Masters Round 1 takeaways: Reed surges early, big names chase

Round 1 of the Masters Tournament is underway at Augusta National Golf Club. The early action from Thursday's round has not disappointed so far, with the cream of the crop already rising to the top of the leaderboard.

Let's break down what's already transpired at Augusta in the opening stages of Day 1.

Reed's early run

Patrick Reed came out of the gates firing with a birdie-eagle start, and then added his second eagle of the round on No. 8 to claim the early lead. He became just the second man ever to card two eagles over his first nine holes of a Masters in the process. The 2018 champion appears to be a serious contender this week, despite being one of the few players in the field who isn't playing a full PGA TOUR or LIV Golf schedule. There's still a long way to go, but Reed's early-season dominance on the DP World Tour, where he sits first in the Race to Dubai, has carried into the season's first major and has immediately put him into contention.

Rory's dream start

Defending the green jacket isn't easy, which is why only three players in the tournament's history have ever done it. But Rory McIlroy took a small step toward bettering his chances to become the fourth to do it with a tidy 2-under front nine. McIlroy was seven strokes behind first after Round 1 last year, and hasn't broken 70 on Thursday at Augusta since 2018. You'd have to imagine anything under par to open will have the defending champ feeling great about his chances to repeat.

In the mix

Tommy Fleetwood and Xander Schauffele followed in McIlroy's footsteps with two strong opening nines. Fleetwood fired 31 on the outward nine while Schauffele posted 34, both scores keeping them within striking distance of the leaders. A lot can change during Augusta's inward nine, but these two should be pleased with their days if they can avoid disaster through Amen Corner. The current Round 1 scoring average is 3.62 strokes over par.

Disappointing DeChambeau

Bryson DeChambeau was among the favorites entering the week, but got off to a sluggish start. He bogeyed the par-5 second, a hole on which he should have routine birdie putts given his length. He made a single front-nine birdie and was hit with disaster on No. 11. DeChambeau took three to get out of the greenside bunker, eventually setting for a sloppy triple-bogey. DeChambeau will need to capitalize on Augusta's back-nine par 5s to post a reasonable opening-round score.

Young's struggles

While many of the pre-tournament favorites enjoyed strong opening nines, Cameron Young did not. The reigning Players champion, and a popular pick to win the Masters, made four bogeys and zero birdies on his front nine to plummet down the leaderboard. He also has his right wrist taped, which he did not have when he won at TPC Sawgrass, adding health concerns and potentially contributing to his poor play.

A win for the seniors

Augusta is truly a one-of-a-kind venue, one that allows a player like Jose Maria Olazabal, who ranks at the bottom of the field with a 272-yard average off the tee, to beat someone 39 years younger than him by 10 shots.

The two-time Masters winner played alongside the long-hitting Aldrich Potgieter and took the 21-year-old to school. Olazabal shot a respectable 74 to Potgieter's 84, despite hitting the ball 60 yards shorter on average than his playing partner. This pair's scores highlight one of the most fascinating aspects about Augusta National, in which course experience and patience will always trump brute force.