Masters 2014: Luke Donald admits 'dumb mistake' after two-shot penalty for a bunker violation

Donald says the error is 'pretty frustrating and so unlike me' after carding an opening round 79

Luke Donald accepted he made a 'pretty dumb mistake' in touching the sand after a bunker shot during his opening round 79 at the Masters (Getty Images)

Luke Donald admitted he only had himself to blame for a “pretty dumb mistake” which left him with a mountain to climb to make the halfway cut at the 78th Masters on Friday.

Donald's opening 79 at Augusta included a two-shot penalty for touching the sand with his club after failing to escape from a greenside bunker at the first attempt on the par-four ninth.

"Pretty dumb mistake," the former world number one wrote on Twitter. "I can accept the odd poor shot but making a mistake like that is pretty frustrating and so unlike me."

Donald was far from the only big name to run up a big score however, with the last three major winners a combined 16 over par thanks to an 80 from US PGA champion Jason Dufner and matching rounds of 76 from playing partners Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson.

Three-time winner Mickelson had two sevens on his card to equal his worst opening round in 22 Masters appearances, while US Open champion Rose at least rallied from being six over par after 12, a hole where he was one of many players to find water off the tee on the 155-yard par three.

"It wasn't the best day for me," Mickelson said. "There were possibilities for low scores and I actually played well. I know it's hard to say that, but I actually played well and I just made a lot of little mental errors.

"I made a lot of little mistakes around the green, but I didn't hit anything unsolid. I just misjudged the shots."

Dufner was level par after nine holes but came home in 44 with a quadruple-bogey nine on the 13th.

Jonas Blixt was Europe's highest-placed player after a 70 on his Masters debut, with Miguel Angel Jimenez enjoying a two-shot lead on four under before a bogey on the 11th and double-bogey on 12 resulted in a 71. Lee Westwood bogeyed the last for a 73, Sergio Garcia and Darren Clarke both shot 74 and Ian Poulter a 76.

PA