Brian Gay improves on 2010 opening round

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Brian Gay and his caddie, Kip Henley, wait to tee off on No. 1 to start the first round of the Masters Tournament.
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Brian Gay tees off on No. 1 during the first round of the 2013 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday, April 11, 2013, in Augusta, Ga. (EMILY ROSE BENNETT/STAFF)

Brian Gay remembers the clouds and the breeze – and the early start.

Weather conditions on Thursday looked like Thursday 2010 for Gay, who is making his second Masters Tournament appearance. There was one noticeable difference, however.

Gay shot even-par 72 on Thursday to better the 74 he shot in his first Masters round three years ago. He missed the cut in 2010 after shooting 77 in the second round.

His score could have been even better Thursday, as he was 2-under through 15 holes before bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17.

“Pretty good day – got off to the start I wanted,” said Gay, who played in the second group Thursday after being in the third grouping in 2010. “I made a nice solid par on 1 and birdied 2, a great shot on 6. Just hit a bad tee ball on 17, but putted good most of the day. Only two I misread were on 16 and 17, but you hate to give any back. I felt like it was a decent day.”

The former Louisville, Ga., resident said he struggled to keep drives straight. He found trees to the left on Nos. 7 and 17, which led to two of his three bogeys.

Still, Gay added to his experience at Augusta National Golf Club, something he hopes helps his game here.

“Well, I’m a little more comfortable with the golf course,” Gay said. “I somewhat feel like I know what I’m doing out there, but there’s so many different things going on out there. It’s endless, I mean, the amount of time you could spend on and around these greens and where to put the ball and where the pin is. You can’t make up for having a bunch of experience on this course.”