AUGUSTA, Ga. — So this Masters was supposed to be the private playground of golf's big hitters.

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen — it was only a year ago that they were the Big Five.

Not this year. Not even close.

None of those five managed to break par in the first round of the Masters on Thursday, and a few didn't even get close.

"There's birdies out there," Mickelson said after a 4-over 76. "It was tough in swirling winds and with the greens so firm. But I didn't feel it was unmanageable by any means."

This year, the Big Five have been whittled down to two: Mickelson and Woods. The world rankings have been completely scrambled, and Mickelson and Woods are the only players who've shown any signs of domination. Mickelson won at Pebble Beach, and Woods routed the field at Doral for one of his two victories.

Never were they supposed to be further above the fray than this weekend. They've traded the green jacket back and forth the last few years, winning five of the last six Masters titles. Woods has also won the last two major championships.

But if, just if, those two faltered, the winner would surely be another of the Big Five, Jim Furyk or one of those hot youngsters, like Geoff Ogilvy, Henrik Stenson or Charles Howell III. At a supersized 7,445-yard course, no way anyone but the power hitters would have a chance.

So much for that.

Firm greens and swirling, gusting winds wreaked havoc with the leaderboard, and the big-name players weren't immune. Woods limped home with back-to-back bogeys, finishing at 1-over 73. Singh is at 73, Furyk at 75 and Goosen is at 4-over 76 after bogeys on three of his last four holes.

Els was even worse: a 6-over-par 78 that matched his third-worst score in 14 years at Augusta National.

The youngsters weren't much better. Ogilvy threw up a snowman on his second hole, three-putting from within 5 feet for an 8, and is at 3-over 75. Howell's right there with him.

Stenson is the best of the bunch at even par, but don't ask him about his chances because he's not a big fan of his game right now.

"The game doesn't feel 100 percent and the swing is so-so," Stenson said. "But I made some good putts and was pretty sharp around the greens, which is why I managed to keep it together as well as that."

While nobody's out of it with Brett Wetterich and Justin Rose leading at 3-under, there's a foreboding sign: No one has ever won the Masters after shooting higher than 75 on Thursday.

"I have no other choice, do I?" Els said when asked if he could rally. "I have to try and get something going and, hopefully by Sunday, be back to level par. ... It's back to the drawing board, basically."