Haotong Li was back at Augusta National and back in the mix from the first tee shot on Thursday. Pairing with Masters rookie Johnny Keefer, Li led the 91-man field off for the 2026 Masters after honorary opening tee shots from Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.
The opening group went out at 7.40am and finished at 12.05pm, a round that took 4 hours 25 minutes. Li signed for a one-under-par 71, highlighted by an eagle at the 15th, while Keefer posted a four-over-par 76 after making two-over scores on both the front nine and the back nine. On the first hole, both players found the fairway and hit approach shots to the heart of the green, setting the tone for a clean start to a day that demanded quick focus and no wasted shots.
For Li, the round carried more than just numbers. Thursday was his first look at Augusta National since 2019, and the early return showed he could handle the pressure of opening the championship while also making the kind of move that changes a card fast. The eagle at 15 was the shot of the day in that pairing, but the more telling detail was how settled he looked across all 18 holes.
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Keefer, by contrast, learned the weight of a Masters debut in real time. He kept pace well enough early, but the two-over front nine and two-over back nine left him with a score that reflected the difficulty of the course and the demand of being first out with the eyes of the tournament on him. That contrast with Li made the round feel like two different stories running side by side.
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The bigger picture is simple enough: Li handled the return better than the scorecard might have predicted, and his opening 71 gave him a foothold in a field that had only just begun. After five years away from Augusta National, he left Thursday with momentum and with proof that the course still fits his game.
