text: Mark one up for the future of golf over its past and present as 21-year-old Jordan Spieth took the first-day honours with a stunning opening round of 64 on a spectacular day of scoring at the sun-baked 79th Masters. For much of the day it looked as if he might have to share top billing with 34-year-old Justin Rose and 45-year-old Ernie Els, as the Englishman and the South African posted scores of 67 to tie Charley Hoffman, an American representative of the rank and file. Last man out Jason Day would join them in the evening shadows. But by then Spieth had separated himself from the field to become the youngest first-round leader in Masters history with a fabulous run of six birdies in seven holes before adding a wonderful flourish at the 18th, where he brushed in a 25-foot birdie putt. Runner-up on his debut last year, he now owns a three-shot lead going into day two. Jordan Spieth sinks his birdie put on the 18th at Augusta to take a three-shot lead into the second round . Justin Rose made the early running with an impressive five-under-par 67 . Rose consoles Gunn Yang after the amateur finished his round on 13 over . Most of the favoured names left Augusta National feeling reasonably content, as Rory McIlroy and defending champion Bubba Watson shot 71, while Dustin Johnson and Masters specialist Phil Mickelson opened with rounds of 70. Whether they will be feeling quite so content at falling so far behind such an awesome talent as the brilliant Texan is another matter. Spieth has barely been off a leader-board all year and there was no chance of him being off this one during this round where he hit flagsticks, holed putts from everywhere and enjoyed the requisite amount of fortune as well as a wayward drive at the 13th bounced off the Georgia pines into the middle of the fairway. It meant when he stood on the par-five 15th tee he was eight under after a scarcely credible 10 single putts on these treacherous greens. At that moment anything seemed possible — even a 62, thereby setting a new standard for scoring in the 155-year history of majors. Only once all day did he act his age and it was here on this risk-reward par five, as he ran up a six. Naturally, Spieth was not about to get greedy. ‘I made a mistake but a 64, my first score in the sixties on this course, I have nothing to complain about,’ he said. A packed crowd watch Rose on the 10th green during the first round . Rose and Charley Hoffman (above) made the early running at Augusta with a 67 . South African Ernie Els rolled back the years with a superb 67 on Thursday . Rose in full bloom on day one is a sight as familiar as the glorious azaleas. In nine previous starts Rose has led on three occasions after the first round. Here he equalled his best Masters score, recorded on the opening day in 2004. That year he went on to hold the 36-hole lead as well, while in 2007 he was lying tied second going into the final round, eventually finishing tied fifth. Add all those memories of good days here to the fact he’s now a proven major champion following his US Open triumph in 2013, and there must be the hope this will prove rather more than an excellent opening gambit. Certainly that is how he is seeing it. ‘I’ve learned plenty from those previous occasions, like not getting ahead of yourself,’ he said. ‘I’ve learned that the hard way and now I can’t see any reason why I shouldn’t keep executing the gameplan. You’ve got to believe in yourself, especially when you’re a major winner.’ Els used his ball-striking skills to get out of trouble on the 17th hole during the first round . Rory McIlroy appeared relaxed as he walked down the ninth fairway with Phil Mickelson, right, . McIlroy recovered from a shaky start to finish the first round on one-under-par . Rose wasn’t the only Englishman to prosper, as in-form Paul Casey shot 69. ‘I played with Paul last week and he strikes me as a man with something to prove,’ said Rose. After Greg Norman, Els might be the great hard-luck story when it comes to fabulous players who never quite got it done here. Given how good he was at 25, he represents a cautionary tale for those who believe it inevitable McIlroy will win the Masters one day. Els is still trying, at 45, and what a joy to see one of the great ball-strikers roll back a decade or two rather than the years to post his five-under score. A wonderful eagle three at the 15th was followed by a superlative sand save from a buried lie at the 17th. Only at the last was there a modicum of disappointment. Two putts and it would have been his lowest score in 71 rounds at Augusta. But he took three. McIlroy recovered from a nervously played front nine with some familiar Augusta failings resurfacing as he failed to birdie either par five. Two clunked chip shots at the third and sixth also betrayed a level of tension that illustrated fully the momentous nature of the achievement he is trying to complete in shooting for the career grand slam. American Jordan Spieth celebrates with his caddie Michael Greller on the 18th . Defending champion Bubba Watson struggled to find his rhythm in opening round . Tiger Woods feels the heat with the world No 111 struggling to get under par during the opening round . Woods reacts to a poor chip shot on the third hole as the pressure begins to tell . There were also two encouraging moments during that front nine, however, when he turned what would have been double bogeys in the past into mere bogeys. At the par-five second he drove into a hazard and was staring an ugly seven in the face for openers until he got down in two blows from 100 yards. At the sixth, his mis-hit chip came back down the steep slope but he didn’t panic. He decided to take his putter for the second attempt and got down in two. The value of limiting the damage was emphasised further when he notched his first birdie of the day at the next. On the back nine, it was more like it from the 25-year-old. Over the front nine he had given up three shots on the par fives alone to playing partner Mickelson, but here he got the two birdies on offer at the 13th and the 15th. ‘I left myself in some awkward spots but I holed some good putts on the back nine,’ he said. ‘I was a little nervous on the front nine but mostly just too excited. It was a decent opener.’ The day as a whole was a lot better than that. One to savour, in fact.
target: Jordan Spieth carded a 64 to claim the lead on -8 after the first round .
  Jason Day, Ernie Els, Justin Rose and Charley Hoffman three shots behind .
  Rory McIlroy kept alive his hopes of claiming career grand slam with 71 .
  Injury-hit Tiger Woods recorded a 73 in just his third start of the year .