Oh hello!

Fireworks on the first green as first Jordan Spieth and then Tyrrell Hatton drain from distance.

Forty one feet for the 2015 champion and 25 feet for the Englishman.

What a way to start your Masters.

It's the same story for this group at the long second hole as they walk off with a trio of pars to show for their efforts.

Phil Mickelson's second was clumsy into the bunker while Keegan Bradley couldn't convert a birdie from 12 feet.

As you were.

Solid enough start from the defending champion, with Scottie Scheffler hitting the first fairway and green before two putting from 30 feet for an opening par.

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport senior golf reporter

Jhonny Vegas has taken centre stage.

No, not the St Helens comedian. The other one.

Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas heads the early leaderboard after back-to-back birdies on eight and nine.

Making his fourth Masters appearance, he missed the cut on his first two visits before a 38th-placed finish last time.

That was way back in 2018. An encouraging start!

Joaquin Niemann starts birdie-birdie thanks to a fabulous fairway wood approach from 238 yards to the second green, that lands inches from the bunker then bundles up the green about 20 feet from the hole.

The Chilean two putts in for a birdie to join the leaders on two under.

Image source, Getty Images

Keeping an eye on the early pacesetters and Brian Harman has joined the leaders at two under.

The 38-year-old had not won a tournament since the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool before last Sunday's three-shot victory at the Valero Texas Open.

He's backing that performance up nicely so far. Two under through four.

It's always important to get off to a good start at the Masters, but some have become experts in it over the years - including two players taking part today.

So watch out for Jordan Spieth and especially Justin Rose (17:00 BST), as they're right up there with some of the sport's greatest ever players who have held the most leads at Augusta after the first round.

Most first round leads at the Masters

• 4 Jack Nicklaus
• 4 Justin Rose
• 3 Jordan Spieth
• 3 Arnold Palmer
• 3 Gary Player

Image source, Getty Images

But if you're looking for entertainment, look no further than Jordan Spieth's playing partners.

Rest assured playing on LIV Golf has done nothing to quell Tyrrell Hatton's fiery temperament but beneath the emotion is a steely and talented golfer. He's been threatening a big victory for some time.

And then there's South Korea's Tom Kim.

Big mates with Scottie Scheffler, he loves firing up the crowd - and has certainly got some game.

Image source, Getty Images

For those Jordan Spieth believers out there, here are a few records held by the Texan...

• Lowest career scoring average (min 25 rounds) 70.95
• Lowest ever score over first 36 holes (-14)
• Most birdies at a single Masters (28)

He's nothing if not entertaining.

Scottie Scheffler looks to add his name to history as the world number one tees off just now looking to become just the fourth man to win back-to-back Masters titles.

And when those three other men at Sir Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, you can see just how tough it is to defend the Green Jacket.

Why? Well, there's so much to do as reigning champion, including the Champions Dinner and many more media commitments - and with this being the opening major of the year the build-up is much longer, so the pressure builds and builds.

But if anyone can handle that it's the super relaxed Scheffler - who also won in 2022 either side of Jon Rahm's victory and if he could have putted even reasonably he may well have challenged the Spaniard then.

Image source, Getty Images

Ten years ago, a 21-year-old Jordan Spieth thrilled the world with an astonishing wire-to-wire win on his second appearance at the Masters.

Over a whirlwind three years, he helped him to two more majors, and ought to have won in 2016 too, only to topple over at the 12th on Sunday.

But it's not been so smooth sailing since. He's not won a tournament since 2022 and needed significant wrist surgery last season.

Few have tamed Augusta like a young Spieth - and he has three further top-10 finishes.

Is this the place - and the time - to turbocharge his career?

Image source, Getty Images

Bernhard Langer is rolling along nicely at one under in his Masters farewell. Making the cut will be his big aim for the week and the way he's playing he's well capable.

It's remarkably how good he still is, with just the length the rest of the field hit it being the big problem.

Read how Langer is approaching his "emotional" final appearances at the Masters.

Stephen Watson
BBC Sport Northern Ireland at Augusta National

High on the list of places to visit at Augusta National once you get through the entrance gates is the Masters shop. Queues start forming minutes after the gates are opened and it stays like that all day.

And the Masters shop is unlike any other in golf. It’s a multi-million pound building, which is more like a mall, and is the only place in the world where Masters merchandise is available.

One of the most sought after items every year is a Masters gnome. The clothing changes every year, making it one of the most desirable items in the shop.

It’s reported the shop sales are $70m for the week, or $Im per hour.

Par start for Phil Mickelson over at the first green after leaving himself 25 feet for birdie.

He's followed into the hole by fellow American Keegan Bradley who rescued himself nicely after finding the bunker off the tee.

Joaquin Niemann makes a birdie start after getting into the Masters on a special invite for the second year running.

The Chilean is an elite ball striker and undoubtedly one of the best players in the world, but it's hard to judge just how good when playing on LIV Golf.

He's not yet shown it in the majors either, but a good week here would help.

This is some round Nicolai Hojgaard has going now, as he's picked up birdies on the seventh and eighth to suddenly shoot into a share of the lead.

The Dane has now made birdies in five of his past six holes after dropping three shots in his opening two! What a response from Hojgaard in just his second Masters.

You may have heard people describe Augusta as a "second shot golf course". In other words, it's all about your approach into the green.

And the stats bear that out.

Generally the winner of the Masters finishes in the top 10 for hitting greens in regulation - the outlier being Patrick Reed in 2018 who was 21st in that metric.

Speaking of greats strolling round Augusta, it's been a good start for 1992 winner Fred Couples.

He birded the first and is one under through three holes.

With this, he has become only the 15th player to make 40 starts at Augusta.

Impressive work from the 65 year old.

Image source, Getty Images

Three-time winner Phil Mickelson arrives at Augusta off the back of a sixth-placed finish on LIV Golf last weekend and in decent form this year.

Now 54, he still knows every inch of this property and remains a magician around the greens.

Lefty to feature? Don't be surprised if he's sniffing around the top 20 come Sunday.

He's alongside US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, who has been excellent this season, and Australia's Jason Day.

Image source, Getty Images

The number one and two ranked players in the world, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are obviously big favourites going into the Masters.

But could Collin Morikawa be the man to give them a run for their money and be wearing the green jacket on Sunday evening?

Much of the underlying data would suggest the 28-year-old American has the game to certainly be in contention to claim a first Masters triumph and, having won two major titles already, edge closer to a major grand slam of his own.

The Augusta National is famously known as a second shot golf course, and Morikawa leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained on approach.

The world number four also finished in the top 10 in his previous three Masters and played in the final pairing alongside Scheffler in 2024.

"The more reps you get in, the more you understand this golf course, how you play it and how you fit it into your game," he said.

"I've found a way in the past few years how to kind of dissect this golf course and really use my strengths, especially with irons and the undulating greens, to take that to my advantage and hopefully give myself a lot of looks."