Rose led at halfway in 2004 before a third-round 81
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England's Justin Rose and USA's Brett Wetterich lead by one at three under from David Howell and David Toms after the first round of the Masters.
Last year's runner-up Tim Clark heads a group on one under, while Tiger Woods ends bogey, bogey for 73 and even par with the likes of Henrik Stenson.
Woods's partner Paul Casey has a nightmare and cards seven over.
Defending champion Phil Mickelson struggles to a four-over 76, while Ernie Els amasses a 78.
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0040: David Toms pars the last to end on two-under and joint second with England's David Howell.
0025: Fiji's Vijay Singh grinds his way to a 73 and one over.
0022: David Toms gets up and down on 17 for his par to stay two under.
0017: Not many left out there now. Vijay Singh carves his approach to 18 into the gallery on the left. Back on 17, David Toms splashes out of the bunker to four feet.
"I'm not disappointed at all with today's round. I need to cancel out a few three-putts and tidy up a bit but I'm in good position. If I can shoot somewhere in the red tomorrow I'm there or thereabouts."
Luke Donald, who carded a one-over 73, speaking to BBC Sport.
0014: Tiger Woods misses his eight footer for par on 18 and has to settle for a round of 73. Playing partner Paul Casey ends with a disappointing 79 for seven over.
0003: David Toms slides his birdie chance past on 16 but makes the one coming back for a par to stay two under.
On 18, Tiger Woods drives into the pine cones under the trees on the right. He squirts out a low, raking hook into the bunker short and left.
Playing partner Paul Casey's approach is dead straight but an inch or two short of where it needs to be on the green and trickles back onto the fairway to a long, deep sigh of resignation from the Englishman, who is eight over.
0000: Luke Donald breathes on one from about three miles away at the back of the 18th and watches it feed down to about four feet. He makes the putt for bogey but does a playful tap of the heart and ends with a one-over 73. "Hurricane" Harrington ends on 77.
2354: David Toms, with that neat, compact but not exactly good looking swing, stiffs it to about six feet at the short 16th. The former USPGA winner is no mug and could be a big threat.
Up ahead on 18, Luke Donald splashes out of the left bunker but hits it too far, at least 30ft away.
Playing partner Padraig "Hurricane" Harrington, as Sam Torrance calls him, does the same thing but gets it right and watches the ball feed back towards the hole.
Meanwhile, You Know Who (Woods) bogeys 17 to slip to level.
2350: Vijay Singh escapes with a par on 16 to stay one over, while Luke Donald (level) and Padraig Harrington (+5) both find the left greenside bunker on 18.
2347: Tiger Woods brushes with the trees on the right of the 17th and has to hack out low. Behind at the 15th, David Toms rescues par from a poor approach to stay two under.
Meanwhile, Dane Thomas Bjorn signs off with a five-over 77 which included three bogeys in the last five holes and a double on the 12th.
2336: Tiger Woods fires to the heart of the treacherous green on the short 16th but slides a beautiful long putt down to cupside and taps in for par.
Woods's playing partner Paul Casey makes back-to-back bogeys to slide into further despair at eight over.
Darren Clarke, sporting a majestic pair of black-and-white check strides, holes out for a 83.
2331: "It's always nice to make an eagle at the Masters. You usually get some nice goblets to drink your orange squash from."
David Howell, who shares second place after a round of 70, speaking to BBC Sport.
2327: Tiger Woods's birdie on 15 takes him to one under, while American David Toms joins David Howell on two under after 14. Luke Donald just misses out on a third birdie in four holes but pars the short 16th to stay level.
2312: England's Luke Donald holes a good one on 15 for birdie to inch to level par. But there is disaster for playing partner Padraig Harrington, who notches up a triple-bogey eight to plummet to five over.
2304: Here's an interesting conundrum from John in France.
He says: "I was arguing with my friend who plays off nine - I reckon if you put the ball in the wrong position on every green (so the scores were putts only) an amateur of his standard would not win the Masters. Opinions please."
Any thoughts out there?
2300: David Howell just misses left with his longish birdie effort on 18 but hands in a two-under 70, just one off the lead.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods slots in a crucial 10ft par putt on 14 after an errant approach to stay level. Playing partner Paul Casey also makes par to stay six over.
2257: Nick Dunn asks, "Where is Nick Faldo and why is he not playing this year?"
Well, the three-time champion says he no longer feels competitive and is concentrating on his CBS commentary. He's going to play at the Open, though, but more in preparation for his debut in the Senior Open at Muirfield.
