but augusta's leaderboard can be an unforgiving place. high hopes can soon be dashed and they don't come higher than rory mcllroy's. the masters is the only major title he's never won and after struggling at first, finally he located his form. that's one of the shots of the first round. mcilroy wasn't generally at his best but this was, a moment of putting perfection, renewed hope that his masters dream could yet be fulfilled. others, though, are also making progress, most notably tiger woods. more than a decade after his last major title, could he really do it again? well, that gave him a share of the lead, although he had his problems too. woods, well, into the woods, a rare blip on an encouraging start. it was a decent day for england's tommy fleetwood. could this be his major breakthrough? well, the big names are circling. australia's adam scott among a cluster of early pacesetters. plenty of golf to go but the masters is off to an intriguing start.

the very latest i can tell you is adam scott is one of seven players currently sharing the lead on three under par, tiger woods hasjust completed an excellent first round, he is 2—under par, one shot off the pace, after all his struggles with form and fitness, what a story would be if he could win the masters again, some 22 years after his first title here. as for rory mcilroy, not such a good day for him. he is currently i—over par, so four shots behind after a disappointing end to his round. but of course, he still has three rounds to go, so still very much early days. andy, many thanks again come andy swiss with the latest as the masters gets under way in augusta. that's it. now on bbc one it's time for the news where you are.

hello and welcome to sportsday. i'm gavin ramjaun. the talk turns to tiger at augusta — as the four—time champion roars into contention on the opening day of the masters. both remaining english clubs have the advantage heading into the second leg of their europa league quarterfinals — wins for both arsenal and chelsea. and is it all overfor one of australia's best ever rugby union players? more on the controversy of israel's folau's social media storm to come.

hello and welcome to sportsday. i'm gavin ramjaun. the latest on the masters coming up, but first. arsenal and chelsea both have the advantage in their respective europa league ties, after victories in the first legs of their quarter finals. arsenal had pierre emerick aubameyang back in the side, for the visit of napoli, who are second in italy's serie a. patrick gearey rounds up the best of the action. you can go so far under cover in your early pudding, but there's no hiding the quarterfinals. arsenal's opponents next are second in serie a, despite how they were made to look in the first half. the boys from italy one down to... aaron ramsey signs for you meant as the summer ramsey signs for you meant as the summerfor somehow ramsey signs for you meant as the summer for somehow they will miss him. natalie finally got something anyway. this happen. lucas carrera

took the shot but... his fingertips took the shot but... his fingertips to be usually don't equally crucial. denying arsenal the goal that would mean settling. the mess might be the type two big what if. still the gunners could have travelled to naples and added comfort. for a second, some in the emirates thought this was in. not quite. this contest not quite over. in prague, comedy for 20 minutes were hardly worth recording. chelsea's slumber against slavia was only ended by a moment of inspiration from willie in. unlucky but unmatched for some time. the match winner was less protecta ble. some time. the match winner was less protectable. five minutes from time, who was beating the cross but the left back marcos alonso? not a big

way performance but a big away goal. patrick gearey, bbc news. three fans were turned away from chelsea's match at slavia prague after the premier league club identified them in a video appearing to sing a racist song and making reference to liverpool forward mohamed salah. three other fans singing in the video did not turn up to the game, but the bbc understands that chelsea are trying to identify them and will ban them if they are found to be season ticket holders or members. the club have made a statement which says... let's round up some of the day's other football stories now. league i side blackpool won't be deducted 12 points as a result of going into receivership. receivers were appointed

by the high court in february, forcing then—owner 0wen 0yston to pay ex—director valeri belokon the £25 million he is owed. according to efl regulations, any club that becomes subject to an insolvency event, including the appointment of a receiver, could be deducted 12 points. they're currenly 8th in the table. meanwhile in scotland, hearts have closed part of their tynecastle ground for the rest of the season after missiles were thrown onto the pitch during the match with rivals hibs at the weekend. chairman ann budge has apologised to anyone affected by the incidents. diego costa won't play for atletico madrid again this season after receiving an 8—match ban for abusing a referee. it follows his red card against barcelona in la liga last weekend. costa was given a a—game ban for insulting the official‘s mother and a further four for grabbing his arm. now to the masters.

tiger woods is just one shot off the lead on the opening round of the tournament. the iii—time major champion shot a two—under par round of 70 at augusta national, to put him in a good place going into tomorrow's second round. familiar sight, there, isn't it's? the pre—tournament favourite — rory mcilroy — had a more mixed start and had to rely on recovery shots like this to get himself out of trouble. he's on one over par. not a bad effort there from rory at all. the leading british players are ian poulter and tommy fleetwood, who are two under and one under respectively. former masters champion adam scott is in a three—way tie for the lead on three under — alongside the likes of dustinjohnson and jon rahm. —— seven weights high. now for more on all the action, let's get the latest from bbc sport's eilidh barbour —

who's in georgia. hello, it's been a very interesting opening day here at augustine national full sublease has been shining. the wind has been rippling and we have an incredibly tightly packed leaderboard. none of the highlights include jon rahm packed leaderboard. none of the highlights includejon rahm putting himself in condition —— some of the highlights. five birdies in total with just the two drop shots. a very solid round to give him a share of the clubhouse lead on three under. it was a mixed bag and a pretty frustrating day for the favourite coming into this week. rudy's at 13, 15 and 16 took rory mcelroy under parfor 15 and 16 took rory mcelroy under par for the first 15 and 16 took rory mcelroy under parfor the first time 15 and 16 took rory mcelroy under par for the first time in the round. he would sign for an opening—round 73, one of her part. this is how things look. a seven weights high —— seven way tie. three time major winner brooks koepka all amongst them. they are queuing up behind. a

shot back, including rickie fowler, and tiger woods. tiger reflected on his rounds afterwards. typical. augusta national... a little blustery and all of us got it a few times today. as you are out of position into a bad spot, for most of the day, i had the ball in the correct spots and i was able to flight it correct spots and i was able to flight it when i had to and get the ball up flight it when i had to and get the ballup in the flight it when i had to and get the ball up in the air when i needed to. overall a good start. what a day we have here and what a leaderboard we have. you can see highlights of this opening date at augusta national on bbc two friday evening at 7pm. and we are looking and uninterrupted right across the weekend. it is not to be missed. absolutely. eilidh

barbour in augusta. inc. you very much indeed. now the big news in rugby union concerns one of australia's best players — israel folau. rugby australia has announced its intention to terminate his contract after he sparked outrage over an anti—lgbt social media post. with more on the story, here's our sports correspondentjoe wilson. in australian sport, no—one has displayed ability quite like this man... israel folau. he's represented his country in rugby union and rugby league, he's played professional australian rules football. he also thinks that gay people will go to hell. folau's recent instagram post urges repentance for various behaviour that he deems sinful or else "hell awaits". australia's rugby authorities have said they have tried in vain to contact him, but folau has been warned before about social media posts. now his career seems to be over.