AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 9 (Reuters) - Mason Howell's first Masters round alongside Rory McIlroy featured plenty of things an 18-year-old amateur might expect at Augusta National: nerves, laughs, lessons and, somewhat less traditionally, a hat that kept flying off his head.
Howell, a high school student and reigning U.S. Amateur champion, had one of the marquee pairings of Thursday when he teed it up with defending champion McIlroy, and the teenager said the experience was as entertaining as it was educational.
"Rory is awesome. We had a great walk today," Howell told reporters after his opening round of five-over 77.
It was just as well, because Howell said his body was not exactly cooperating at the start.
"I was on the first tee and couldn't feel my arms," he said.
Then there was the hat.
Howell said it came off three times during the round, starting on the opening tee shot when adrenaline and ambition briefly teamed up against his headwear.
"I was going to swing out of my shoes to see if I could cover that right bunker," he said. "It was pretty funny."
His opening drive did not quite go to plan, finishing in the ninth fairway, but Howell said walking off the tee laughing with McIlroy helped settle him down. He scrambled to pars on the first two holes and said his driver improved as the round went on.
Playing up close with McIlroy also offered a useful tutorial. Howell said the Northern Irishman showed exactly why major champions tend to make Augusta look simpler than it is, recovering smartly when out of position and rarely compounding mistakes.
"He does a great job knowing where to miss," Howell said. "There are some things I can learn going into tomorrow."
Despite some bumps, including trouble on the greens at the fourth, Howell kept the mood light with his caddie and finished convinced there was more to come.
As for Friday's game plan, he said he needed to hit more greens, stay patient - and perhaps make one small equipment tweak.
"We might just tighten it up one button," he said of the hat.
(Reporting by Rory CarrollEditing by Christian Radnedge)