2252: Tiger Woods leaks one right of the 14th green and flings his club down, muttering and shouting to himself. He marches off in a rage down the fairway leaving caddie Steve Williams to pick up the pieces.
2243: Tiger Woods fights back from a poor tee shot on 13 to make his first birdie of the day and climb to level par. Playing partner Paul Casey also makes birdie for six over, while Aaron Baddeley makes up the threesome at five over.
2230: Luke Donald makes his birdie on 13 to go to one over, the same as playing partner Padraig Harrington. But Lee Westwood cards a 79, including a triple bogey on the 13th.
Paul from Rotherham makes a good point: "Please explain why players are allowed to wear collarless shirts, this would not be allowed at my local club." Nor mine, but you see a lot of the pros doing it these days.
And then this from David Lainchbury: "How can you call Justin Rose 'iceman'? He has thrown away so many potential PGA wins. Believe me, I had him in the pool 2 years running."
Well, a liberal dose of dramatic licence admittedly, but also because he holed a clutch putt on 18 from about 12 foot for a 69, so far the only player under 70.
2224: Luke Donald is going along in his own quiet way and sets up a tap-in birdie on 13 to go to one over. Behind on the short 12th, Vijay Singh fires a stunner to five foot. The Fijian has made back-to-back bogeys and needs to regroup fast.
"Every time you come to Augusta it feels like your first time - you're still in awe of it. You learn a bit more every time. But you can't win it on the first day."
Co-leader Justin Rose, on BBC2's Masters coverage.
2220: US Ryder Cupper Brett Wetterich rams home a 10 footer on the 17th to join Justin Rose in the lead at three under.
Meanwhile, a couple of you have asked Ken Brown to stop referring to the Open as the "British Open". Ken, stop it.
2215: David Howell, wide of putting stance but very deadly, wins four crystal glasses for making an eagle on 15 but more importantly climbs to two under, one off the lead.
2210: David Howell, quick of swing and pointy-out of tongue, hits an absolute peach into 15 to set up an eagle putt which would take him to two under, one off the lead.
2204: The beefy-looking Brett Wetterich leaves his birdie putt just short on 16 but makes par to stay two under. Meanwhile, I'm sorry to report that Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros has finished with a round of 86 for 14 over.
The great one has beaten just amateur Casey Watabu (87) and it's a bit hard to swallow, to be honest.
Half of me wants him to pack up quickly so the memories are not spoiled, while the other half wants him to finally put a good round together and banish some of the demons.
Anyone else feel the same?
2159: A howler from "Howler" at the 14th as he drops a shot to slide back to level par. Meanwhile, a colourful looking Thomas Bjorn double bogeys the short 12th to drop back to two over.
2154: American Brett Wetterich slides his par putt four feet past on the 15th but makes the one coming back to leave Justin Rose in the lead on his own at three under.
"The greens are getting quicker and quicker. The afternoon starters are going to have a tough time out there."
Kenneth Ferrie, who shot 75 on his debut, talking on the BBC2 Masters coverage.
2145: Woods nails a tricky six-footer across the slope for par on 10 to stay one over. Casey, confident of side burns if not putting stroke, dribbles his past and slips to five over.
None of the Woods/Casey/Baddeley threesome has made a birdie yet after 10 holes.
2136: Two-time champion Jose Maria Olazabal birdies the 18th for a round of 74. He's not too far away and knows more than most that it's "slowly, slowly" at Augusta.
Double US Open champion Retief Goosen is also two under through 12 having taken six straight pars.
2131: "Iceman" Justin Rose gets up-and-down from the bunker, holing out from 12ft for a round of three-under 69. The Englishman took just 20 putts. Meanwhile, co-leader Brett Wetterich drains an eight footer on 14 to stay three under.
2125: Justin Rose sticks his approach to 18 in the left greenside bunker. Countryman Paul Casey, sporting a pair of two-tone blue-and-white "bowling shoes", reaches the turn in 40 for four over.
Playing partner Tiger Woods turns in 37 but there is a worrying moment when he taps in from an inch - did he duff it? On second inspection, TV replays suggest not.
2120: Phil Mickelson conjures a tremendous chip on 18 to salvage a par and hand in a 76. Playing partner Richie Ramsay, the Scottish amateur also makes 76 after a fairly solid round comprising just four bogeys.
