US Masters golf: Bryson DeChambeau claims early Masters lead ...

He could have been better had a short birdie putt on the third not inexplicably shaved the cup and he only took par on the relatively easy eighth hole.

Countryman Cam Davis was also two under early in his round, while Jason Day had just teed off in a marquee pairing with five-time champion and fellow former world No.1 Tiger Woods.

Earlier, six-time champion Jack Nicklaus, with his wife Barbara on the bag, joined three-time winner Gary Player and dual champ Tom Watson as thousands of patrons surrounded the first tee to watch them hit the traditional opening shots on Thursday.

“It’s not so easy to put the ball on the tee now, is it?” Player asked the others, before striping one down the fairway.

“Watch out on the left and right,” Nicklaus joked before he, too, drove it right down the middle.

South African Erik van Rooyen and rising American Jake Knapp were the first competitors to tee off, while the heavy hitters from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf were scattered in featured groups throughout the day.

With Woods and Day not out until just before 4pm local time, they will need to return on Friday to finish their first rounds.

It’s the sixth consecutive year that the weather has delayed at least some portion of the Masters.

There are 13 players from Saudi-funded LIV Golf in the field this year, including defending Masters champion Jon Rahm, who left the PGA Tour on a half-billion-dollar deal late last year.

Australia’s LIV chief Greg Norman was again in the crowd, starting out early watching Rahm.

Norman said he was back at Augusta watching his LIV charges and no doubt would have been thrilled with DeChambeau’s early charge.

AAP