SPANISH golfer Jose Luis Ballester could find himself in deep water at the Masters, after taking a leak in Rae’s Creek.

Ballester, the current US Amateur champion, said he had to take “an emergency” pee in the the famous stream next to the 13th hole at Augusta.

He was playing alongside defending champion Scottie Scheffler and another double Major champion in Justin Tomas, and said he tried to duck out of sight – only to be spotted by spectators who cheered him loudly.

He said: ”I was stood there thinking that I really need to pee.

“I didn’t really know where to go, and since JT had an issue on the green, about losing a ball, I’m like, I’m just going to sneak over there in the river and probably people would not see me that much.

“And then they clapped for me. Probably one of the only claps that I really got today. They cheered real loud, so that was kind of funny.”

Asked if he feared a backlash from the green jackets, who were likely to take a dim view of his actions, Ballester, 21, dismissed that idea.

He said: “Yeah, the people saw me. But it was not embarrassing at all for me. If I had to do it again, I would do it again.”

Away from his comfort breaks, the amateur shot a four-over 76 on his Masters debut.

His playing partner, Scottie Scheffler, opened his title defence at the Masters with an almighty bang, sinking a 62 feet putt for an outrageous birdie.

And he followed it with another ‘bomb’ from 42 feet near the end of his round, to underline just how difficult it is going to be to deny him a third Augusta triumph in the last four years.

Scheffler’s first stunner prompted a massive roar which echoed all around Augusta.

It must have struck fear into the hearts of Rory McIlroy and the rest of Scheffler’s rivals when they learned what had caused it.

The world No 1 looked slightly embarrassed as he raised his putter to acknowledge the crowd’s deafening reaction.

He knew he had just been handed a huge bonus as he bids to become only the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters.

The three men to have achieved that are all Augusta legends – Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Nick Faldo, a three-ball who have stockpiled 14 green jackets between them.

Scheffler, 28, is playing only his sixth Masters, but he has already established himself as an Augusta specialist.

He won here in 2022 as well as last year, and is yet to finish outside the top twenty. And he had failed to shoot par or better just twice in his previous 24 rounds.

After that serene start there was never any danger of Scheffler tarnishing his record this time.

He signed for a four-under-par 68, and a share of the early clubhouse lead with Canadian ace Corey Conners, who birdied three of the last four holes to wrap up his 68.

While Justin Rose carded a SEVEN-UNDER 65 to put himself in pole position heading into Friday’s action.