McIlroy Shoots 67 to Share Masters Lead in Title Defence Opener
Rory McIlroy is right where he wants to be. The defending Masters champion opened his title defence Thursday with a 5-under 67 at Augusta National, sharing the first-round lead with Sam Burns.
It was not a clean round. McIlroy was the first to say so. “A fair score for me today would have been like 2-under maybe, with some of the places I hit it,” he said. “But I used my head, I didn’t compound mistakes. I got up-and-down when I needed to.”
That is what Augusta rewards. Scottie Scheffler sits two back at 70. Robert MacIntyre, the tournament’s biggest pre-round story after his middle-finger meltdown on the 15th, shot 80.
McIlroy is chasing history. A second consecutive Masters title would make him the first player since Tiger Woods to go back-to-back at Augusta. He says he arrives calmer than ever — no longer haunted by the decade-long wait for his first green jacket. “Much more relaxed,” was how he put it.
Round 2 begins Friday. The green jacket is still there to be won. And right now, McIlroy is leading the race for it.