GOLF: Rory McIlroy tied for lead to begin Masters defense

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Defending champion Rory McIlroy opened his Masters title defense with a strong start on Thursday, carding a 5-under-par 67 to share the first-round lead with Sam Burns at Augusta National Golf Club.

McIlroy’s round marked only the third time in 18 Masters appearances that he has broken 70 in the opening round, and it stands as his second-lowest first-round score at Augusta, behind only his 65 in 2011.

“Great, great start to the week, obviously. I felt like I got a lot out of my round today,” McIlroy said. “I settled into the round nicely even when I wasn’t hitting fairways.”

Both McIlroy and Burns finished at 5-under after making full use of the par-5 holes. Burns highlighted his scoring ability with an eagle on the second hole and birdies on the remaining par-5s, while McIlroy birdied all four par-5s in his round.

“I think historically people who have success here play the par-5s really well, and we were able to do that today. So it’s a good recipe around this golf course,” Burns said.

They will enter Friday’s second round holding a two-shot lead over Jason Day, Kurt Kitayama, and Patrick Reed. One shot further back sits a group of major champions, including Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele, and Scottie Scheffler.

By day’s end, only 16 of the 91-player field finished under par, while 10 players posted scores in the 80s as Augusta National proved challenging throughout the opening round.

McIlroy, who turned in 2-under 34 on the front nine, surged late with a 3-under 33 on the back nine, including three consecutive birdies from holes 13 through 15. After acknowledging earlier in the week that last year’s victory had lifted a “big weight” off his shoulders, he said the result allowed him to play with more freedom under pressure.

“I was nervous, I was anxious just like I always am on that first tee,” McIlroy said. “It would be worrisome if I didn’t feel that way, because it still means something to me.”

Burns, meanwhile, delivered the best Masters opening round of his career, surpassing his previous best of 68 in 2023. In 12 career rounds at Augusta prior to Thursday, it was the only time he had broken 70.

However, Burns said he will not be focusing on the leaderboard heading into Friday.

“I think you start thinking in the past or in the future, and this is not really a golf course you want to do that,” Burns said. “For me, it’s about executing, having a good process, committing to the shot, and accepting whatever happens.”

Reed briefly matched the leaders at 5-under after eagling both par-5s on the front nine, but slipped back with a bogey on No. 10 and a costly double bogey on the par-5 15th after hitting his ball into the water. He finished at 3-under.

“All in all, there was a lot of quality golf shots,” Reed said. “I felt like I played better than the score. I gave myself a lot of good looks and made a couple of putts.”

Rose, who finished runner-up to McIlroy in last year’s Masters, was at 4-under before closing with back-to-back bogeys. Scheffler opened fast with an eagle and a birdie to reach 3-under through three holes but stalled the rest of the round, dropping a shot at the 11th.

Kitayama endured a volatile round, reaching 4-under through 10 holes before a bogey at 11 and a double bogey at the par-3 12th. He recovered late with two birdies in his final four holes to finish at 3-under 69.

“Being able to make a lot of birdies helps, especially because you’re trying to avoid the big number,” Kitayama said. “I just tried to hit it in the right spots and give myself a chance.”

Bryson DeChambeau also endured a difficult stretch through Augusta’s famed “Amen Corner,” where a bunker miscue on No. 11 led to a triple bogey. He finished the day at 4-over after a roller-coaster closing stretch.

“Bunker was softer than I anticipated,” DeChambeau said, noting his approach also flew farther than expected.

DeChambeau closed with a bogey-birdie-bogey run to finish his round.

— Reporting by Derek Harper, Field Level Media / Reuters