FISHER LEADS THE MASTERS

Ross Fisher and Retief Goosen are tied for the lead in the opening round of the Masters Tournament, golf’s first major championship of the season.

Fisher, an Englishman who teed off in the first group of the day, is 4-under par through 15 holes at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Goosen, from South Africa, made an eagle on the par-4 first hole and is 4 under through seven.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland is 3-under par, while Matt Kuchar of the U.S., Sweden’s Carl Pettersson, Australia’s Aaron Baddeley, Japan’s Hiroyuki Fujita and Spain’s Sergio Garcia are 2 under.

Four-time Masters winner Tiger Woods, the second choice behind defending champion Phil Mickelson among oddsmakers, is even par through four holes. Mickelson starts his first round at 1:48 p.m., in the next-to-last group.