The Albany Gazette - Woods on course as Masters gets under way

Woods found the fairway with a 289-yard drive from the first tee and went on to par the par-4 hole, which has provided him with some tricky moments in the past.

Birdies were in short supply among the early groups who took to the course after former winners Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson provided the traditional ceremonial launch to the year's first major tournament.

Temperatures were rising throughout the morning towards the expected high of 87 degrees F and the skies were overcast. Conditions were dry although rain is forecast for later in the week and could impact the schedule.

American Kevin Na withdrew due to illness after playing the first nine holes at 4-over par 40 at Augusta National.

The 39-year-old South Korean-born American was is of 18 players from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League who qualified for the Masters.

LIV Golf is locked in bitter legal battles with the established PGA Tour.

This Masters is the first time that the top-ranked players from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are in the same field at Augusta.

The PGA Tour has banned LIV players, with their US court fight set to begin early next year.

Just hours before the start, a tribunal in London ruled against LIV players in their dispute with the DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour.

The arbitration panel ruled that the DP World Tour was entitled to sanction the players for appearing in LIV events without authorization.

The full impact of that decision will unfold in the coming weeks but players have insisted their focus this week is on the battle for the green jacket.

World number one Scottie Scheffler is looking to become just the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters.

The American world number one is the bookmaker's favorite to slip into the famous green jacket when the four rounds are complete on Sunday evening.

Scheffler has been a model of consistency over the past 14 months, which has seen him win six PGA Tour titles, most recently at the Players Championship in March.

Only Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Woods have achieved successive victories in the Masters.

Last year's runner-up, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, is hoping to finally complete his career Grand Slam with a long-awaited Masters triumph.

McIlroy has been a leading supporter of the PGA Tour, for whom a nightmare scenario would be the sight of a LIV rebel celebrating in the green jacket -- not an entirely fanciful notion.

Australian Cameron Smith, the reigning British Open champion, tied for third at Augusta last year, while fellow LIV Golf player Brooks Koepka has won four majors and Dustin Johnson, who won LIV's first season, triumphed in Augusta three years ago.

The PGA Tour has a much deeper list of contenders with world number three Jon Rahm of Spain, 2015 winner Jordan Spieth and two-time major winner Justin Thomas among those in with a chance.

(B.Hartmann--BBZ)