Shane Lowry shot a four-under par round of 68 to get his Masters campaign underway in style at Augusta.
In doing so the Offaly man equals his lowest ever round on the iconic course and will be full of confidence going into his second round tomorrow.
Lowry showed excellent form throughout the round carding five birdies and one bogey in his round.
His opening birdie came on the 7th hole as he sunk his put from 35ft.
Birdies followed at the par five 8th hole and par four 9th, meaning he turned at -3.
He dropped a shot at 11 after failing to make the green in two but showed great resilence to birdie the 15th.
Lowry had the perfect finish to the round as he birdied the final hole from 16 feet.
Bang Bang 🚨🚨
Shane rolls in the 16 footer for a closing birdie ☘️☘️☘️
It’s a -4 68 for Shane in round 1 of #themasters
Shane is currently tied 3rd at -4 and 3 shots behind leader Viktor Hovland ☢️☢️☢️☘️☘️☘️ pic.twitter.com/rEDAjrOo6X— LOWRYTRACKER (@LowryTracker) April 6, 2023
Speaking after to Sky Sports, Lowry expressed his delight with the round.
"It was really nice to hole that put at the last. My best ever score here is 68 so to tie that is pretty nice," he said.
"It's nice to get off to a good start in this tournament."
READ ALSO: The Official Masters App Is Essential For Following This Weekend's Golf
Lowry finished third at Augusta last year and says he has taken "a lot of confidence" from that superb performance.
"It doesn't give you a god given right to go and play well today or this week. It was important that I just got back to my thing and try to play the best golf I can."
"I sat down and had a chat with my coach last night and I felt like I was ready to go and play decent golf this week. I've prepared really well for this so hopefully I can just keep this going."
Lowry gets his second round underway tomorrow evening at 5:48pm Irish Time.
Seamus Power signed for a one-over round of 73, while Belfast amateur Matthew McClean got off to the perfect start, leading the tournament in the early stages, before ultimately finishing on five-ove par.
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