Fowler, Spieth among those battered by treacherous back 9

Winds hammered Augusta National in Thursday's opening round of The Masters, gusting up to 35 miles per hour at times and wreaking havoc on the field.

Charley Hoffman looked like a man playing a different course on his way to a startling 7-under 65, but only 10 other players were able to finish the day under par, thanks in large part to a tricky back nine.

Here's three players who saw solid rounds disappear with struggles on Augusta's closing stretch.

Rickie Fowler

Back-9 score: 39
Total: 73

Rickie Fowler entered play Thursday as one of the hottest players on the PGA Tour, and while he sits in decent shape after a 1-over 73, it could have been much better for the 28-year-old. After birdieing the par-5 13th, Fowler walked to the 14th tee at 2-under and tied for 2nd. He would bogey the 14th, and then make a mess of the finishing hole for a double-bogey 6. The struggles on 18 would ensure he went from an under-par round to an over-par score and sit eight shots behind Hoffman.

Jordan Spieth

Back-9 score: 39
Total: 75

It wasn't the 12th hole this year, but Jordan Spieth was once again victimized by a quadruple-bogey on the back nine at Augusta. The 2015 champion successfully navigated the treacherous par-3 but blew up on the par-5 15th, finishing with a nine, the highest single-hole score in his PGA Tour career. After spinning a wedge back into the pond on his third shot, Spieth would sail the green with his fifth, and take four more from there. Despite posting a score that looked like one from your basic weekend golfer, the ultra-talented Texan would quickly remind people that he's not a regular human on the links, immediately birdieing the par-3 16th. Spieth would finish with a 3-over 75, which is fairly remarkable considering how bad the 15th hole was to him.

Thomas Pieters

Back-9 score: 40
Total: 72

Thomas Pieters lit Augusta on fire over his first 10 holes, pouring in five birdies to sit atop the leaderboard at 5-under. Then the Masters rookie hit Amen Corner for the first time and went bogey, double-bogey on 11 and 12, to drop back to 3-under. A 3-putt from 17 feet on the last would see him finish with a round of even par. An opening 72 in your first competitive round at Augusta is certainly nothing to sneer at, but Pieters has to be disappointed after standing on the 11th tee at 5-under.