The Top 5 Shots From Day One Of The Masters And How To Play Them

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published 13 November 2020

On a day of low scoring at Augusta, we were treated to some superb shots. Here's our top five - and how to play them

The Top 5 Shots From Day One Of The Masters

Conditions at Augusta National don't get much friendlier than they did on day one of the Masters - calm, soft and not too cold, despite the rain which caused a three-hour delay at the start of the day.

And when the world's best got going, they put on quite a display.

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We saw a plethora of birdies, as the entire field took advantage of the forgiving greens and went pin hunting.

The top 5 shots? Here are our favourites - plus we have some top tips and advice from the pros and our Top 25 Coaches on how to play them.

So, in no particular order...

The Top 5 Shots From Day One Of The Masters

1. Paul Casey, par-5 2nd, 'The Soft Draw'

The 2nd may be a par 5, but today's pin position was not one you could attack with your second shot - unless you name was Paul Casey or Dustin Johnson.

Jon Rahm also gets a special mention for knocking one pretty close.

Related: Hitting A Draw

Top 25 coach Paul Foston talks through the basic technique required for hitting a draw.

2. Justin Thomas, par-4 5th, 'The Big Breaking Putt'

The greens may have been soft, but that doesn't mean we saw nothing but tap-ins.

This wasn't just a big breaker; Thomas was required to negotiate quite a large slope.

His birdie on one of the hardest greens on the course was no tramliner, but it was one very impressive read.

Top tips from the Tour on how to become a better putter.

3. Dustin Johnson, par-5 2nd, 'The Raking Draw'

A player who can hit fades all day long, the world number one isn't too shabby when it comes to playing a draw, either.

How about this at the par-5 2nd to set up an eagle - which he calmly holed.

Anything Casey can do...

Watch Top 25 Coach Andrew Jones explain how to hit a draw shot.

4. Patrick Reed, par-4 9th, 'The High Cut'

The 2018 Masters champion doesn't just know how to play a high cut - he can do so off the pine straw.

PGA pro, Luke Peterken gives some iron play tips so you can make your practice more efficient and post better scores.

Tony Finau, par-5 15th, 'The Greenside Bunker Shot'

On 15, the American demonstrated his exquisite short game skills with this perfect greenside bunker shot.

If you're being critical, you could say it was going to end up a good few feet past, but the technique was delightful.

Related: How To Play Bunker Shots

Rick Shiels explains how to play bunker shots from greenside traps so you escape sand every time.

These were the top 5 shots from day one of The Masters.

Who's looking forward to day two?

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Michael has been with Golf Monthly since 2008. As a multimedia journalist, he has also worked for The Football Association, where he created content to support the men's European Championships, The FA Cup, London 2012, and FA Women's Super League. As content editor at Foremost Golf, Michael worked closely with golf's biggest equipment manufacturers, and has developed an in-depth knowledge of this side of the industry. He's now a regular contributor, covering instruction, equipment and feature content. Michael has interviewed many of the game's biggest stars, including six world number ones, and has attended and reported on many Major Championships and Ryder Cups. He's a member of Formby Golf Club.