US Masters: Izawa warms up with extraordinary double

Japan’s Toshi Izawa warmed up for his meeting with Tiger Woods tomorrow with back-to-back holes-in-one at Augusta today in the eve-of-tournament par three competition.

Izawa, paired with Woods and American amateur champion Bubba Dickerson in the opening two rounds of the 66th Masters, aced the 130-yard fifth and 140-yard sixth.

The 34-year-old still finished with ‘‘only’’ a one-under-par 26 over the nine-hole lay-out which adjoins the championship course, so was unlikely to saddle himself with a jinx going into the first round.

No par three winner has gone on to become Masters champion four days later.

Woods himself guaranteed Izawa would not win by having a two under 25, as did Sandy Lyle twice a winner of the par three event as well, of course, as the 1988 Masters.

They jointly led, but most of the players had still to finish.