Watson leads large group tied for fourth at Masters

When the wind picked up late in the day, Bubba Watson never wavered.

The former University of Georgia golfer posted his best opening round at the Masters Tournament with a steady 3-under 69.

Watson, in his fourth appearance, shot 1-under on the final five holes, with a rare birdie at No. 17.

“It felt like 20 miles per hour, probably a little less,” he said of the wind. “Made it difficult to make birdies coming down the stretch, just trying to make pars and get out of here.”

FEELING COMFORTABLE: Miguel Angel Jimenez said he wasn’t bothered playing with Tiger Woods and the large gallery following the group.

Jimenez posted his second-best opening round in 14 Masters appearances with 69.

“I’m fine playing with Tiger,” Jimenez said. “I love playing with him. He’s a great player and a nice comfort on the golf course.”

Jimenez will get another round to enjoy with Woods, and Sang-moon Bae, when they tee off at 1:42 p.m. today.

FEELING COMFORTABLE, PART II: Ben Crane is off to his best start in his fifth Masters showing. At 69, Crane is looking to make his second cut in Augusta.

“I think I’m learning a lot,” Crane said. “You pick up little nuggets as you go along each year, and so I think I’ve got more and more nuggets in my yardage book.”

MR. LAYUP: Francesco Molinari found the path to success his own way. He laid up on the two par-5 holes on the second nine, Nos. 13 and 15, and birdied each.

At No. 13, Molinari hit 3-wood off the tee and followed with a 5-iron approach. His wedge from 77 yards settled 22 feet away, and he birdied the hole.

At No. 15, he laid up with a 5-iron. From 75 yards out, Molinari wedged to eight feet for another birdie. He finished with 69.

FAST STARTER: Jason Dufner made the most of calm weather at the start when he birdied the first two holes en route to 69. When the wind picked up later, he parred the final two holes.

“It was real calm on 16, and all of a sudden we got on the 17 tee and it was quite windy,” he said. “That actually kind of helped because 17 and 18 played downwind. So that was nice.”