2025 Masters leaderboard: Justin Rose goes low; Scottie Scheffler, Bryson Dechambeau in hunt after Round 1

Rose continues to make history at Augusta National with low opening rounds, but the top of the leaderboard at the 89th Masters is absolutely stacked after 18 holes

Entering this week of the 2025 Masters, so much of the conversation surrounded the potential for an all-time duel at Augusta National between the top two players in the world, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. For much of Thursday, those two titans of the game looked like they were going to deliver on that promise -- and then some.

Scheffler posted a bogey-free 68 to match Corey Conners for the early clubhouse lead at 4 under, and McIlroy was tied with them well into his second nine before disaster struck at the par-5 15th. Rory chipped into the water from behind the green, leading to a double bogey. He followed that up with another double bogey after a poor chip from over the 17th green led to a three-putt, and he backed up from 4 under to post a disappointing even-par 72. Ludvig Åberg, meanwhile, went the other way in the same group, joining Scheffler and Conners at 4 under. 

The only man that could top that trio was Justin Rose. The Englishman will take a three-shot lead into Friday's second round in his 20th appearance at the Masters. Rose was sensational Thursday, moving it as deep as 8 under through 16 holes before giving one back at the 18th, his only bogey on the round. 

Rose picked up his birdies in bunches with three straight to open his round and then another trifecta on Nos. 8-10. On a day where the second nine played more than a shot over par, his 34 was sensational. He navigated Amen Corner without a blemish and then added birdies on the 15th and 16th, which was no small feat on a more difficult day than usual on the second nine at Augusta National. 

Another one! Justin Rose records his eighth birdie of the day and moves to eight under par. #themasters pic.twitter.com/oxh2mmUbj1

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2025

With his 7-under 65, Rose made a bit of Masters history. It's the fifth time he's held the lead or co-lead after 18 holes, breaking a tie with Jack Nicklaus (!) for the most first round leads at the Masters. At age 44, he is the oldest first round leader since a 50-year-old Fred Couples held a one-shot advantage after 18 holes in 2010. (Couples turned back the clock again Thursday with a 1-under 71 at age 65, including a hole-out eagle on the 14th!) 

Rose has come close to Masters triumph in the past, finishing second in 2015 and 2017, and he's now had the lead eight times at the end of a round, the most of any player without a green jacket.

2025 Masters leaderboard breakdown, Round 1

1. Justin Rose (-7): Rose's challenge will now be holding onto that on what is expected to be a windy Friday in Augusta, Georgia, with some of the world's best players in hot pursuit. He will need to figure out how to bottle his feels from tee to green for three more days, but he should have plenty of confidence in his game after a truly incredible round of golf on a course that was playing extremely difficult. 

T2. Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners, Ludvig Åberg (-4): It's no surprise to see Scheffler near the top of the leaderboard after the first round as he's opened with a round under 70 in the last four Masters (one shy of Nicklaus' record). After finishing runner-up to Scheffler a year ago, it probably shouldn't be a surprise to see Åberg alongside him, either. The young Swede steadily plotted his way along Thursday with just one bogey, making four birdies in his last seven holes to rocket up the leaderboard. Conners, meanwhile, has his own strong history at the Masters with three top 10s to his name, and the ball-striking extraordinaire from Canada put forth one of his best rounds to get into the mix going into Friday. 

T5. Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau (-3): DeChambeau briefly had it to 4 under after a birdie on the 16th but gave it right back on the 17th. It's the second year in a row that he's put up a terrific opening round, but he'll be looking to back up a quality start this time around after falling off the pace in 2024. He's joined by Hatton, who likewise had it to 4 under in the early wave until a bogey on No. 17; the at-times mercurial Englishman put together a steady opening 18 holes. 

T7. Aaron Rai, Harris English, Jason Day, Akshay Bhatia (-2): Early in the morning, Rai was the first to get it to 4 under as he made the turn in 32, but he came back to earth a bit on his second nine. Bhatia had the opposite path to 2 under; he closed extremely well with five birdies in his final six holes to turn what looked like a round heading for disaster into a top 10 entering Friday. 

T11. Cameron Smith, Patrick Reed, Min Woo Lee, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, Fred Couples and 10 others (-1): There's quite a logjam at 1 under, and it includes some big names and Masters champions. The T11 position on Thursday night is an important one historically as the last 18 Masters champions have been T11 or better after the first round.

