McDowell Another Unhappy Masters

Graeme McDowell was less pleased with his round of 75 that leaves him three over.

"It wasn't very good," he said. "I just don't play well around this golf course. It doesn't set up well for me. I'm not driving it well enough. I'm short with not enough right to left shape.

"It was tough today. The course played long and the pins were tricky and I just hit it in all the wrong places all day. I paid the price.

"I got off to a bit of a sloppy start with a bogey on one and a double on four and I was battling from there.

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Harrington Happy with 71

Padraig Harrington was a happy man after breaking par on the opening day of the Masters for only the third time in 13 starts at Augusta.

The triple major winner has missed the cut on his last two appearances here but an eagle at the par-five second helped him post a one-under 71.

But most pleasing for the Irishman was that he appears to have finally cured his recent troubles with the putter.

"I'm pleased. There are very few players burning it up," he said. "Conditions are very good out there for scoring in terms of there's no wind, greens are soft. But I think they were aware of that and put in some tough pins today.

"It looks like I turned a little bit of a corner with the putting. I made a few changes this week, and I was very happy with what I saw out there today.

"I've been playing very nicely besides that and although I didn't play as well today, hopefully over the next few days I'll put the two together."

Last month Padraig set the lowest official score of his life - a 10-under 61 - to set the course record on the opening day of the Transitions Championship.

Harrington's previous best was a 62 three times, most recently at the 2009 Portugal Masters. He also had a 61 at the Nedbank Challenge in 2001, an unofficial event and it was not recognized as a course record because of preferred lies.