Ryo Ishikawa was asked about the earthquake that Japan experienced Thursday after he finished his first round at the Masters.
He gave an answer, through in interpreter, that seemed to indicate he thought he was being asked about the devastation that occurred last month.
He didn't know that another earthquake hit his country Thursday morning while he was on the course. This earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1, according to the U.S. Geological survey and did little damage. Last month's was a 9.0, killed 25,000 people and has caused worries that some of the nuclear power plants in the country will melt down.
"Just now," he answered when asked when he learned about the earthquake.
Had he learned of Thursday's disaster before his round he said he would have still played because he said the people in Sendai, a town crippled last month, are "living in hell, and I would love to show the energy and power of what golf can bring to those people."
He pledged last week to give all of his winnings this year to aid relief efforts in Japan. He shot a 1-under 71 on Thursday.
No. 1 struggles
Martin Kaymer, the world's No. 1 player, continued his struggles at Augusta National.
He shot a 6-over 78, his worst scoring day on the course, and needs a good result Friday to avoid missing the cut for the fourth consecutive year.
"Obviously it's frustrating if you never play well," Kaymer said. "It's just a shame that it's obviously a huge tournament, and if it doesn't really suit your eye and you know that quite well, it's a little frustrating."
Senior set struggles (mostly)
Many of the Masters veterans didn't perform well Thursday.
Craig Stadler, 57, shot an 8-over 80, tied for the day's second-worst score. Tom Watson, 61, shot a 79. Ben Crenshaw, 59, shot a 78. Ian Woosnam, 53, also shot a 78. Mark O'Meara, 54, shot a 77.
Fred Couples and Larry Mize, though, carried the flag. Couples, 51, shot a 1 under. Mize, 52, shot a 73 that included four consecutive birdies, starting with No. 12.
Harrington injured
Padraig Harrington injured his neck before the first round and said he almost didn't play. After shooting a 77, he said he is considering withdrawing, but likely will try to play.
"Knowing me, I would never fail to finish a round of golf," he said. "I take some pride in that."
A right-hander, he said the injury occurred as he was practicing a left-handed shot, which is part of his warm-up routine, and "it just kind of clicked. I'm not able to move to my right."
Bulldog and a Yellow Jacket
Neither Bubba Watson nor Stewart Cink thought they played well, but they didn't shoot themselves out of the tournament. Cink shot a 1-under 71, while Watson birdied 18 to cut his score to 1 over.
Watson, a Georgia grad, had a muscle spasm in his back on No. 1. After the spasm flared a few times on the course, his trainer was able to do some work that made it better. He said his back felt fine by the end of the round, but he would receive more treatment Thursday night. He said he really didn't know where the ball was going most of the day.
Cink, a Georgia Tech grad, said he wasn't comfortable most of the day, but he kept the round together. He said he was going to the range afterward, not to work on anything, but more just to hit balls to try and calm down.
Holes of the day
No. 11 was the hardest hole. The average score on the 505-yard, par 4 was 4.545. It gave up just three birdies with 36 bogeys, six doubles and three others. No. 15 was the easiest. The golfers navigated the 530-yard par 5 in an average of 4.455 strokes. It surrendered five eagles and 53 birdies.
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