Couples' 71 was one of the highlights of the morning, and his eagle at the 14th produced perhaps the loudest roar Thursday. Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee each made 15 pars in their rounds as the Aussies scrambled their way to an under par round to be in the mix going to Friday. Reed, the 2018 champion, has been rock solid at the Masters ever since that victory, and he will come into Friday hanging around as well. Hovland and Lowry likewise made their way around without any disasters, which was no small feat on Thursday, and will remain in the mix going to Friday. Not shooting yourself out of the tournament is always the No. 1 goal of Thursday, and everyone in this position will feel like they accomplished that. 

T27. Collin Morikawa, Joaquín Niemann, Rory McIlroy and eight others (E): At one point or another, all three of Morikawa, Niemann and McIlroy had it to at least 3 under and looked like real threats. However, all of them fell apart on the second nine. While they probably aren't totally out of the tournament at even par, they now have a lot of work to do on Friday when the weather is supposed to be at its most extreme this week. Going low is not expected to be an easy feat, but each of these players will feel the need to get into red figures, at minimum, entering the weekend if they're going to claim a green jacket. 

T38. Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Tommy Fleetwood and eight others (+1): There are two types of player in this group: the ones who were solidly under par at some point (Spieth, Matsuyama) but had an implosion that took them out of red figures and those that got off to rough starts and grinded to a 73  (Thomas, Schauffele, Fleetwood). The latter group will at least feel like they carry a bit of momentum into Friday as they try to climb into red figures, while the former will be in a different headspace, wondering how they let a promising round slip away. 

T51. Max Homa, Will Zalatoris, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay and 7 others (+2): Everyone in at 2 over will go into Friday knowing they have work to do as they sit just barely outside the cut line of the top 50 and ties going into the second round. There are some heavy hitters and major champions in this group, and while a win might be too much to ask, all of them will be looking to at least play their way into the weekend on Friday. 

Watch Round 2 action at the 2025 Masters on Friday with expanded coverage from CBS Sports. Masters Live allows you to follow the best in the world across Featured Groups, Amen Corner and holes 15 & 16. Watch those streams live across Paramount+, CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App with extended broadcast coverage Saturday and Sunday from 12-2 p.m. on Paramount+ and 2-7 p.m. on CBS.

[Apr 10, 2025 at 6:06 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Rory McIlroy chips into the water on 15 and makes double bogey

McIlroy was bogey-free coming into the par-5 15th, a hole he's historically dominated at Augusta National, but on Friday the 15th was one of the most difficult greens to deal with on the entire course. After his approach bounded over the green, like so many others today, he faced a treacherous chip to a firm, fast green sitting above him that tilts straight back into the water. 

As we saw with Patrick Cantlay not long before, McIlroy hit a chip that landed on the green, and anything that lands on the surface without a ton of spin on Thursday releases past the hole and into the water. Unlike Cantlay, McIlroy opted to take a drop on the other side of the water rather than try again from the same spot, but did not hit a great second, ending up just off the green on the right side. He would two-putt from there for double bogey, dropping out of the tie for second with Scottie Scheffler and backing up to 2 under with three to play. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 5:46 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Justin Rose takes a three-shot clubhouse lead with a 7-under 65

On a day in which the two best players in the world both produced some incredible golf, it was Justin Rose who had the best performance of the first round. Rose posted a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take a three-shot clubhouse lead over Scottie Scheffler and Corey Conners -- with Rory McIlroy still on the course also at 4 under. 

Rose made just one bogey on his round, as his only blemish came on the 18th hole after he blew his tee shot right into the trees and had to pitch out sideways. Other than that, it would be hard for Rose to play better, as he made eight birdies on his round and did so in bunches. 

He opened with three straight birdies on his first three holes, then had another three-birdie stretch on 8 thru 10. After staying steady with pars on Amen Corner, he made two more birdies on 15 and 16 to get to 8 under and put the Masters scoring record in play. 

