Former winner Fred Couples faced an uphill task to make a record 24th consecutive cut at the U.S. Masters after battling to a four-over-par 76 in Thursday's opening round.
The 48-year-old American, struggling with his shot selection, mixed six bogeys with two birdies on an Augusta National layout playing extra long after being softened by recent rain.
"I misclubbed a lot of shots, and they were hard shots," Couples told reporters. "I didn't hit very good ones and I didn't make many putts. When you do that, it kind of adds up to 76 which is very mediocre.
"I hit the ball well," added the former world number one, who covered the front nine in four-over 40. "It wasn't like I embarrassed myself. You've just got to make birdies.
"If I could have made a couple more birdies and hung in there, maybe I wouldn't have tried a couple of shots where I put myself in horrible places by trying to get a little greedy.
"If you're even par or even three or four over, you make a couple of bad swings and the next thing you know you get to a spot where there's no way you can get out of it."
Masters champion in 1992, Couples made his 23rd consecutive cut at Augusta National last year to join South African Gary Player in the record books.
Three-times winner Player made a record 23 successive cuts at the Masters from 1959 to 1982. Player skipped the tournament in 1973.
Former winner Fred Couples faced an uphill task to make a record 24th consecutive cut at the U.S. Masters after battling to a four-over-par 76 in Thursday's opening round.
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