Stewart Cink entered the Masters riding the good vibes of his 13-under, sixth-place finish at the Shell Houston Open two weeks ago. It was arguably his best showing since winning the 2009 British Open.

But he didn’t drive the ball as well as has been the past few months in Thursday’s first round at Augusta National, hitting eight of 14 fairways. The result was a 3-over finish.

“…This course has little patience for defensive play,” he said in a text message. “But at least it’s still early and there’s time to make up some ground.”

Cink closed with a birdie on 18 to head into Friday’s second round on a positive note. He is scheduled to tee off at 1:19 p.m. Friday.

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8/26/17 - Atlanta, GA - Georgia leaders, including Gov. Nathan Deal, Sandra Deal, members of the King family, and Rep. Calvin Smyre,  were on hand for unveiling of the first statue of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday at the statehouse grounds, more than three years after Gov. Nathan Deal first announced the project.  During the hour-long ceremony leading to the unveiling of the statue of Martin Luther King Jr. at the state Capitol on Monday, many speakers, including Gov. Nathan Deal, spoke of King's biography. The statue was unveiled on the anniversary of King's famed "I Have Dream" speech. BOB ANDRES  /BANDRES@AJC.COM

Credit: Bob Andres