2114: What does Padraig Harrington know? No sooner does he reveal on the BBC Masters coverage that he tips Lee Westood as the next European major winner, than the Englishman suffers a disastrous triple bogey on the 13th to plummet to four over.
2109: Ryder Cup hero Darren Clarke is not having a happy time at Augusta. The Northern Irishman is eight over after 10.
2104: Vijay Singh stumbles with a bogey on the par-four seventh to slip to two over.
Interestingly, on the BBC2 Masters coverage, Padraig Harrington reckons Lee Westwood is the most likely to break the European major duck this week.
2058: India's Jeev Milkha Singh leaks back-to-back bogeys on 10 and 11 to slide to one under. Meanwhile Lee Westwood is battling to stay in touch, and bogeys the short 12th to drop back to one over.
2052: Scottish amateur Richie Ramsay and two-time champion Jose Maria Olazabal are languishing at three over. Which is a shame, as Olly is my each-way tip.
Meanwhile, Ernie Els cards a six-over 78. The South African began with a double, went out in 42 and picked up one solitary birdie on the back nine. His playing partner Geoff Ogilvy, the US Open champion, cards 75, including a triple bogey on the long second.
2049: Padraig Harrington manages to shore up his leaking ship for a while with a par on the seventh. The 2006 European Order of Merit dropped three shots but is clinging on at two over.
2044: David Howell birdies 10 to edge back to one under, as does Thomas Bjorn on eight. Lee Westwood, too, is going in the right direction again after two straight bogeys and creeps back to level with a birdie on 11. And Luke Donald birdies seven to climb to one over.
On the subject of breaking your age, Olly, from Biggleswade, says: "Being 24 the only hope I have of scoring my age is round a nine-hole par 3, and for me even that would take a herculean effort."
2035: Highly fancied Swede Henrik Stenson cards an opening level-par 72. The world number six has been on fire recently, but Augusta champions average six attempts before winning their first Masters. Stenson is only playing in his second tournament on the lush lawns.
Monty is in, too, by the way. The big Scot grumped his way to a 76, though he was level after eight.
2030: An Englishman leads the Masters. Justin Rose is on three under on his own. Jeev Milkha Singh has just bogeyed the 10th to join beefy Brett Wetterich, who has birdied three of his last four holes, on two under.
2019: Whilst we're dealing with emails, Gareth Williams has contacted us to ask a question related to Gary Player's Peter Pan-like efforts on the fairways.
"With Gary Player shooting 12 over his age what is the closest anyone has got to shooting their age on a par-72 (handicaps not included!)," asked Gareth.
Me! Me! I know this one! Player himself claims to have done it "at least 43 times" since turning 71. But then he also claims to do 1,000 sit-ups a day and run the 100m in 12 seconds.
More importantly, Justin Rose has just birdied the 14th to join Jeev Milkha Singh on three under. Happy days.
2014: Patrick Stuart makes an excellent point via the gift of email - there are almost certainly at least a few Australians called Lucas Glover, it's just that none of them is playing in the Masters this year. The Lucas Glover currently at one under through seven is American.
2005: Paul Casey's challenge is taking a little time to get going - he's just bogeyed the 4th, a hole playing partner Tiger Woods parred. Meanwhile, back in our White City bunker, we're still getting lots and lots of emails about not televising enough coverage from Augusta.
Bit of a recurring theme this one and not in a nice, operatic way. It's not our fault! The organisers will not let us televise any more golf than we already are. It's an old-fashioned Deep South thing, possibly, and nothing to do with cash, as American network CBS has been trying to get them to allow more coverage for years.
1953: India's Jeev Milkha Singh birdies the eighth to take the outright lead at three under. Swede Henrik Stenson gets back to one under with a birdie at the par-three 16th.
Meanwhile, news of the struggling Spaniard Seve Ballesteros. The 1980 and 1983 champion is nine over after 11 and in deep trouble on 12.
1943: Justin Rose slides in a nervy four footer for par on 12 to stay two under. Meanwhile, fellow Englishman Luke Donald is one over three, Scottish amateur Richie Ramsay is two over after 12 and Darren Clarke is four over after five.
1937: American Lucas Glover joins the leaders with a birdie at the fifth.
1931: Five Live commentator Andrew Cotter reveals an illuminating little chat he had with Colin Montgomerie at Augusta. The Scot apparently said he had no chance of ever winning the Masters and could only shoot 70 at best because he hits it too low.
