67 here in '04.
Wetterich, conversely, was playing his first competitive round at Augusta. He seemed to be riding the momentum from his runner-up finish to Woods at the WGC-CA Championship.
Scott Verplank, who shot 73, spoke for many when he said, "I'm very happy to be done."
