Rose and Lyle carry British hopes in Masters

Imagine the joy on an almost surreal and wonderful day at Augusta National, therefore, as Rose opened with an accomplished 68 and found himself joined at the top of the leaderboard, at least for a brief, fabulously improbable while, by the 50-year-old Scotsman.

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On another page, we reveal that Lyle has been overlooked in his cherished desire to become the 2010 Ryder Cup captain. For the most part, this was looking like some compensation, before three late bogeys meant a 72. Still, the same score as Tiger Woods. That's not bad, is it?

Rose was joined at the top of the leaderboard by South African Trevor Immelman, who beat him in a sudden death play-off for the Sun City tournament just four months ago.

Just to complete Rose's day, Ian Poulter, his best mate in golf, lit up the early play with a hole in one at the 16th during a fine round of 70 that was matched, among others, by the underrated defending champion Zach Johnson and the big-hitting Swede, Robert Karlsson. Poor finishes from Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Nick Dougherty respectively led to scores of 74, 73, and 74 respectively.

What of world No 1 Woods, who dominated all the talk leading into this championship with his stated quest to win the Grand Slam? By his own standards Woods was poor, following 11 straight pars with two successive bogeys, one of which came on a par five.

But the underlying reason why Woods is head and shoulders above anyone else is that he is the supreme master of damage limitation.

Anyone else would have shot 75 on such a so-so day and found themselves playing catch up. From somewhere, as ever, Woods conjured up a moment of magic that changed his day, chipping in from behind the 15th green for an eagle three and a highly respectable score.

Surround Rose in shades of Augusta green and watch the inspiration flow. It's almost a Masters tradition that he leads after the first round. He did so in 2004 and 2007, and as the evening shadows lengthened he was threatening to do so again. Rose said on Tuesday that all his Masters experiences had been powerful ones and here was another. By a quirk of the draw, he is last out today in the second round. After this wonderful round, it has become highly appropriate.

It didn't look that way early on, mind. After five holes he was two over par. Was he burdened by lofty expectation, after coming so close last year, when he lost owing to a costly double bogey at the 17th? If so, he quickly recovered. "There's no quit in Justin," Nick Faldo once memorably remarked, and here we saw again his inner fortitude. At the beefed-up Augusta National you're not supposed to be able to finish the front nine with four successive birdies. Yet such was the brilliant burst of scoring the 27-year-old Englishman mustered.

He didn't stop there. Another one followed at the 12th and again at the 13th. But undoubtedly the best putt he holed all day was at the 18th. There is nothing worse than tainting a memorable round with an unecessary bogey, as he found a greenside bunker with perhaps the sloppiest iron shot he played all day. The bunker shot left him with a tricky 10 footer but he holed it nervelessly, judging the slippery left to right break to perfection. Why does he play well at Augusta? "I work hard, prepare well, and always make sure I am 'up' for the Masters," he said.

Rose finished in the top 12 in every major championship last year, and is doing everything right in pursuit of what will surely prove a cluster of claimed majors by the end of his career. In the off season he worked hard on his fitness. He wasn't bothered about his early season results because everything was designed to be ready for this week. Over the next three days, we'll find out whether he is now mentally ready to claim his first green jacket.

Lyle has nothing to prove on that score, of course, with the Masters and Open titles to prove it. But that was so long ago he is more like a relic these days than a golfer. Or, at least, until Thursday. When he holed a birdie putt at the 12th to go three under par, he gave a fist pump so animated it was more emotion than he showed when he won the Masters in such glorious fashion exactly 20 years ago.

It couldn't last, could it? Alas, not quite. On a monstrously long course such as this one, age has to play its part. So do all the years of struggle.

Pumped up with an adrenalin he surely hadn't felt for the best part of 20 years, Lyle blasted a fairway wood so far at the 15th it didn't just carry the water that protects the front of the green, it almost finished in another water hazard 30 yards behind it. It led to a bogey six, and was quickly followed by another at the short 16. Thereafter he woke up, with two more bogeys at the 16th and 18th. It was some dream while it lasted, mind.

The favoured English colours of the day were green and white, with Donald, Dougherty, Poulter and Paul Casey all taking up the theme. Donald and Dougherty were united by something else as well, as they failed to take advantage of the almost-perfect start of two birdies in their first three holes.

For Dougherty it was understandable. More than any other course, you need experience at Augusta, and at least he avoided the fate of many a first-timer of putting off the first green, caught completely unawares by its change of pace. Five bogeys were only partly offset by two birdies, before a further bogey at the last.

Donald began with far greater expectations, and a 73 is not a calamity, by any means. But it is extremely disappointing having stood on the 6th tee at three under.

Of the later starters, Paul Casey was level par after 12 holes while Lee Westwood went to the turn in a useful 35 shots.