But Cotter and some others chipped in that four rounds of 70 would put him eight under, which could win it. "Oh yes, I suppose you're right," said Montgomerie, and toddled off a happier chap.
Obviously that's easier said than done, as Montgomerie is currently three over after 16.
1930: Tiger Woods remains level through two holes and partner Paul Casey also pars the second to stay one over. Up ahead, Phil Mickelson slumps to five over with another bogey on the short 12th.
1926: Ernie Els is not going down with a fight and birdies the 13th to nudge his way back to five over. Meanwhile, American Zach Johnson hands in a 71 to join clubhouse leaders Vaughn Taylor and Tim Clark on one under.
1920: Vijay Singh birdies the first, while Padraig Harrington birdies the second to go to one under, alongside Thomas Bjorn (after three).
"It looks to me like the scoring is going to be difficult and some guys are going to play themselves out of the tournament. It's going to be a day of attrition. The golf course could be the winner this week. It's only going to get firmer and faster."
BBC Five Live golf summariser Jay Townsend
1914: Jeev Milkha Singh, the first Indian to play in the Masters, birdies the short sixth to snatch a share of the lead at two under.
Gary Player cards 83 aged 71 for 11 over.
1905: Tiger Woods opens with a par, while England's Paul Casey starts with a bogey five. Augusta local Vaughn Taylor cards 71 and shares the clubhouse lead with Tim Clark.
"It's a chilly but beautiful day at Augusta. But the big talking point is the start of Phil Mickelson, while Ernie Els seems to have played himself out of the 2007 Masters already."
BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter on Five Live Sports Extra
"1856: Zach Johnson bogeys the short 16th to slip out of the lead. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods, Paul Casey and Aaron Baddeley tee off down the first.
And England's Kenneth Ferrie cards 75 on his debut at Augusta.
1841: All change at the top as Amen Corner scuppers Henrik Stenson. The Swede bogeys the 11th to slip back to one under and is passed by Americans Zach Johnson and Rich Beem going the other way.
Ryder Cupper Johnson is two under through 15 and former USPGA champ Beem two under after 13.
"At the start of the day I thought the 14/1 on offer for Ernie Els was overpriced and a great bet."
Geraint Bishop, South Wales, via email
1829: England's Lee Westwood moves into a nice "pozzy" at one under after four. Meanwhile, Wales's Bradley Dredge cards an opening 75, the same as Ian Poulter, and former winner Sandy Lyle compiles 79.
1817: Last year's runner-up Tim Clark cards 71, Retief Goosen opens with a birdie, Phil Mickelson birdies eight to get back to four over and Ernie Els reaches the turn six over.
Currently, the worse round is from former champion Larry Mize, who amassed an 83. Gary Player, though, could match that - the sprightly 71-year-old is nine over after 15.
1811: Just to clear up the BBC TV coverage, we are very restricted by Masters officials as to how much we are allowed to show (though to correct my colleague's earlier post, we are fine to cover the front and back nines). Hence, to maximise our live coverage, we can only begin at 2100 BST. If we could show more, we would.
Check out the Amen Corner coverage on this website if you are a UK broadband user, or access it via the Masters official website.
On a different tack:
"I've had a flutter on Richie Ramsay to make the cut (odds of 4/1) and K J Choi to have a top ten finish (7/1). Reckon my money's safe or not?"
Tim Haveron Jones, Holyport, via email
Anyone care to answer this one?
1809: US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy is making a sneaky comeback as he birdies the ninth to get back to two over.
1805: Phil Mickelson's day goes from bad to worse as he bogeys the seventh for five over. Partner Richie Ramsay is still two over and Adam Scott level.
1800: Henrik Stenson birdies the ninth for a share of the lead at two under.
1745: Scottish amateur Richie Ramsay slides to two over with a bogey at the sixth as playing partner Phil Mickelson slumps to four over. Oh dear Phil.
Last word on the US coverage issue comes from Sam Chamberlain in New York: "The first two days of the Masters are shown on USA Network (a cable network) here in the States from 4-7 p.m Eastern Time both Thursday and Friday.
"CBS sticks to its weekday programming of soap operas and local news before picking up the tournament on the weekend."
1738: Resuming where he left off at the halfway stage three years ago, England's Justin Rose leads the Masters at two under after five holes.
"Scoring is going to be down. I can see 3-6 under winning it. Why? It's been cold the last couple of days, almost enough to frost, and no rain, that will make the course hard and fast.
