Ryan Gerard’s First Masters Round Ryan Gerard stepped onto the first tee at 9:25 a.m. ET on Thursday, six minutes before his first-ever Masters tee time. The moment marked a significant milestone for the 30-year-old golfer, who had never before competed in one of golf’s four major championships. Gerard admitted he was more nervous than he anticipated, despite his experience in previous majors. “I was like, ‘Oh, it's not that bad. I've played majors before. This isn't too crazy,’ but then I got up there and we were sitting there for a little bit longer,” he said. “I probably got to the tee a little bit earlier than I should have because then I was waiting for a while.” Gerard’s first shot of the round was a quick hook left, landing just a few feet from the ninth fairway, which runs in the opposite direction of the hole. Reflecting on the moment, he recalled a similar situation from his professional debut at the 2021 U.S. Open at Brookline. “My first-ever tee shot in a major was the 10th hole at the Country Club at Brookline. It was my first shot as a professional. Most nervous I've ever been in my life, and that probably comes close to this right here,” he said. The round began with a bogey on the first hole, but Gerard steadied himself with a 13-foot birdie on the second and a 35-foot bomb to birdie the third. However, the early momentum was short-lived. After four consecutive bogeys from holes 6 through 9, Gerard found himself in trouble on the dogleg-left 10th hole, hitting the ball into the right trees. The situation threatened to derail his round, but he managed to chip out and save par. “I ended up hitting a good third shot in there and making a putt,” he said. “That was kind of where I felt like the momentum changed a little bit.#masters_tournament #us_open #ryan_gerard #brookline_country_club #17th_hole
