Thursday LIVE from the Masters

Golf writer Andy Reistetter is at the Masters this week. Here are his thoughts, comments and perspectives for Thursday. Look for his column every day for an upfront, personal and firsthand look at what is happening at Augusta National in the 75th rendition of this springtime classic!  

Beginning to feel a bit tired from the long hours of the three practice rounds but no complaints even if it takes a few weeks to recover from the Masters experience.

Alarm set for 6:00 a.m., at first tee for Mr. Palmer and Mr. Nicklaus' ceremonial first tee shots of the 75th Masters.

Both hit solid shots into the fairway outdistancing some drives I saw earlier in the week… though into a 30 M.P.H. wind.

Mr. Palmer's comment was that "I hit it so short that I can hear it land in the fairway."

The honorary starters' tradition began with Jock Hutchinson and Fred McLeod in 1963. After a five-year gap Byron Nelson, Gene Sarazen, Ken Venturi and Sam Snead shared the role through 2002. After another five-year gap, Arnold Palmer was the honorary starter on his own for three years before being joined by Jack Nicklaus last year.

My guess is that Mr. Palmer and Mr. Nicklaus do it together for one more year and then Gary Player will join them in 2013.

After the ceremony, they moved the tees "up" for the professional tournament proper.

Rory McIlroy posted a 7-under 65 on Thursday, his first sub-70 score in seven rounds at Augusta National Golf Club. His previous-best effort was a final-round 2-under 70 in 2009.

Remember McIlroy's opening 63 last year in the Open at St. Andrews? This young man knows how to go low in a major championship. Today's opening round co-lead with Alvaro Quiros is the only time he has held a lead on the PGA TOUR except when the final round was over at his win at the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship.

McIlroy, after a consistent Masters debut in 2009 finishing T20, he went 74-77 last year and exited prior to the weekend.

"After the second round here last year it was probably the low point of the season for me. I went back home for a couple of weeks to sort of try and find my game again and won Charlotte.

"I think that Augusta National, it takes years and years of figuring out and they make tiny little adjustments here and there, but I feel a lot more comfortable on the golf course this year than I did the previous couple of years.

"Everything that I've been doing for the last since I got the clubs out again after the new year on the 7th of January it's just been working towards Augusta. And it's paid off today and hopefully it can pay off for the next three."

After a bogey-free 7 birdie round including birdies on the difficult par-3 4th hole and par-4 11th hole, McIlroy is poised to win that breakthrough major this week.

Alvaro Quiros finished strong with birdies on three of the last four holes posting a 65 in the day's final grouping to tie McIlroy.

After posting a personal best of 75 in four rounds and two previous Masters cuts his 10-stroke improvement was due to "lucky with the putting."

He's changed his thinking around Augusta National from "play well, shoot low" to taking each shot at a time.

Self admittedly possessing the "hands of a bricklayer" compared to fellow countryman Seve Ballesteros, the short game stats this day would prove otherwise.

While he led the field with a 309.5 yard driving distance in the first round he also hit 15 greens, with 27 putts and had an impressive "pro bogey save" on No. 14 wedging up and making the putt after bouncing the ball around in the woods on the right a bit.

Two Koreans, "Tiger Slaying" Y.E. Yang and K.J. Choi, are tied for second place two strokes behind McIlroy and Quiros.

Matt Kuchar, "Mr. Top-10 Consistent Man" on the PGA TOUR, shot 4-under 68 with six birdies offset by bogeys on Nos. 9 and 16. He is tied for third place with Ricky Barnes another stroke back.

"(I am) really pleased with where I finished. It's a great spot. (I) played solid golf. Rory is 7-under; that's fantastic. The conditions were there. It was just still. If ever you could shoot a good score, it would be today. But 7-under is pretty amazing. He's (McIlroy) a great player."

How much is Kuchar feeding off his recent seven consecutive Top-10 streak?

"I think it's just I feel like that's the way my golf game has gone. I felt like I've put in great work with (swing coach) Chris O'Connell and he's made me a better, more consistent player. I feel like I don't have to go to the range and hope I can find it; I feel like I can most of the time know where it is and know where the ball is going. It's a great feeling."

Defending champion Phil Mickelson opened with a 70 but finished with a sour note and his only bogey on the last hole.

Tiger Woods shot a 71 that included a lengthy par putt on the par-3 12th hole to avoid carding three consecutive bogeys for the first time as a professional at the Masters.

The weather will continue to be perfect in Round 2 on Friday.

As the course continues to become harder and faster it will be interesting to see how course set up in terms of tee and hole locations and if slopes between greens and water hazards are mowed more closely for weekend excitement.

Alarm set for 6:15 a.m. to make first tee time of 7:45 a.m... it is "cut day" at the Masters!

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer as well as a Research and Broadcast Assistant for the major golf broadcast companies. He spends time on all four major American golf tours, the PGA TOUR, Champions, Nationwide and LPGA Tours.

Reistetter resides in near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

A lifetime golfer, Andy enjoys volunteering at the World Golf Hall of Fame and THE PLAYERS, while pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him at [e-mail]