Putting on those greens will be like putting on the hood of your dad's cadillac, although if you are going to attempt that, please change to soft spikes."
Matt, Bloomington, IL USA, via email
1735: England's Ian Poulter, with a nod to the Ben Hogan era in a natty porkpie hat, is first man home with a 75 for three over. Partner Billy Mayfair shoots 76.
1728: Phil Mickelson is not having the sort of start he will have dreamed of when he tucked into his porridge this morning. He double-bogeys the sixth to drop to three over. Partners Richie Ramsay and Adam Scott are one over and level respectively.
1725: Colin Montgomerie reaches the turn in 37 for one over after a bogey at nine. Meanwhile, big-hitting Argentine Angel Cabrera, many people's idea of an interesting outsider, remains one over through eight.
1722: Phil Mickelson drops back to one over alongside playing partners Richie Ramsay and Adam Scott with a bogey at the short fourth.
1710: Ian Poulter, oblivious to the stick he's getting here, birdies the short 16th to nudge his way back to three over.
Meanwhile, the 71-year-old Gary Player, appearing in his 50th Masters, reaches the turn in 39, three over, but makes a triple bogey on the 10th.
Here's a reply to my earlier question about scoring:
"It's very early days yet, I reckon the winner will get to at least 10 under."
Nick Bryant, via email
1702: A popular fancy before the tournament, Swede Henrik Stenson climbs into a share of the lead with a birdie at the short sixth for one under. Justin Rose, too, reaches one under after three. Remember, Rose led at halfway in 2004 before carding 81 in the third round.
1657: Phil Mickelson birdies the third to get himself back on level terms. Partners Adam Scott and Richie Ramsay make par and bogey respectively and are both one over. Meanwhile, Colin Montgomerie trips up at the seventh to slip back to one over, and Ernie Els is four over after four.
1648: JJ Henry bogeys the short sixth to rejoin the pack on one under. Alongside him are Oberholser, Johnson, Olazabal.
1645: It's very early days yet and Tiger Woods hasn't started but no-one so far is ripping it up.
Scott Malone from San Antonio reckons it could be the toughest scoring conditions since 2000.
"I'm guessing only a handful of players stay in red numbers today and only the top three finish under par," he says via email.
Any thoughts?
1643: Bradley Dredge must be wondering what all the fuss is about at Amen Corner. He birdies 11 and 12 to move to level par.
1640: Colin Montgomerie moves back to level par, two off the lead, with a birdie at the short sixth. Meanwhile, Scottish amateur Richie Ramsay is level after two holes, as playing partners Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson are both one over.
1632: Wales' Bradley Dredge birdies the tough par-four 11th at the start of Amen Corner to get back to one over.
"Loved the comment by the US commentators just now on your Amen Corner coverage: 'Sandy Lyle was the first Scot to win the British Open since Tony Jacklin'."
Paul White, via email
1625: England's Kenneth Ferrie bogeys the ninth to slip to one over.
1620: American Ryder Cup player JJ Henry moves into the lead at two under with a birdie at the fourth.
"When did the pin position become hole location? Another Americanism the British seem to have accepted."
Colin Harrold, via email
1614: Richie Ramsay and Adam Scott par the first but Phil Mickelson makes bogey. How must young Ramsay be feeling right now - outscoring the defending champion?
Meanwhile, Ian Poulter birdies 13 to sneak back to three over, the same as Ernie Els, who starts double-bogey, bogey.
1607: Those Poulter gags just keep coming. How about this one:
"Poulter must be grateful that he's at Amen Corner right now, because he's certainly in need of a prayer."
Stephen Cole, via email
And talking of jokes, look at this from Adam Brown, via email: "I've got £10 e/w on Seve at 1000/1."
1600: Ernie Els begins his latest quest for an elusive Green Jacket with a double bogey at the first.
"Poulter may look like the butcher but Augusta National is making mincemeat of him at the moment."
Dale Stewart, via email
1556: Defending champion Phil Mickelson, Scottish amateur Richie Ramsay, the US Amateur champion, and Australian Adam Scott are set to tee off down the first.
1550: Kenneth Ferrie promptly gives his shot back with a bogey at the seventh for level par.
1540: Some good news, we have live coverage from Amen Corner, that's the 11th, 12th and 13th holes, for UK website users only. It's available via real player only by clicking on this link at the top of the page. Enjoy!
1534: Kenneth Ferrie birdies the sixth to join the leaders on one under par.
