Rose was 2 over through four holes until making a slippery 6-foot birdie on the sixth, the first of his four straight birdies. He added two more on the 12th and 13th, and settled into pars the rest of the way to join some elite company — Palmer, Player, Jack Nicklaus and Lloyd Mangrum are the only other players to have a first-round lead at least three times at the Masters.

Now if the Englishman can only figure out how to finish.

“I seem to throw the home run early,” Rose said. “I’ve gone out there today with a really relaxed frame of mind, and that’s obviously what I’ve got to recreate the rest of the week.”

Woods will try to repeat some history himself. In the four years he has won the Masters, Woods has trailed by at least three shots after the first round — seven shots after 18 holes in 2005, his most recent title.

Even as red numbers for birdies were going up on the board, Woods had to settle for 12 pars. And just when he thought he had his first good look at birdie, his 4-iron into the par-5 13th hopped hard and went over the green into the worst stop. It showed, too. Woods gripped the head of his club and swung it in anger.

His pitch got halfway to the hole when it peeled off to the right and down the swale, leading to bogey. Then came a pulled tee shot into the trees on the 14th, leading to another bogey.

Standing behind the 15th green in two, though, his chip checked up a few feet from the hole and took one last turn into the cup.

“I feel good about how I played all day,” Woods said. “I hit the ball really well. I hit a lot of good putts that just didn’t go in. That’s just the way it goes. I’ve got to stay patient out there, and hopefully it will turn.”

Snedeker and Westwood both reached 4 under until dropping shots in twilight, the sun dipping quickly behind the Georgia pines because of the one-hour fog delay in the morning. Furyk bogeyed the last hole for a 70, and was curious what the rest of the week held for everyone.

“It’s 8 o’clock, it still feels like it’s 70 degrees, there’s no wind, the greens were somewhat receptive,” Furyk said. “I think we had an opportunity to play today. And I don’t expect that to keep up.”

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