Golf: Masters gets off with a bang

The very first shot at this year's Masters at Augusta didn't go quite as planned as a spectator was hit in the face.

Sam Snead, the 89-year-old honorary starter, hit a man between the eyes, broke his glasses and cut the bridge of his nose after his drive flew into the crowd on the right of the fairway 150 yards away.

The man was knocked flat on his back, but was quickly up again and taken off for medical attention and appeared to have recovered quickly.

Snead, winner in 1949, 1952 and 1954, was the only "golden oldie" to hit a shot off the first tee before retiring after 90-year-old Byron Nelson called it a day last year.

The tournament proper began with 65-year-old Tommy Aaron and 64-year-old Charles Coody as partners, followed by Scotland's 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie.

Light rain had already started when Lawrie teed off, but he made a solid par four on the first of nine holes lengthened since last year.

He was in a high-profile three-ball with another former Open champion, Tom Lehman, and newly-crowned Players champion Craig Perks and they each had reasonable birdie opportunities but had to settle for fours as well.

The first was already one of the trickiest holes on the course and Coody and Aaron both bogeyed it.