Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy are both seven off the lead after their opening rounds at the 2017 Masters.
The Irish duo each carded a level par 72 to place themselves at the heart of the chasing pack.
Lowry's opening holes were marked with inconsistency as he managed four birdies and three bogeys on his front nine.
But a birdie on the 13th left the Offaly man just two off the lead at one stage, before bogeys on the 15th and 16th pushed him back to level par.
Meanwhile McIlroy eventually joined Lowry on level par after a slow start which had left him 3-over at the turn.
But birdies on the 13th, 15th and 16th hauled him up the leaderboard.
Rory McIlroy
USA's Charley Hoffman has built a commanding lead after the opening round of action as he finished with a 7-under score to leave four between himself and the chasing pack.
His 65 included nine birdies, while bogeys on his 3rd and 5th were the only blemishes on his score card.
Fellow US golfer William McGirt sits second overall on 3-under after carding four birdies on his opening round.
Solid start in really tough conditions.... Three more days grinding! (71 -1) 💨 #themasters pic.twitter.com/TbDxzD9Pzk
— Justin Rose (@JustinRose99) April 6, 2017
He is one shot clear of Lee Westwood, who in turn is one clear of a long list of challengers tied on 1-under after the first round of action, including Phil Mickelson who got an eagle on his second hole, England's Justin Rose and Spain's Sergio Garcia.
Phil Mickelson reacts after an eagle on the 2nd hole during the first round of The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. USA TODAY Network/SIPA USA/PA Images
Belgium's Thomas Pieters, who was part of Europe's 2016 Ryder Cup team, started in outstanding fashion to reach 5-under at one point but he faltered along Amen Corner to eventuall slip back to even par.
The 2016 Masters winner Danny Willett is 1-over, along with Rickie Fowler.
The 2015 Masters champion and two time major winner Jordan Spieth made a disappointing start to his tournament, finishing the day on 3-over.
One shot further back is Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, while Germany's Martin Kaymer who also got an eagle on the 2nd like Mickelson, finished up on 6-over after six consecutive bogeys on the back nine (including a double bogey on the 10th).
World No 1 Dustin Johnson was forced to withdraw before he was due to tee off as a result of the effects of his serious fall on Wednesday.
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