Ian Poulter was clad in green pants and a green visor in a hue he called "pistachio" Thursday.

Ian Poulter made a hole-in-one on No. 16 during the first round of the Masters Tournament Thursday. (Associated Press)

He hopes to be wearing a darker shade of green Sunday when the Masters Tournament champion is crowned at Augusta National Golf Club.

After Thursday's first round, Poulter could be calling his pistachio-green attire lucky. On the 16th hole, he made a hole-in-one and finished at 2-under-par 70.

"You're on the 16th and you're pitching the ball 25 feet away from the flag," he said. "You're trying to hit it as close as you possibly can. Obviously, to hole it you need a bit of luck. It's going to take seven or eight seconds before it finally stops. There's definitely an element of luck."

As soon as the shot left his 8-iron, he had a suspicion it was going to be an ace.

Once it did, he was overwhelmed.

"You've got a few thousand people there on the left-hand side and you've probably got a few more this year, seeing that they cleared some on the left-hand side and put some more spectators there," Poulter said. "It was a special moment. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up. It's an instant adrenaline rush. It's the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever had. It was a great buzz."

It was the 11th hole-in-one on the 16th in tournament history, making it the most oft-aced of Augusta National's four par-3 holes.

The ball Poulter aced the 16th with will likely be stored in his trophy case when he returns home.

"I asked my caddie at the back of 18, 'Where did you put that ball?' He said, 'It's the one in your hand.' I said, 'It's not. I gave it to you at the back of 17. I just made bogey, if you remember.' I always change after a bogey. He dived back into his pocket and got it."

Poulter has been criticized for his comments a few months ago about the possibility of climbing the rankings to be just behind Tiger Woods. The 32-year-old was condemned in the eyes of the public, but said it was different among his colleagues.

"It was friendly banter, to be honest," he said. "To look in the newspaper and see the comments in there and see people compare you to Tiger. I'm not going to say I'm going to go and win 84 tournaments on the PGA. I haven't won one yet. To be compared to him was kind of unfair."

Woods didn't think too much about it. Now, he jokingly calls Poulter No. 2.

Even after all the hype, Poulter has tried to stay focused. He doesn't feel he has something to prove.

"I just want to play good golf," he said. "It's not about proving anybody wrong. I fully believe in my ability. If I can get my mind set, I know I can go out there and achieve big things. That's up to me to go out and do that. Sometimes you have a little extra pressure."

On Thursday, he had little trouble navigating Augusta National's difficult course.

"Two-under par? I don't know if that's a true reflection of how I played (Thursday)," he said. "But it's probably one of the best rounds of golf I've ever played. You don't have to go shoot 61 for it to be the best round of golf you've ever played."

Poulter, who was in the third group to tee off Thursday, will begin at 11:29 a.m. tomorrow.

Patience will be important, he said.

"(You have to) try and stay within yourself and keep trying to focus on the shot ahead. To be honest, you have to do that," he said. "I've seen so many winners over the years at this golf tournament. They seem to be pretty calm throughout the whole week. That's certainly something I can learn from and take out there the next three days."