The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>Want to watch the Masters this week? Stream Featured Groups, Amen Corner, Holes 15 & 16 and On the Range live on CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App. The 2019 Masters is off and rolling with major champions all bunched up at the top of the leaderboard and four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods very much in the hunt for another green jacket. Woods shot a 2-under 70, matching his first round score from each of his first three Masters victories. It falls in line with the way Woods has traditionally won these big tournaments, shooting in the low 70s on Thursday and then hitting the gas to go low on Friday and/or Saturday before defending a 54-hole lead on Sunday. The only problem is that, in 2019, the competition is much better than it was in 1997, 2001 or 2002. That first-round 70 has him hanging on with 10 other players just outside the top 10. That top-10 status is important considering each of the last 13 Masters winners has come from the top 10 at the conclusion of the first round. So while Tiger's score and his history suggest he's got a chance to win this thing, there's a lot of work left to be done by the time he gets to the tee on Friday afternoon for his second round. Check out LIVE coverage of Round 2 of the 2019 Masters by clicking here. The story of the afternoon was Brooks Koepka, who answered criticism of his weight loss in dominant fashion as he grabbed a share of the 18-hole lead late Thursday in his first Masters start as a major champion. After a mostly uneventful first nine, Koepka ran off five birdies in six holes to start the second nine and grab the tournament by the throat. But he's not alone. Bryson DeChambeau was equally as impressive, holding T1 alongside Koepka after firing off four straight birdies to end his opening round with a 6-under 66. In total, there are 20 players within four strokes of the lead. Thursday didn't do much to sort out the top, but it did nearly eliminate several players we were watching heading into the week. Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth Paul Casey all played themselves out of contention. Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia all carded 1-over 73s. All of these world golfers are capable of going low on Friday to make the cut, but as they currently sit outside the top 40 on the leaderboard, it's hard to imagine that any of them have a real shot to win. So let's turn our attention to the ones that do as we break down the top of the leaderboard after the first round of the 2019 Masters. T1. Brooks Koepka (-6): When Koepka last played in the Masters, he had one PGA Tour win, no majors and was ranked 25th in the world. Koepka himself pointed to the experience of watching the 2018 Masters at home as a motivating factor in a renewed commitment to the game. Ever since, there hasn't been a better major championship player on the planet, and he seems extra motivated by the talk about his weight coming into the week. T1. Bryson DeChambeau (-6): Absolutely stellar rally from DeChambeau here in his third start Augusta National after he was frustrated and looking a little lost following his second bogey of the day at the 9th. He finished with six birdies over the final seven holes, nearly dunking a hole-in-one on 16 and chipping in from off the green. 3. Phil Mickelson (-5): Strong finish from Phil, who had to pull out all the stops over the second nine during his charge. He rode the wave of good scoring in the afternoon and seemed to be in the zone, carding five birdies over the last seven holes, including being one of the few golfers to get a birdie on the 18th. T4. Ian Poulter (-4): At the age of 43, Poulter has found something in the last couple of years that is keeping him competitive against the best golfers in the world. He rolled in five birdies with just one bogey and is on track to have one of his best-ever finishes at The Masters -- previous mark being his T6 in 2015. T4. Dustin Johnson (-4): There's nothing to be concerned about from a round of 68, it just seemed as though he was falling behind going head-to-head with DeChambeau down the stretch. T6. Jon Rahm (-3): There was a point where it looked like Rahm was going to lose his cool. After two bogeys in four holes, including a 6 on the par-5 8th and a club toss after an errant drive, Rahm showed mental resiliency in a rally the rest of the way. Birdies on 9, 11 and 13 put Rahm back in a great headspace, and he finished the round all smiles as the leader among his group that included Woods and Haotong Lee. T6. Justin Harding, Adam Scott, Kevin Kisner, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (-3): Harding and Scott held clubhouse leads early that seemed like they would hold until the birdie-fest that dominated the afternoon. Kiz and Aphibarnrat were a part of that birdie-fest, making late afternoon charges up the leaderboard. T11. Tiger Woods (-2): As Koepka pushed the lead out late in the day on Thursday, Tiger might have been thinking about two or three short misses on the green during his first nine. His focus and excellent execution of the game plan across the second nine erased any lingering frustration from those misses in the moment, but now that we see the leaderboard as it stands, those are strokes he could've used to better position himself for Friday. T11. Rickie Fowler (-2): It was a solid start for Fowler. He struggled with a couple tee balls early but caught some good breaks, battled a little and kept his card pretty clean with just one bogey. There's room for improvement, particularly on the par-5s, he's still in striking distance on a day where the course was tricky for even the game's biggest stars. T11. Jason Day (-2): On the No. 2 tee, Day needed to get stretched out for a back injury reportedly suffered while lifting one of his children near the putting green. He responded well to the treatment with a birdie on 2 and then birdies on two more par-5s (No. 8, No. 13) and another on No. 16. Others at T11. Corey Conners, J.B. Holmes, Lucas Bjerregaard, Gary Woodland Cameron Smith, Patton Kizzire, Francesco Molinari (-2): Big group here, among which we have to keep our eye on the Open Champion Molinari heading into Friday. CBS Sports was with you the entire way Thursday updating this story with the latest scores, analysis and highlights from Round 1 of the 2019 Masters. If you are unable to view the updates and highlights below, please click here. Thanks for stopping by.<doc-sep>
The Masters, golf's first major on the 2019 schedule and its most prestigious, begins in earnest the PGA Tour season, creating an opportunity for some of the sport's slow-starting stars to correct course. And so far this year, a great many could use a reset. Chief among them is Tiger Woods, who returns to Augusta National in pursuit of a fifth Masters championship. MORE: Watch the Masters live and on demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) Woods, ranked 12th in the world, last slipped on a green jacket 14 years ago and has been trying unsuccessfully to win a 15th major since 2008, his last. He's played in five PGA events this season, failing to finish better than a tie for 10th (WGC-Mexico Championship). Woods' 2018 Masters, his first time in the field after two years off, was a mixed bag (t-32), so there's plenty of room for improvement. He'll remain a betting favorite if by name only. Patrick Reed, the 2018 champion, would become only the fourth player in history to repeat as Masters winner. Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, the two odds-on tournament favorites, have never won a green jacket. Rose (14/1) has finished as runner-up twice and enters with a fresh world No. 1 ranking, while McIlroy (8/1) won The Players Championship earlier this season and has finished in the top 10 at Augusta each of the last five years. Of course, the Masters field is more exclusive and grueling than any other tournament in golf. Lesser players have a tendency to rise to the occasion, upsetting the order. Follow Tiger's score and the rest of the field below with our live Masters leaderboard. You can also check out our "Tiger Tracker" for highlights from Woods' first round. TIGER TRACKER: Best moments from Tiger Woods' Masters victory Masters leaderboard: Live scores from Round 4 Click here or refresh if you can't view the leaderboard.