Not many people saw it coming, but Justin Rose looked to take The Masters by the horns in the first round on Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club. While even defending champion (and winner two of the last three years) Scottie Scheffler, along with Corey Conners, came out hot, no one was tearing up the track quite like Rose.
The Englishman and 2013 U.S. Open Champion came out and just put his foot on the gas, something we have indeed seen from him before. He was the first-round leader at The Masters back in 2021 after shooting a 7-under round of 65, four shots better than anyone else in the field to begin that tournament. He, unfortunately, wasn't able to hold onto that lead as Hideki Matsuyama captured his historic Green Jacket.
Rose was back at it again, though, to start the 2025 Masters Tournament, but even more so. He was already 5-under after his first nine holes and making the turn and just kept adding to his tally. With a beautifullly rolled birdie putt on No. 16 to move to 8-under, there was talk that he could threaten the lowest round in Masters history. What was that low round, though?
Let's dive into the annals of The Masters and the guys who have posted the lowest single-round scores in the tournament's history.
Lowest round in Masters history
The Masters record for the lowest round ever recorded at Augusta National is held by two men who shot a blistering 9-under 63. Nick Price was the first to do it, accomplishing the remarkable feat in 1986. Greg Norman, ironically, is the other to shoot 63 at the major in a single round, doing so in 1996. Neither player, however, went on to don the Green Jacket, so perhaps the one extra-low round isn't quite worth it.
Lowest opening round in Masters history
As fate would have it, the lowest opening round in the history of The Masters is the same as the lowest round ever recorded at Augusta. Norman’s 63 in 1996 was in the opening round of the tournament. He led after each of the first three rounds but shot a 6-over 78 in the final round to fall into second place as Nick Faldo captured his third victory in the tournament.
Lowest final round in Masters history
Finishing strong at Augusta National is the dream and, while no one has matched the 63 of Norman and Price, the lowest final round at The Masters is a 64, which has been done on eight separate occasions. Maurice Bembrige was the first to accomplish that in 1974 while Rory McIlroy is the most recent, doing so on Sunday in 2022.
Here are all eight players to shoot a 64 on Sunday in the final round of The Masters:
- Maurice Bembridge (1974)
- Hale Irwin (1975)
- Gary Player (1978)
- Greg Norman (1988)
- David Toms (1998)
- Bo Van Pelt (2012)
- Jordan Spieth (2018)
- Rory McIlroy (2022)
Lowest 72-hole score in Masters history
Dustin Johnson set the Masters record for the lowest 72-hole score in the COVID-delayed 2020 tournament when he shot a 268 total score, good for 20-under. However, with the November conditions much different than normal, most people tend to look at the actual record as being the one initially set by Tiger Woods in 1997 and then tied by Jordan Spieth in 2015 as both players shot 270, which is 18-under par.
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