Associated Press Arnold Palmer's name stands alone on the starter's board for the first round of the 71st Masters.

By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette AUGUSTA, Ga. -- It is not just the moisture that's already gone from the Augusta National Golf Club, where the greens are firmer and faster than the back turn at the Indianapolis 500. So is the noise.

Thrills and chills have already been replaced by moans and groans, and the 71st Masters is only 18 holes old. Amen Corner, the trio of holes on the back nine that typically produce the greatest roars, was so quiet you could hear a stroke drop.

	The tournament When: Today-Sunday. Site: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga. Course: 7,445 yards, par 72. Field: 97 players (five amateurs). Defending champion: Phil Mickelson. TV: Today and tomorrow, 4-7 p.m., USA; Saturday, 3:30- 7 p.m., KDKA; Sunday, 2:30- 7 p.m., KDKA. Internet: One hour of coverage on www.masters.org before the telecast starts each day. Related articles King Arnold flicks magic wand, and, presto, a tradition reappears

Maybe that is perfect for Justin Rose of England. He has sneaked his way back to the top of the leader board, just as he did after each of the first two rounds in his last Masters appearance in 2004. And he is carrying the hopes of a continent that hasn't won a major championship since 1999.

Rose is tied with Brett Wetterich, who knows all about sneaking up on people, at 3-under 69 -- the highest first-round score to lead the Masters since 1999.

"I think experience is generally what makes players better and better as they go through their career," Rose said. "Sometimes, you learn more from situations that go badly than when things go well."

Everything went well yesterday for Rose, who did not make a bogey -- a surprising feat given the buffeting winds and firm greens that produced just nine players under par and another five at par 72.

For his part, Wetterich made just two bogeys, though he answered with five birdies, including three in a four-hole stretch that began with a 10-footer at No. 9. It was a good way to sneak up the leader board for Wetterich, a first-time Masters participant who never backed down in a final-round pairing with Tiger Woods two weeks ago at Doral.

"I feel comfortable being around him now, more comfortable than I did that time," said Wetterich, a two-time PGA Tour winner and a surprise member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2006. "It's nice to know you can go head-to-head with the best player in the world by far. It's nice to know I didn't shoot myself in the foot and lose by seven shots."

Wetterich might get another chance.

Woods, seeking his third consecutive major, bogeyed the final two holes to shoot 73, leaving him just four shots from the lead. Still, that was a better showing than defending champ Phil Mickelson, who needed birdies at Nos. 15 and 16 and a 15-foot par-saving putt at No. 17 to shoot 76.

"To bogey the last two holes when you're right there ... I'm not real happy about that right now," Woods said. "I wan ted to hang in there and shoot an under-par round but I didn't get it done."

How quiet was it at Augusta National?

There were only two eagles the entire day, one of which was produced by England's David Howell, who is a shot from the lead at 2-under 70 after an eagle at the par-5 15th. He is tied with David Toms, a former PGA champ whose only bogey came at the par-4 fifth.

The other eagle was by Rich Beem, another former PGA champ, who followed a 3-foot birdie at the par-3 12th with a 15-foot eagle at the 510-yard 13th.

"I think it woke up a few people," said Beem, one of five players at 71.

But, with dry, cool weather forecast through the weekend, Augusta National is probably going to get tougher than third grade. At least, that was the forecast of Davis Love III, who is in a group of five players at par 72.

"This is probably the best we're going to catch this course," Love said.

That is probably disconcerting news for many players, especially Ernie Els, who shot 78 after starting with a double bogey. The first-round scoring average was 76.187, the highest opening-day average in 25 years.

"At the end of the day, my score doesn't look so bad," said Australian Nick O'Hern, who shot 76.

"It's playing as hard as I've ever played it," said Chris DiMarco, one of 15 players at 3-over 75. "About the only time it was harder was when we played 36 holes in the rain [in 2003]."

"It's the fastest I've seen the greens since I've played there, and this is my 12th Masters," said Scott Verplank, who shot 73.

Mickelson, who has won two of the past three green jackets, got off to a poor start, making four bogeys and a double bogey on the first seven holes. But, as he was walking up the fairway at the 570-yard eighth, Mickelson said he told himself, "If I play under par from here on out I'm still not out of it."

Indeed, he did just that, offsetting two more bogeys with a 30-inch birdie putt at No. 15 and a birdie putt from 30 feet at the par-3 16th. In addition, he saved par from 50 feet at No. 17 and got up-and-down from the gallery left of the green at the 18th.

"My goal was to shoot under par when I was 5 over, and I was able to accomplish that," Mickelson said. "I was able to accomplish a mini-goal."