In case we haven't ticked it off, Jordan Spieth parred the first. The early leading mark is one under, a score shared by five players including Tom Watson, Lee Westwood and Louis Oosthuizen.

Thanks, Luke.

Good afternoon to you, wherever you're following this informative and entertaining live text commentary. The biggest dogs are slowly making their way out of the traps and on to the most perfectly manicured lawn. The 2016 Masters has begun in brilliant Georgia sunshine. 

I'm going to sign over for a stint and leave you in the hands of Stephan Shemlit. He's good at this live-text malarkey...

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Annie: I love #themasters because it's gets my husband from under my feet & keeps him quiet. Meanwhile, down @ the shoe shop............!

Tweet us on #bbcgolf and finish this sentence: "I love #themasters because..."

Dustin Johnson hammers his opening tee shot 319 yards down the left of the fairway.

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No, don't worry, this is not some debate on BREXIT. We can save that for another day.

Can Europe win a green jacket? No player has done so since Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999. There have been 10 winners of this event since.

Austria's Bernd Wiesberger is second early on, one under, a shot back from Thongchai Jaidee.

A neat chip from Jordan Spieth on one should see him take par after a pushed second. Paul Casey follows suit after sliding a putt away when going for birdie.

What about Zach Johnson on two, a par five and birdie chance but he will make bogey. His errant tee shot did for him. Couldn't save par, his putt trickled past. Rickie Fowler and Cheng Jin make birdies to get back to one over.

Donald Trump will hope he doesn't somehow bottle his US election bid late in the campaign - a characteristic Dustin Johnson's life in majors is now all too familiar with.

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Johnson picked up a one-stroke penalty on the final hole when closing in on the US PGA title in 2010, blew a 36-hole lead at the 2015 Open and missed a putt to force a play-off at the US Open in the same year.

Surely, with his big-hitting game he can get at this course? But, the big question is, does he have the mind to close a major out? He tees it up any second now.

You go to bed dreaming of birdies and then it hits you, several hours later like a fish slapped across your face.

Rickie Fowler is two over through one, Robert Streb five over through four, Steven Bowditch four over through four. And now Zach Johnson finds trees on two.

Here goes Jordan Spieth on the first tee. The crowd flanking the fairway, they mark out his target beautifully and he nails one down the left side of the fairway with a crisp ping off the club face.

Paul Casey is playing alongside the champion...up the middle.

Tweet us on #bbcgolf and complete this sentence: "I love #themasters because..."

The Press Association's Phil Casey has his eyes on Rickie Fowler and it doesn't look good. FORE.

And it's a double bogey for Fowler. He pulls his putt to just drop one shot. Ouch. Playing partner Zach Johnson is in for par, while Cheng Jin also cards a double.

What would Rickie Fowler give for celebrations like this this week?

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These scenes arrived as Fowler nailed a hold in one at a charity fundraiser organised by Ernie Els in March.

Fowler - who has never won a major of course - says he is feeling good ahead of this week.

The 27-year-old has two second-place finishes in majors and has a best display of fifth here in 2014.

He's underway on the first, but his tee shot is wayward.

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The morning after the Texas barbecue the night before.

Some of the former winners of the Masters may have the meat sweats today.

At Wednesday’s Champions Dinner Jordan Spieth used his role as defending champion to serve Texas barbecue on the menu.

The 2009 winner Angel Cabrera probably liked it as – sticking to his Argentine roots – he served a multi-course barbecue featuring chorizo, blood sausage, short ribs and beef fillets in 2009.

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He may be in and around the favourites but Jordan Spieth is ranked 164th on the PGA Tour for hitting greens in regulation this season.

Sadly for him, eight of the last 10 Masters winners have been ranked in the top six for the week in which they won the green jacket.

Spieth has to get his eye in, fast.

Last year was more golf procession than golf tournament.

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Jordan Spieth's relentless putting just took him clear. But you know what they say... getting to the top is one thing, staying there is quite another.

Can he handle being a defending champion? He starts his defence in 11 minutes.

Right, we've looked at Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, next it's Jordan Spieth but not before we take in these couple of cracking images our reporter Paul Birch took this week. Gorgeous.

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So what's going on out there?

Jim Herman's early two birdies have been wiped out by the time he's made the sixth tee.

Frenchman Victor Dubuisson birdies two to move into the Masters lead on one under with Thongchai Jaidee and Bernd Wiesberger.

Elsewhere Robert Streb and Steven Bowditch are leading an ugly life - three over.