Mize hopes to rebound from first-round 76

As Larry Mize walked from the putting green to the first tee early Thursday morning, patrons gave him a warm ovation.

Twenty-five years after holing out his miraculous shot from off the green to defeat Greg Norman in a sudden-death playoff, Mize soaked in another appearance at Augusta National Golf Club. He fought off a case of nerves and hit a draw up the left side, a perfect start to the Masters Tournament.

“If you’re not nervous, you don’t care,” said Mize, who is making his 29th appearance this year. “This is just such a great place. To get to come back here and play is always a thrill. I don’t care how old you are, you want to come back and play well.”

Mize, 53, has some work to do today if he wants to play this weekend. After a rough back nine Thursday, he finished with 4-over-par 76. Despite the score, he said he took a lot of positives out of the round.

“I really did a lot of things well,” he said Thursday. “Thirteen was a swing in the wrong direction. The short game’s got to get better. I’ve got to putt better. I’ve got to chip it and pitch it better. But overall, I think I’m playing well enough to play well tomorrow and come back and make the cut.”

Mize was even-par through six holes, despite not making a par in that early seesaw stretch. He left his second shot short at No. 1 and made bogey. Mize wedged close for birdie at the par-5 second. He followed with a three-putt at No. 3, lipping out a 12-foot birdie putt and then lipping out the six-foot par attempt.

Mize rebounded with a 30-foot birdie putt at No. 4. He made another bogey on the next hole. Then, he hit a 6-iron to five feet at No. 6 and drained the putt.

At the par-5 13th, Mize was 1-over and facing a third shot of 75 yards. He tried to attack the pin, but he left the blade a touch open. His ball headed right, hit the bank and rolled back in the tributary of Rae’s Creek. He exited the hole with double bogey.

“I put a bad swing on it,” he said.

Mize said he planned to work on his wedge game after the round. He hopes the extra work will help him extend his stay in Augusta as long as he can, especially a quarter-century after his green jacket win.

“It’s the 25th anniversary, and everybody’s talking about that,” he said. “I’d love to play all four days this year.”