Paul McGinley has no doubts Jordan Spieth will be contending for the Masters title on Sunday following his blistering opening 64, while the expected rain forecast for Friday would help Rory McIlroy's chances.
Jordan played fantastic today. He had a few breaks and things have gone his way, but he's in a good vein of form and that's when you get those breaks.
He's taken advantage and he's certainly a guy who will be there or thereabouts on Sunday.
It was a steady start for Rory McIlroy with a 71. It's a four-round tournament, and if the rains come on Friday, that will help him.
Rory's successes in major championships have generally come on wet golf courses, so if it does rain here that won't hurt his chances.
As for my other fellow Irishmen in the field, none of them have challenged particularly strongly, but at the same time, nobody played themselves out of it.
Rory's successes in major championships have generally come on wet golf courses, so if if does rain here that won't hurt his chances
Graeme McDowell is doing OK at two under and Padraig Harrington is level par. So they haven't set the world alight, but they've kept within touching distance.
Shane Lowry had a disappointing 75, but he's very close to taking that "next step" in his career. He just needs more experience.
He's got the game, got the talent, and he's got the distance off the tee to compete in the modern game. He's also got a great short-game.
He just needs more experience, and with experience comes confidence. He kicked on after finishing second at Wentworth last year and had his best-ever season on the European Tour.
He solidified his place in the top 50 of the world rankings, so he made a lot of progress last year.
As for Padraig, it's hard to say what sort of season he will have. That was a big win for him at the Honda Classic, which gets him back into a lot of the big events.
He still loves to compete and still hits the ball a long way. He’s certainly a guy you can never rule out – never back against Padraig.