His 65 ties the lowest round of his career at the Masters and, if his 7-under number holds up, he will break a tie with Jack Nicklaus for the most 18-hole leads at Augusta National with five. Rose has never converted those leads into wins, with six career top 10s a the Masters, including two runner-up finishes. In his 20th appearance, Rose wasn't expected to be contending again, but after the way he played on Thursday, he has to be considered a pretty real threat, even if folks will be a bit skeptical he can maintain his level for four rounds. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 5:34 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Patrick Cantlay and Hideki Matsuyama have simultaneous nightmare par 5s

The par 5s on the second nine at Augusta National are typically opportunities to make up ground on the field, but on Thursday they proved to be more difficult than usual. Two players who are usually reliable to put up a good performance at the Masters exemplified that in simultaneous disasters, as Hideki Matsuyama made a 7 on the 13th and Patrick Cantlay carded an 8 on the 15th late in the first round. 

Matsuyama's was the unfortunate result of a bad break, as his third shot bounced off the flagstick and kicked all the way into the tributary of Rae's Creek. He was unable to get up-and-down after that, putting a double on his card to drop back to +1. 

Cantlay, meanwhile, was over the green in two at 15, as has been the case all day for players on the extremely firm 15th green, and then put two consecutive chips into the water -- one going low and one going high. That left him chipping again for his seventh shot and he did a rather incredible job to get that up and down for a triple to fall back to +2. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 4:51 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Justin Rose moves 3 ahead with 3 to play

There was a time when Justin Rose was a perennial threat to win the Masters, as he once had a pair of runner-up finishes in a three year span. However, as he came into his 20th trip to Augusta National, Rose was not part of the conversation leading into Thursday. That will almost assuredly change after the first round, as he has darted out to 7 under thru 15 after his latest birdie at the par-5 15th. 

That puts him three clear of clubhouse leaders Scottie Scheffler and Corey Conners with three holes to play. Rose is yet to record a bogey on his round, steadily plotting his way around Augusta National with seven birdies and eight pars. If he gets it to the clubhouse as the leader, it will be the fifth time in his career he's led after the first round at the Masters, breaking a tie with Jack Nicklaus for the record. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 4:01 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Rory McIlroy goes out in 3-under 33

As has been the case for the last 11 years, Rory McIlroy's pursuit of the career grand slam was among the top storylines coming into the 2025 Masters. This year he came in playing the best we've ever seen from him on Tour prior to the Masters, but he has been a notoriously slow starter at Augusta National, with just one first round in the 60s in his last 13 appearances. 

He appears focused on making that a discussion point of the past, as he opened his first round with a 3-under 33 on the first nine to vault up to T4 on the leaderboard as he makes the turn. 

That of course comes with the context that the first nine has played far easier than the second nine, so it will still require terrific play the rest of the way to post that elusive first round in the 60s. However, if he continues striking it and putting it the way he did on the first nine, we could have both McIlroy and Scheffler sitting on top of the leaderboard heading into Friday. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 3:48 pm ET · Adam Silverstein]

Scottie Scheffler goes bogey-free to take clubhouse lead

Any concerns with Scheffler's imperfect (for him) level of play at the start of the 2025 season can probably be flushed -- like the shots he was hitting Thursday in the first round of the 2025 Masters. After a par on the first, Scheffler connected on four birdies without a single square across 18 holes on his way to a 4-under 68 and a share of the clubhouse lead alongside Corey Conners.

Most notable, perhaps, was Scheffler's putting. He only took it out of the bag 26 times -- the tied for his fewest in a Masters round. Scheffler drained an incredible 62-footer for his second birdie on the 4th and a 42-footer up a slope right into the cup on 16th for his final circle of the day. It was a vintage Scheffler performance in that he steadily made his way around Augusta National seemingly without a care in the world.

Scheffler ended the first 18 holes near the top of the leaderboard in each of his green jacket victories. He sat T3 (two back at 3 under) in 2022 and solo 2nd (one back at 6 under) in 2024.

In fact, Scheffler is just the second golfer in Masters history with sub-70 opening rounds in four straight trips to Augusta National. He joins -- you guessed it -- Jack Nicklaus (five from 1972-76).

Might Scheffler actually deliver the history oddsmakers expect given he entered as the clear favorite in the 95-man field?

[Apr 10, 2025 at 3:31 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Collin Morikawa stumbles down the stretch 

After his eagle on the 13th hole, Collin Morikawa was briefly tied at the top of the leaderboard at 3 under and looked like he would post a number for others to think about as the first round wore on. Instead, he made three bogeys in his final four holes, limping home to an even par 72. 

