Atmosphere slowly builds at Augusta

The usual electric atmosphere of the Masters was slow to build up today as many of golf’s biggest names struggled to cope with the toughened-up Augusta National.

But American Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman, even before he took his shoes and socks off to play out of Rae’s Creek at the long 13th, had already had enough excitement for the week. Late on Tuesday night his car was allegedly shot at.

As he drove to the local airport to collect his son a vehicle sped past, Lehman heard a loud explosion and a bullet hole was later found in the rear driver’s side door.

After another shooting in the town a 26-year-old man has now been arrested in connection with the incident.

Lehman was three over par after 12 holes of his opening round today, but that was no disgrace on what is now at 7,445 yards the second longest course in major championship history.

His fellow American Rocco Mediate led at four under with three to play, while Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke was in the group tied for second two behind after a brilliant eagle at the 575-yard second.

World number one and defending champion Tiger Woods was level par after eight holes and for a man who despite winning the title four times has never broken 70 on the first day, that was perfectly acceptable.

Woods bogeyed the short fourth – one of six holes lengthened last year and now a fearsome 240-yard par three – but then birdied the long eighth.

Vijay Singh was going even better, turning in a one-under 35 to be alongside 54-year-old twice winner Ben Crenshaw amongst others, but there were plenty of tales of woe.

Another former world number one, David Duval, crashed to a 13-over-par 85, running up double bogey sevens on both the eighth and 1th, while Ireland’s Paul McGinley managed 41 for the front nine and then dropped further shots at the 10th and 11th to stand seven over.

McGinley, struggling with allergies for the past fortnight, got off on the wrong foot when he double-bogeyed the 455-yard first, another of the beefed-up holes.

After hooking his drive McGinley hit a tree trunk in front of him and was lucky not to injure any of the nearby spectators.

The ball shot across the adjoining ninth fairway and from there he missed the green left, chipped to 14 feet and two-putted for six.

Lee Westwood was one of just a handful of players to birdie the hole - 70-year-old Gary Player was another – and in a rollercoaster start he followed it with a bogey six, then a birdie to be one under after four.

Colin Montgomerie got into bunker trouble on the long second and took seven and after a birdie on the next and bogey five at the fifth he was one over along with Luke Donald and David Howell.