Defending champion Rory McIlroy took the lead after opening the Masters, while Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler were all in contention at Augusta National.
Twelve months after completing the career Grand Slam, McIlroy has begun his dream of becoming the first back-to-back winner of the Masters since Tiger Woods. He shot an opening-round 67, making five birdies over eight holes.
The world No. 2 was joined at 5 under by Sam Burns, who set an early clubhouse target, and the pair held a two-shot buffer over tied third place Jason Day, Patrick Reed and Kurt Kitayama.
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Watch highlights from the opening round as Rory McIlroy opened his title defense with an impressive 5-under-par 67.
Rose, who finished runner-up to McIlroy last April, remained tied for the lead until back-to-back bogeys led to a 2-under 70, while Shane Lowry, Xander Schauffele and Scheffler were all in the top three.
Only 16 players broke par in firm, fast conditions. Bryson DeChambeau shot a 4-over 76 and former champion Jon Rahm shot a 78 in the opening round.
Defending champion McIlroy’s dream begins
McIlroy, who is hoping to join Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Woods as the only players to retain the green jacket, got off to a slow start alongside Cameron Young and US Amateur champion Mason Howell, canceling out an early birdie at par 5 with a bogey next.
The five-time major champion found just five fairways off the tee on opening day, but back-to-back birdies helped him reach the turn on the 34th and the momentum shifted as McIlroy took advantage of the par-5 13th to start a new birdie burst.
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McIlroy tied for the lead with three consecutive birdies on the second 9th hole at Augusta National.
Another birdie the next time moved him to 4 under par after four holes, the same position he was in last year before a costly finish with an opening-round 72, and McIlroy avoided a repeat by staying level with Burns on the par-5 15th.
McIlroy missed a birdie opportunity for a solo lead on the 17th hole but tied for the second-worst opening round by a defending champion, while Burns also finished at 5 under par after recording the best round of his career at The Masters.
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Despite winning a Grand Slam, McIlroy claimed he felt just as nervous this round as he did at previous Augusta National tournaments.
“I feel like I got a lot out of the round,” McIlroy said. “It started off pretty rough. I hit a little bit in the first seven holes, then I started making good swings on the eighth and played the last 11 holes at 5 under par.
“I was really patient when I needed to be. To be honest, I couldn’t have gotten more out of my round. I think I leaned heavily on my experience to do that.”
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A star-studded leaderboard chasing down McIlroy and Burns
Kitayama briefly held a solo lead after making four birdies over five holes starting in the sixth, and recovered after dropping three strokes on two holes at the Amen Corner to shoot a 3-under-par 69, while Reed was tied despite taking the lead after eagled both par-fives in the first nine holes.
Scheffler threatened his clubhouse goal after an eagle-birdie to move to 3 under par after three holes, but the world No. 1 played the remaining rounds at 1 over par to take three off the lead.
Can Scottie Scheffler win his fifth major title in as many seasons?
Rose, who finished runner-up three times at Augusta National, also recorded five birdies and three bogeys in the opening round to tie for sixth place, while Lowry recovered from over par after seven holes to move to 2 under par.
Rose: “You have to look at the big picture.” told Sky Sports. “It was a day where you had to be patient. I did a great job of it, but towards the end of the day the course got a little tighter and I made a few bad mistakes.”
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Bob MacIntyre’s Masters hopes were seriously dashed with a quadruple bogey 9 on the par-5 15th hole.
Aaron Rai is in the 1-under group to become the first player to win a Masters par 3 contest and a major in the same week, while Tommy Fleetwood, who failed to make three birdies early in the round, is also 4-back.
DeChambeau took three attempts to get out of a greenside bunker en route to a triple bogey No. 7 on the 11th hole, which left him nine strokes adrift, while Rahm is tied for 73rd in the 91-player field after failing to register a birdie on opening day.
Who will win the Masters? Watch live on Sky Sports seven days a week. Live coverage continues from 2pm on Friday on Sky Sports Golf, with further coverage on Sky Sports+. Access or stream Sky Sports with no contract.
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