Poulter aces hole, Johnson goes on defensive, Woods hanging around

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Zach Johnson went on the defensive at the Masters, as if trying to show last year's win was hardly a fluke.

On a sunny opening day that featured Ian Poulter's hole-in-one and overwhelming favorite Tiger Woods needing 15 holes to get warmed up, Johnson was steady all the way around the course on his way to a 2-under 70 at Augusta National.

Johnson, a low-key guy from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was tied for the clubhouse lead Thursday with Poulter, a flamboyant Englishman who aced the 16th hole, and Robert Karlsson of Sweden.

Woods plodded through the first 12 holes with nothing but pars on a warm, sunny day at Augusta National. He stumbled with two straight bogeys, but quickly got back to even when he chipped in from just off the green at No. 15, bringing out his first fist pump of the tournament.

Of course, it's early. No matter what happens in the opening round, Woods likely will remain the overwhelming favorite to win his fifth green jacket -- the starting point for an unprecedented Grand Slam.

Johnson was little more than an afterthought, despite his improbable win a year ago. His victory was viewed as a fluke of the weather. Cold, blustery conditions made it possible for him to play it safe and claim the green jacket with a 1-over 289, tied for highest winning scorer in Masters history.

Still, Johnson was the only player in the field with a chance to win back-to-back titles, a feat accomplished by only three other golfers.

"All in all, a pretty good solid round," said Johnson, who shot 35 on the front side and matched it on the back nine. "I'm very, very honored to be the defending champion."

Poulter, known as much for his garish outfits and eccentric hairstyles as his shotmaking, sent the patrons into a frenzy with his hole-in-one at the 170-yard gem known as Redbud.

With more fans than ever able to watch from the adjacent hill, Poulter launched an 8-iron over the water that landed about 20 feet right of the hole, curled up and around the ridge -- and rolled right in.

"As soon as it left the club, I knew it was going to be pretty good," Poulter said. "It was quite nice to see it drop."

The patrons roared as though it was the back nine Sunday.

"There was an unbelievable buzz," said Poulter, who actually went a little tame with his attire: lime green pants with matching visor, and a striped white shirt. "That was a special moment. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. It was great."

Poulter has never had any trouble stirring things up -- whether it's his fashion sense or willingness to say whatever's on his mind.

He certainly got attention with an interview published late January, when he conceded no one was as good as Woods but that he felt capable of being the world's second-ranked golfer if he played to his potential. Poulter's comments were quite bold, considering he's never won in the U.S. and has only one Top 10 finish in a major, sparking everything from criticism to ridicule.

"Basically, I was saying how good Tiger was," Poulter said, "and how achievable I think it is to get to the No. 2 spot. If you play well over a year's period or a two-year period, you can get there."

Karlsson, a 38-year-old Swede playing in his second Masters, took advantage of the two par 5s on the back side, making birdies at both for his 70.

Mark O'Meara, the 1998 winner, shot a surprising 71 that left him one stroke off the lead among those in the clubhouse. Among those still on the course, Justin Rose was at 4 under through 16 holes, while Trevor Immelman, Sandy Lyle and Brandt Snedeker were at 3 under with holes to play.

Two-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson showed early on why many considered him to be Woods' major challenger. He birdied the first two holes to jump right on the leaderboard, though a short miss at No. 6 slowed his momentum.

Woods and everyone else teed off about an hour behind schedule after soupy fog blanketed the course just past sunrise. He got off to a shaky start, pulling his drive up against the second cut to the left, then missing the green to the right with a towering second shot.

He chipped 6 feet past the cup, but managed to sink the putt to save par, the ball curling around the lip before dropping in. That set the tone for a solid if unspectacular round.

Woods drove his second shot at the par-5 13th over the green, needed two more pitches to keep it there and took bogey. He made his second straight bogey at No. 14, but finally put a red number on the board at the next hole with his chip-in from about 25 feet.

He was even with one hole to play.

The first shot of the day was struck by Arnold Palmer, who took care of the ceremonial duties for the second year in a row.

Because of the fog, the King was able to say his tee shot traveled so far he never saw it land. Visibility was limited to about 200 yards until the sun broke through.

"As a matter of fact, it went out of sight," Palmer said with a smirk.