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Sport Book Service | Masters 2017: Twitter users hammer Dustin Johnson and compare him to Peter Griffin after falling down stairs

 Dustin Johnson grimaces while trying to swing a club

DUSTIN JOHNSONdid not get much sympathy for his back problems on social media.

And Twitter users hammered the world No 1 - who was forced to withdraw from the Masters after slipping down some stairs - by comparing himto Peter Griffin fromFamily Guy.

Dustin Johnson grimaces while trying to swing a clubCredit: Reuters

It showed Johnson as one of the cartoon characters polishing the bottom of his shoes and then taking a crashing fall down the stairs. Ouch.

There was not a dry eye in the house as Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player hit the traditional opening tee shots at Augusta, after raising their putters to the heavens to acknowledge the recently departed Arnold Palmer.

Palmers widow, Kit, was also there, wearing his green jacket, which was then placed on the chair he sat on for the last time a year ago to watch his former sparring partners.

Jack Nicklaus raises his cap to the skies in honour of Arnold PalmerCredit: Rex Features


Keep up to date with all the latest scores and news from Augusta in the SunSport live blog


Player quickly lightened the mood by recounting a story from the champions dinner, when Nicklaus complained everyone was being described as a superstar these days.

Player commented: I still tease Jack, but he gets me back. And he did it again when I told him I thought you probably need to win six Majors to be a superstar.

So Jack knows Ive got nine, half as many as him, and he says to me: No. I think you need ten!

Nicklaus also earned the bragging rights by out-driving Player by about five yards, after both men hit very acceptable shots down the right side of the first fairway.

Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus got the 81st Masters underwayCredit: Rex Features

Rory McIlroy will be reminding Nicklaus he deserves a lot of the credit for that, after revealing how he helped him sort out his driving when they were practising together at the Bears Club in Florida.

McIlroy explained: "It's amazing how competitive he still is. I told him if he hits it longer than Gary I want a mention because I adjusted the weight in his driver.

"He kept hitting it left. I adjusted it for him and he started hitting these little fades. I was like, 'perfect, there you go'.

Almost an inch and a half of rain swamped Augusta on the eve of the Masters - although you would never have known it as the course was in its usual pristine condition as the tournament began under blue skies.

Wednesdays downpour meant only four players completed the par three course, and just one of them Bubba Watson handed in his card. And it showed him at nine OVER par!

He probably felt safe from the curse of he par three winners, which shows no-one has ever completed the double by pulling on a green jacket the same year.

Bubba Watson was probably relieved not to be crowned winner of the Par Three competitionCredit: Reuters

There was plenty of discussion over whether Bubba should be declared the winner, or whether it should have gone to Mike Weir, the leader on the course at three under after seven. That included a hole in one on the fourth.

Both past champions breathed a sigh of relief when Masters officials decided not to declare a winner.

So who did the experts pick as the most likely winner?

In a poll of 83 golf reporters covering the Masters, conducted by the Augusta Chronicle, the vote went to 2015 champion and 2016 fall guy - Jordan Spieth, by the narrowest of margins.

He earned 20 votes, one more than Rory McIlroy, and two more than Dustin Johnson. The poll was conducted before news of his back injury surfaced. And yes, I was in the Spieth camp.

Other popular choices were Jason Day (6) and Jon Rahm (5), while triple champion Phil Mickelson headed a trio of players on two. Nine other golfers got one vote and defending champion Danny Willett was not among them.

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