1530: Aaron Oberholser birdies the fourth to join Tim Clark as Tom Watson bogeys the third.
1524: Kenneth Ferrie looks solid with five pars on the bounce. Ian Poulter's butcher's outfit is looking a little more daft now as he drops another shot to slip back to three over for the front nine.
1515: Ben Crenshaw drops a shot at the fifth, not the first or last time that will happen this weekend. Double Masters winner Tom Watson makes an early birdie to join Tim Clark at the top of the leaderboard.
1500: "Conditions proving very difficult out here on the course. Tim Clark has just birdied the sixth to join Ben Crenshaw on one under. They're the only two with under par scores."
BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter
1451: Wales' Bradley Dredge is even par after four as is Kenneth Ferrie who is on the third hole.
"Poulter's hat puts me in mind of the butcher's counter at Sainsburys. Let's hope we don't see blood..."
Carole Williams via e-mail
1444: Just to confirm to all those who have asked. The reason the BBC cannot show TV pictures from the Masters isn't because of an editorial decision. The Augusta officials limit cameras to the back nine only, and subsequently the BBC and CBS in America can only begin TV coverage later in the afternoon. In fact looking at the schedules on CBS, it seems the BBC offers more coverage on the first two days.
1440: "I've got £10 each way on Colin Montgomerie to win the Masters at 164/1... Come on Colin you do can it!"
Aaron Ludlow via e-mail
1437: There's Poulter in all his glory: green trousers, white shirt and white leprechaun-style hat. Let me know your thoughts? The fifth takes a chunk out of Scott Verplank and Nick O'Hern as they both drop shots. Ben Crenshaw birdies the second.
1431: It's the question on everyone's lips every time a major begins: what is Ian Poulter wearing? Well the pictures have just dropped and it's another moment of comedy/genius depending on your view. Not sure if Poulter thought it was in Ireland this year though. Hold on....
1416: The Augusta National is beginning to bite. Poulter hits a double bogey at the par-four fifth while Verplank drops a shot at the fourth.
1410: Plenty of players out on the range now including Scotland's Colin Montgomerie, who has kept a very low profile coming into the Masters. Has his time been and gone after last year's US Open disaster or does he represent the best chance for a Brit with all his experience?
1401: We're an hour old. Another birdie for Scott Verplank as Chris DiMarco blasts his drive down the first. What price a repeat of his marvellous efforts in the 2005 tournament?
1351: A third straight par for Poulter as Nick O'Hern birdies the second. Sandy Lyle might have a long round coming his way as he starts with a double bogey.
1348: Scott Verplank birdies the second to go to one under. On the other side of the clubhouse, the granite-like figure of Gary Player is warming up on the range. He's 71-years-old and apparently does 1,000 crunches every time he goes to the gym! This is his 50th Masters, which in comparison is probably a breeze.
1340: Poulter pars the second as former winner Sandy Lyle heads out onto the lush fairways of Augusta National.
1332: We have an Englishman on top of the leaderboard! Ian Poulter pars the first as do Scott Verplank and Nick O'Hern. Meanwhile American Joe Durant is off to a flier with a triple bogey.
1325: For those who have been asking, the Masters has strict rules when it comes to its coverage. Television pictures, here or in the US, are limited to the back nine but rest assured you will get the best coverage either here on the website (for UK users only) or on BBC TV from 2100 BST tonight.
1311: America's Scott Verplank and Australian Nick O'Hern head out onto the course which "makes mortals of most" according to BBC golf commentator Peter Alliss.
1300: England's Ian Poulter tees off alongside Billy Mayfair. Wonder who's wearing the more colourful outfit of the two?
1240: Arnie gives it a good whack to loud cheers from the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, the 2007 Masters are now officially open," says the announcer.
"This is one of the thrills of my life. I was a little nervous on the tee, I thought I might top it."
Arnold Palmer
1230: The waiting is almost over and the world's finest golfers are waking up to a chilly morning in Augusta. Temperatures are well down on the average for this time of year, but should reach a comfortable 19C later in the day.
Four-times Masters winner Arnold Palmer tees things off as the honorary starter. If Tiger Woods wins this time, he will leap above Arnie, with just Jack Nicklaus above him in the all-time winners list with six victories.
"The fairways are already lined with thousands of people"
BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter
The BBC is providing full coverage of the 71st Masters on television, radio and online. The website is also providing broadband video coverage (for UK users only) from 2100 BST on Thursday and on-demand highlights every day.
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