The 89th edition of The Masters got underway on Thursday and, in the first group, Davis Riley and Patton Kizzire led the 95-man field off.
Teeing off at 7.40am local time, Riley and Kizzire finished their round at Augusta National at approximately 12.05pm, some 4 hours and 25 minutes after their tee time.
Pace of play has been a huge talking point in the professional game in 2025, with the LPGA Tour and PGA Tour bringing in measures to help improve the speed of tournament play.
It's a similar story to The Masters as, on Wednesday, Augusta National Chairman, Fred Ridley, stated: "Because of the size of our field this year and also because of the commentary in recent weeks, the subject of pace of play is top of mind. Playing without undue delay, as the rules and the game's traditions dictate, is an essential skill of golf at all levels.
"Recognizing the challenges professionals face each week, I also believe pace of play is an important element of the examination of the world's best players.
"Golf is a special game because it requires us to be considerate while also being competitive. Respecting other people's time, including, importantly, the fans who support the game, is a fundamental courtesy.
"Therefore, I want to encourage continued dialogue on this topic, especially at the professional levels which serve as the most visible representation of our sport."
Riley and Kizzire took 4 hours and 25 minutes to complete their round, with Kevin Yu, Jhonattan Vegas and Nicolai Hojgaard teeing off 11 minutes after the opening pair.
They holed their final putts at around 12.45pm, over 40 minutes behind Riley and Kizzire, but their rounds were still under the average time of last year, which was around 5 hours 17 minutes.
Speaking at his press conference on Wednesday, Chairman Ridley explained: "We're starting out with a twosome, which always kind of helps get things moving.
"That'll put a little more pressure, I think, on the groups that follow because as long as you keep up with the group ahead of you, then you're going to be okay, and that group is obviously going to be playing quicker."
Obviously, with it being a Major, round times were always going to be slightly longer than usual and, with the early three balls, they were slightly quicker than the field average of years gone by.
