Wesley Bryan's debut round at the Masters is 'very average'

After watching time crawl for 51 weeks before he could make his Masters Tournament debut, Wesley Bryan didn’t have to wait long to get on the course in Thursday’s first round.

The Augusta resident, who won at Hilton Head Island, S.C., the week after the 2017 Masters to qualify this year, drew the first starting time of the day in Thursday’s first round and shot 2-over-par 74. He had two birdies against four bogeys.

“Average - very, very average,” Bryan said. “All in all, I feel like it was a very forgettable first Masters experience.”

Bryan missed four fairways, hit 11 of the 18 greens in regulation and took 30 putts.

“It’s nothing that I’m super thrilled about, but I’m going to work on it a little bit more and hopefully be better tomorrow,” Bryan said.

PHOTOS: Pictures from the First Round at Augusta National

The 74 was the same score Bryan shot in his last PGA Tour round before taking five weeks off coming into the Masters. He failed to make weekend play at the Honda Classic on March 24 after shooting 74, his third consecutive missed cut.

“It was nice (to be back),” Bryan said. “The jitters were going on the first tee, and I missed that. And it was fun once I got out there and the rhythm of it and once it warmed up it was definitely a lot of fun. I missed competing, but it was also time I felt like I needed off. And honestly I felt really, really sharp out there. I didn’t feel like I missed a beat.”

There were a couple of perks to being the first off the tee Thursday. In addition to having a wide-open and pristine Augusta National Golf Club in front of him, Bryan was able to watch honorary starters Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player tee off.

“It just gave me chills,” Bryan said. “And honestly it’s one of those moments I’ll never forget. And if I had an afternoon tee time, I probably still would have made it out here. But being first off allowed me to embrace that moment.”

He didn’t embrace the weather that greeted him and playing partners Ted Potter Jr. and Austin Cook for their 8:30 a.m. starting time.

“It was cold; it was really, really cold,” Bryan said. “But I love being first off on Thursday and Friday. You definitely don’t want that Saturday or Sunday. Obviously the greens are perfect out here. There wasn’t a footprint, a pine needle, a spike mark or anything out here. It was rolling absolutely perfect. That’s one of the advantages to being first off.”

It should be warm when Bryan tees off it today's second round at 11:15 a.m.