Finau plays at Augusta despite dislocated ankle

The American dislocated his left ankle celebrating a hole-in-one at the traditional event that precedes the first round at Augusta.

Finau, who then seemingly popped his ankle back into place, reportedly had an MRI exam on Thursday that showed no structural damage and was cleared to make his Masters bow.

By late morning, Finau was on the practice range and appeared to be testing the left ankle, carefully working it back and forth, before hitting easy wedges.

It remained to be seen whether one of the PGA Tour's longest hitters would be able to apply the kind of pressure on the left ankle his swing requires to maximise distance on the Masters' long and challenging layout over the course of, first, 18 holes and then perhaps four days of competition.

He opened with a bogey, but got the dropped shot back at the second and then added another birdie on the par-three fourth hole and was one under through six.

Describing Wednesday as a "crazy day," Finau tweeted his thanks that night to well-wishers for their concern.