Things began to unravel on the 15th hole, as the par 5 is playing quite tough in the first round, as approach shots are launching off of the extremely firm green and leaving treacherous chips from below the green that runs away from the players and into the water. Morikawa went way long on his approach and left his third just on the back edge of the fairway cut. All day he struggled to get putts to the hole and once again left his fourth well short and couldn't save his par putt from above the hole. 

A wayward tee shot on 16 left him on the top shelf of the green with almost no shot to get close to the hole with his second, resulting in a three-putt bogey. He would then finish with a bogey on 18 after hanging his second shot right in the bunker and being unable to get up-and-down, falling back to a tie for 26th currently. That's important because no one has won the Masters from further back than T11 after the first round in the last 30 years, and as Morikawa looks to end his major drought, he will now need to buck that trend after squandering a great chance to sit near the top of the leaderboard after 18 holes. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 3:09 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Scottie Scheffler is on the prowl 

The defending champion and world No. 1 is putting together a near-perfect first round, as he moved to 4 under with his fourth birdie of the day on the difficult 16th hole. Scheffler's lengthy putt was just the second birdie of the day at 16, as the new back hole location proved very difficult for players to get close to -- although Justin Thomas also made a birdie after Scheffler in the same group. 

Scheffler now has makes from 42 feet and 62 feet in his round, as he once again is lurking near the top of the leaderboard at the Masters. With the clubhouse lead at 4 under (Corey Conners) and the current leader, Justin Rose at 6 under, still needing to play most of his second nine, we could be looking at a Thursday night leaderboard with Scheffler sitting on top in his quest to become the fourth player to go back-to-back at the Masters. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 2:46 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Corey Conners takes the clubhouse lead with a 4-under 68

The lowest round of the day (and, currently, the only round in the 60s) belongs to Corey Conners. The Canadian has a great history at Augusta National, finishing in the top 10 three times at the Masters, as he's one of the best ball-strikers in the world. He put that on display on Thursday, closing with birdies on 15, 17 and 18 to get into the clubhouse at 4 under. 

His 33 on the back picked up more than four strokes on the field, and with winds picking up and the course already playing firm and difficult, there's a pretty good chance he's still holding the lead by the end of the day. He's currently tied with Tyrrell Hatton and Justin Rose, but Hatton still has four holes left to play and Rose has the entire second nine ahead of him. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 2:20 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

A tale of two nines

Thursday's opening round has featured a consistent theme of players getting off to great starts on the first nine and then struggling to hold on to it on the second nine. As of 2:15 p.m. ET, the average score on the first nine is 36.4916 while the second nine is averaging a 37.5026. In terms of most difficult holes on the course, the second nine has seven of the nine hardest, although the always difficult 5th is the hardest hole on the course overall. 

That difference of more than a stroke shows up on the leaderboard as we've seen a number of players get it to a few under but fall back as they've battled the second nine. Aaron Rai and Stephan Jaeger both got to 4 under around the turn, but backed up on the second nine. Rai briefly held the clubhouse lead after posting a 2-under 70, while Jaeger has fallen back to even par. 

That is something to keep in mind as the big names from the morning wave at the top of the leaderboard currently make their way down the closing stretch trying to post a new clubhouse lead (currently Corey Conners with a terrific 4-under 68), and also a reminder to be patient as the afternoon wave gets going and pops up on the leaderboard early in their first rounds. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 1:34 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Fred Couples holes out for eagle on 14 from 191 yards

Fred Couples is near the top of the lists of fan favorites at the Masters, and on Thursday he gave the patrons at Augusta National an awful lot to cheer about. There was his incredible birdie at the first hole, putting up the hill from long and left of the green, with the ball somehow navigating its way into the cup. That was just the warmup for the pandemonium he caused on the 14th hole when he holed out from 191 yards away in the fairway with what appeared to be his 7 wood for eagle, creating one of the first true Augusta roars of the week. 

He then gave his 7 wood a kiss in appreciation for its efforts. 

The Masters

[Apr 10, 2025 at 1:00 pm ET · Adam Silverstein]

Why Rory McIlroy must fall in love with 'The Process'

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Are you result-oriented or process-oriented? Really think about it. Be true to yourself. Look at the man or woman in the mirror and answer with honesty. There are no wrong answers -- it is personal question, after all. This question is being posed to provide context around what professional golfers must experience when they tee it up at Augusta National Golf Club. The 89th edition of the Masters welcomes 95 players with dreams and aspirations. Those are 95 unique players with 95 unique perspectives and 95 unique answers to the aforementioned question.

