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

Ian Poulter acknowledges the gallery after his hole-in-one on No. 16, which he called "the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever had." (Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff)

He hopes to be wearing a darker shade of green Sunday when the Masters Tournament champion receives the green jacket.

After Thursday's first round, Poulter could be calling his pistachio-green attire lucky. On the 16th hole, he made a hole-in-one before finishing 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."

As soon as the shot left his 8-iron, he had a suspicion it was going to be an ace. When it did, he was still 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's the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever had."

It was the 11th hole-in-one on the 16th in tournament history, making it the most-aced hole at Augusta National Golf Club.

The hole-in-one ball likely will be stored in Poulter's 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. Even after the hype, Poulter has tried to stay focused.

"I just want to play good golf," he said. "It's not about proving anybody wrong. I fully believe in my ability."

On Thursday, he had little trouble navigating Augusta National.

"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."

Poulter, who was in the third group to tee off Thursday, will begin at 11:29 this morning.

Patience will be important, he said.

"(You have to) try and stay within yourself and keep trying to focus on the shot ahead," 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."