Latest news continues from the first round of The Masters 2026 at Augusta National, with early play producing both familiar Augusta pressure and a difficult start for one of the field’s lesser-known contenders.
Among the players to endure a rough opening stretch was Carlos Ortiz. The 34-year-old Mexican is making only his second Masters appearance and his first since 2021. Ortiz arrives with proven major championship credentials, having tied for fourth at last year’s US Open at Oakmont, but Augusta National has already posed major problems for him in the opening round.
His start has been a sequence of setbacks. A drive into the creek down the left at the second hole was followed later by a fluffed splash out of a fairway bunker at the fifth. Through five holes, his card read 5-7-5-4-6, a run that included three bogeys and two doubles. At seven over par after five holes, Ortiz was already facing an uphill battle, and even a par at the sixth to interrupt the poor run offered little immediate relief.
The opening round has once again underlined how quickly Augusta National can punish mistakes, especially when a player’s timing or execution slips. Ortiz’s early score left him searching for a way to steady himself before the round could get away from him entirely.
Elsewhere in the day’s coverage, the tournament marked the 30th anniversary of one of the most famous Masters collapses, a reminder of how often Augusta’s closing stretch has shaped the history of the event. The reference served as another illustration of the drama and pressure that have long defined the championship.
As the first round progressed, attention remained on the official leaderboard and the broader picture of the tournament, with the live coverage tracking every shift across Augusta National. Early Masters action has a habit of changing quickly, and the opening day once again offered evidence of how unforgiving the course can be.
For Ortiz, the challenge was immediate and severe. For everyone else, the message from the first round was clear: Augusta National remains a place where even accomplished players can be caught out by a handful of bad swings.
Live updates from Augusta continue throughout the day as the field settles into the 2026 Masters opener.
