The Masters FRL Statistics: 2002–2026

How to use this data: Below you’ll find a summary of Masters First Round Leader (FRL) performance by player, back to 2002 up to and including the 2026 renewal won by Rory McIlroy.

The data is ranked by number of FRLs, FRL top-5 finishes, then round 1 stroke average and only features players with two or more appearances over that time. If you prefer then you can sort individual columns by clicking the individual column header, i.e. ‘Events’, ‘FRL’, FRL Top-5’ or ‘Round 1 Stroke Average’.

Notes:

• Data is for The Masters 2002-2026 inclusive.
• Data includes players who have 2 or more completed first rounds only.
• FRL totals include players who were tied for the lead after the opening round. FRL Top 5 totals include players tied within the first five positions, with ties included in the ranking.
• Last updated following the 2026 Masters Tournament.

• Justin Rose has the most FRLs at The Masters since 2002 with five. The Englishman held the lead after the opening 18 holes in 2004, 2007, 2008, 2021 and 2025. Rose has also sat inside the top 5 on a further three occasions.
• Jordan Spieth ranks second in the FRL list with three. The American went wire-to-wire in 2015 before leading after the first day in 2016 and 2018 when finishing 2^nd and 3^rd overall.
• Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy have each led The Masters twice after the first day, with Rory also securing a wire-to-wire victory in 2026.

• Ricky Barnes has played The Masters on three occasions, carding rounds of 69, 68, and 68 for an average of 68.33. Barnes last appeared at Augusta in 2011.
• Scottie Scheffler’s first-round scoring average of 69.29 is the best of the current crop of players and he’s sat inside the top 5 after 18 holes on three of his seven starts at Augusta National.
• Charley Hoffman is the only other player who averages below 70 for his first rounds at The Masters. With a 69.50 stroke average, Hoffman was FRL in 2017 and has sat in the top 5 on Thursday evening on another two occasions.

• The table covers Masters Tournament performances from 2002 to 2026 inclusive, and includes golfers with at least two completed opening rounds during that period.
• Events represents the number of completed first rounds recorded for each player. FRL counts occasions when a player finished the opening round in first place, including ties. FRL Top 5 counts occasions when a player finished inside the first five positions after 18 holes, including tied positions.
• Round 1 Stroke Average is calculated by dividing a player’s total first-round strokes by the number of completed opening rounds. Lower averages indicate stronger historical first-round scoring performances.
• These figures describe historical performance rather than predicting future results. Players with fewer appearances have smaller samples, and course conditions, weather and recent form should also be considered when assessing potential First Round Leader selections.

Statistics compiled by Golf Betting System. Data last updated 14:55GMT 06.11.26