Oh, how the golfing gods can mock. If, following on from the comedy of errors that afflicted him down the 72nd hole of the US Open at Winged Foot last June, Phil Mickelson thought he would be spared ridicule at Augusta National, of all places, he was wrong.

If there was any solace for old Lefty, it was that he was not alone in getting teased and derided by a course that showed no respect to some of golf's greatest exponents. Ernie Els, too, felt its wrath.

Yesterday, in difficult conditions, there was to be no immunity for Mickelson on a course where he made his major breakthrough in 2004 and consolidated his major credentials with victory a year ago. No, Mickelson's Superman cloak was nowhere to be found and, like others who struggled with their human frailties, the defending champion experienced a tough old day at the office on the way to a 76, which equalled the highest score he'd recorded in the Masters (in 1996).

Els, though, fared even worse on a day where his opening tee-shot whipped viciously into the trees and, getting greedy with his attempted recovery, he hit one of the giant pines for a start that signalled it would be one of those horrid days.

So it was to be, and just shy of five hours later, the South African was signing for a 78. The fat lady wasn't singing, but she was clearing her throat.

Els's Masters will require a miraculous recovery if it is to regain health. Tough day, Ernie?

"It was terrible on the front nine," admitted Els, who had been confident of a strong challenge in a tournament that has continuously rejected his advances. The double-bogey start was compounded when he three-putted the par five second for a bogey.

Naturally dejected, Els sought to find some comfort.

"I played some better stuff on the back nine," he said, "and I've got to somehow try and work myself back into things later in the week. I don't know how, but I'll try. I have to try and get something going and hopefully by Sunday I can get back to level par or something. If I can do that, it will be a hell of a thing to do. But it is back to the drawing board basically."

Els took 42 shots to the turn, Mickelson battled to a 40 - and, despite dropping further shots on the 12th and 14th, the holder at least salvaged something late on with back-to-back birdies at the 15th and 16th holes.

For Mickelson, there were no excuses to be found. "I thought the course set-up was very fair, great. I just got off to a poor start, five over through seven. But as I was walking up number eight, I said, 'Look, if you can stay under par from here on out, I can stay in it'. I didn't want to shoot myself in the foot on day one and I think I've done that, even though I didn't play anywhere near what I'm capable of playing," said Mickelson.

"You know, even par is going to be in the hunt tomorrow.

"If I can get out there and shoot a solid round of 68, I should get right back in it," he added.

"There are birdies out there. It was tough, but I didn't think it was unmanageable out there at all."

Former winner Ian Woosnam pulled out because of a lingering back injury.

The 49-year-old Welshman, champion at Augusta National in 1991, withdrew before his scheduled tee-time in the opening round.

Woosnam, who made his Masters debut in 1988, has missed the cut in his last six appearances at Augusta.