Saturday, April 20, 2024

James Piot finishes day one at 9 over par at The Masters

April 7, 2022
Michigan State's James Piot takes a swing off the tee
Michigan State's James Piot takes a swing off the tee —
Photo by Courtesy of MSU Athletic Communications | The State News

After winning the U.S. Amateur to qualify for three of the four majors this year, MSU golfer James Piot will get his first taste of the PGA Tour on Thursday at The Masters.

Piot tees off at 11:15 a.m. Thursday morning alongside last year’s Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and seventh-ranked golfer in the world Justin Thomas. 

Follow along for live updates as they come in:

Hole 1

Par 4 

445 yards

Name: Tea Olive

Piot found the fairway bunker on the right off the tee on hole 1, leaving 153 yards to the pin. Piot's second shot out of the sand was pin-high but right of the green, leaving him and uphill up-and-down to save par. Piot chipped to 23 feet and two-putted from there to walk away with a bogey on the first hole.

Score: +1

Hole 2

Par 5

575 yards

Name: Pink Dogwood

Piot could not cut the corner on the dogleg left par five and found the left rough. He punched out to 161 yards on his second shot then hit a beautiful iron shot to six feet, leaving himself a birdie putt. Piot two-putted from six feet to make par.

Score: +1

Hole 3 

Par 4

350 yards

Name: Flowering Peach

Piot found his first fairway of the day after laying up on the short par-four third, leaving himself a 137-yard approach shot. Piot found the green on his approach and two-putted from 29 feet to make par.

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Score: +1

Hole 4

Par 3

240 yards

Name: Flowering Crab Apple

Piot missed the green on the course's first par three and was left for a chip out of the greenside bunker. Piot flopped it over the sand and was left with a 19-foot par putt. Piot missed the putt and tapped in for his second bogey of the round.

Score: +2

Hole 5

Par 4

495 yards

Name: Magnolia

Piot landed in sand again off the tee on the fifth. He pitched out to the fairway leaving a 75-yard up-and-down opportunity. Piot's approach landed on the green, leaving a 14-foot par putt. Piot could not find the par, however, and walked away with another bogey.

Score: +3

Hole 6

Par 3

180 yards

Name: Juniper

Piot hit the green on his first shot on the sixth and had a lengthy 50-foot look at birdie. After a nice lag put uphill, Piot tapped in for par to stay at three over.

Score: +3

Hole 7

Par 4

450 yards

Name: Pampas

Piot piped out a 335-yard drive in the fairway to start the seventh, his best shot so far off the tee. On the 112-yard approach, Piot stuck an iron to 21 feet with a look at birdie. Piot gave the birdie putt a good run but just missed, and walked away with a par.

Score: +3

Hole 8

Par 5

570 yards

Name: Yellow Jasmine

Piot found the fairway again off the tee on the second par-five of the front nine. Piot reached the green in two shots and left himself with a 15-foot look at birdie. Piot came a foot away from a birdie but couldn't find the bottom of the cup and tapped in for par.

Score: +3

Hole 9

Par 4

460 yards

Name: Carolina Cherry

Piot found the rough on the bend of the dogleg left on his drive. Piot's approach shot landed in one of the two greenside bunkers hugging the right side, leaving a tough up-and-down for par in front of him. Piot's shot out of the sand caught the bunker's lip, leaving him to try to chip out for par. Piot missed the chip but one-putted to avoid disaster and save the bogey.

Score: +4

Hole 10

Par 4

495 yards

Name: Camellia

Piot hooked his drive again and started his back nine in the rough and hit his approach shot in the greenside bunker yet again. Piot chipped out to leave himself with a 17-foot putt for par but two-putted for a bogey.

Score: +5

Hole 11

Par 4

520 yards

Name: White Dogwood

Piot reached the green in regulation after a drive in the middle of the fairway and a nice approach shot to 31 feet. Piot left a lag putt inches short and tapped in for par.

Score: +5

Hole 12

Par 3

155 yards

Name: Golden Bell

Piot's tee shot wound up in the greenside bunker on the backside of the green. He pitched out to eight feet and made the putt for par.

Score: +5

Hole 13

Par 5

510 yards

Name: Azalea

Piot hooked another drive into the Azalea bushes off of the left of the fairway and had to take a penalty and a drop. After hitting his first shot, Piot tried to make up ground and went for the green but came up short and landed in the creek below the green. Piot ended up with a triple bogey after the two penalty strokes.

Score: +8

Hoe 14

Par 4

440 yards

Name: Chinese Fir

Piot shook off the struggles at the last hole and hit a nice 302-yard drive on the right side of the fairway. He stuck his approach shot inside 20 feet and two-putted for par.

Score: +8

Hole 15

Par 5

550 yards

Name: Firethorn

Piot nearly reached the green on the 550-yard par five in just two shots after a strong drive and three-wood approach shot. Piot pitched the ball to four feet and sank his first birdie of the day to inch closer to even par.

Score: +7

Hole 16

Par 3

170 yards

Name: Redbud

Piot found the sand again off the tee on the last par 3 on the course in the back greenside bunker. The chip shot ran long past the pin, leaving a 45-foot tester for par. Piot gave the par putt a good run but barely missed and tapped in for bogey.

Score: +8

Hole 17

Par 4

440 yards

Name: Nandina

Piot found the green in regulation after hitting a picture-perfect tee and approach shot to 29 feet. Piot hit a lag putt within a foot and tapped in for par.

Score: +8

Hole 18

Par 4

465 yards

Name: Holly

Piot reached the green in regulation again on the final hole of round one. Piot's approach shot left him with a 15-foot birdie putt, but he three-putted to finish his round with yet another bogey.

Score: +9

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