Jason Day has warned against the daring tactic but Cameron Smith's "unreal" putting has encouraged him to attack Augusta National as he hunts a rare Tiger Woods-like Masters comeback triumph.
A long birdie putt on the 18th helped Smith to a one-under-par 71 on Thursday, despite the 2022 British Open champ hitting just six greens in regulation and finding eight of 14 fairways in a familiar first-round grind.
Things went similarly for Smith a year earlier, the 31-year-old battling on for a tie for sixth, his fifth top-10 finish in the last seven years.
Akshay Bhatia's birdie blitz on the back nine helped him join Day in equal seventh at two under and push Smith and compatriot Min Woo Lee (71) to a tie for 11th.
