AUGUSTA, Ga. – Gary Player came off the 18th green at Augusta National to rousing applause Thursday after he broke a tie with Arnold Palmer by playing in a record 51st Masters.

“Well, it’s a thrill,” said Player, who missed the 1973 tournament while recovering from surgery. “It’s a thrill now to know that I hold the record. Of course, all records are made to be broken, aren’t they?”

After he shot 11-over-par 83, the 72-year-old was left shaking his head at the 7,445-yard brute of a course. Player was eight over after his first eight holes, but he rallied and shot three over on his last 10 holes.

Player did not say this will be his final Masters now that he has the record. Instead, he said his ability will determine when he stops.

“If I can shoot around 80, I have a good day,” Player said of his target score. “I still putt very well. My short game’s still very good. I have been playing very nicely and I played very poorly today, except the back nine. The front nine I just played horrible and I have been playing very well.”

Buick beauty

Brian Bateman, who won the Buick Open last year with a birdie on the final hole, also birdied his final hole in the first round for a 69. Three of Bateman’s six birdies came on the par fives.

Bateman, playing in his first Masters and only his third major, had played Augusta National only once about six weeks ago before he arrived this week. The previous trip helped calm his nerves, as did a little pep talk.

“I told myself, “You only hit your very first tee ball at Augusta one time, so you’d better enjoy it,”‘ Bateman told ESPN. “I think that took a little bit of the heat off me because I really hit a good one and got off to a good start.”

Tough start

Fred Couples, who is trying to make a record 24th straight cut at the Masters, made five bogeys on the front nine, managed only two birdies and shot 76.

“I misclubbed a lot of shots and they were hard shots,” Couples said. “I didn’t hit very good ones and I didn’t make many putts.”

Into the mist

Arnold Palmer, who won the first of his four Masters in 1958, hit the ceremonial tee shot just before 8 a.m. Palmer’s shot penetrated the fog that would delay the start of the first round by one hour. It was hard to see how far Palmer’s ball went, but he chose to take an optimistic view of his distance.

“As a matter of fact, it went out of sight,” he said. “I hit it out of sight.”