Masters 2025: Why Rory McIlroy must fall in love with 'The Process' to finally claim his green jacket

Patrick McDonald

[Apr 10, 2025 at 12:58 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Nicolai Højgaard posts an all-time rollercoaster round with just four pars

The Masters

One of the stories of the early morning was Nicolai Højgaard wild first nine, as he managed to make the turn tied for the lead at 2 under despite a bogey-double start thanks to a stretch of five birdies in six holes. Unfortunately for the young Dane, the roller coaster continued on the second nine but went the opposite way as he made two more doubles, an eagle and then three bogeys to close. I'm willing to bet we won't see a more colorful scorecard this week at the Masters, as he finished his round with five birdies, five bogeys, three double bogeys, one eagle and just four pars. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 12:35 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Contenders getting into the mix early

The very top of the leaderboard still features some surprises with Stephan Jaeger in the lead at 4 under, but the chase group in red figures is starting to get populated by the names we've come to expect at the Masters. Scottie Scheffler made an incredible birdie on the 8th after a terrible break on his second shot when he found a divot in the fairway cut right of the green, but was still able to get it up-and-down. Joaquin Niemann makes the turn at 2 under after a solid first nine that he'll feel he left a few out there on, but you never turn down a 34 to start your Masters. The big group at 1 under includes Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa and Corey Conners, three players that are extremely familiar with being on the first page of the leaderboard at Augusta National. 

What will be interesting is how those guys fare on the second nine, where scoring has been much tougher for the players from the early tee times. The first nine has been the more gettable side, but if someone can go low on the second nine they could create a bit of separation. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 11:44 am ET · Robby Kalland]

A rare day for the 4th hole

The 4th hole at Augusta National is traditionally one of the toughest on the golf course. What is usually along par 3 that forces players to hit long irons, hybrids or even woods into a firm green is playing easier than ever early in the first round. They are using the forward tee box on Thursday, measuring in at 179 yards, putting short irons in the hands of players (most guys are hitting 8 or 9 irons). That coupled with a right pin that's more accessible and the lack of wind out there in the morning, and the 4th hole is playing under par so far at 2.9362 (8 birdies, 34 pars, 5 bogeys). We'll see if that holds as the winds pick up in the afternoon, but it's the rare day at the Masters where the goal at the fourth hole isn't just to escape with a par. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 11:04 am ET · Robby Kalland]

Scottie Scheffler doing Scottie Scheffler things

After a par at the 1st, reigning Masters champion Scottie Scheffler birdied the second hole thanks to a terrific chip for his third from just short of the green to get the ball all the way up to the back left hole location. 

Scheffler followed that up with the longest made putt of the day so far with a 62-footer for birdie on the 4th. The par 3 is playing easier than it ever has early in the first round, with an average score below par, but Scottie's birdie was an absolute bonus after tugging his tee shot to the left side of the green. 

It's the first birdie for Scheffler on the 4th hole in his career, meaning he's now birdied all 18 holes at Augusta National at least once. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 10:55 am ET · Robby Kalland]

Jordan Spieth pours in a long birdie at the 1st

The 2015 Masters champion got off to an incredible start, rolling in a 41-footer on the first hole to move to 1 under. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 10:50 am ET · Robby Kalland]

Joaquin Niemann gets it to 3 under thru 4

After coming into the Masters with a ton of buzz coming off his two LIV wins early in the season, Niemann is making an early statement in the first featured group of the day with three birdies in the first four holes to join Aaron Rai at the top of the leaderboard. 

[Apr 10, 2025 at 10:36 am ET · Patrick McDonald]

Rory McIlroy gets advice from Jack Nicklaus on Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. — No one has slipped on the green jacket more than Jack Nicklaus. A full 50 years removed from winning his fifth Masters before ultimately finding his way into the winner's circle a total of six times, the Golden Bear maneuvered his way around Augusta National Golf Club like no other. While he was able to add six to his closet, Rory McIlroy still searches for his first. Leaving no stone unturned, McIlroy sought the advice of Nicklaus recently as the two sat down for lunch last week to discuss the strategy involved in executing around Augusta National.

Rory McIlroy calls on Jack Nicklaus for advice at Augusta National in search of elusive Masters victory

Patrick McDonald