Two well-struck shots. Two big bounces over the green. That was all it took for Rory McIlroy to turn a superb opening round into another pedestrian start at the Masters.
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McIlroy was 4-under par, three shots behind leader Justin Rose and looking to take it deeper when he made double bogey from the middle of the fairway on the par-5 15th hole on Thursday, then added another double two holes later. He had to salvage par from the pine straw on the 18th for an even-par 72 that left him seven back.
It’s a familiar position for McIlroy, who needs a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam but has broken 70 just twice in his 17 opening rounds at Augusta National.
McIlroy came into the week in superb form, with two wins in 2025 and a more well-rounded game that seemed primed to handle any adversity that came his way in a tournament that has clearly gotten inside his head.
With spectators applauding and chanting his name as he walked onto tee boxes, he got off to a solid start — a superlative one, actually, by his standards — by turning in 3-under 33, his best opening nine to start the tournament since he shot 32 in 2011. (Yes, that was the year he closed with an 80.)
After another titanic drive on 15, McIlroy launched a 4-iron above the loblolly pine trees. It landed past the flag, bounced hard on the new, firmer-than-usual green and settled behind the putting surface, leaving a slick downhill chip. McIlroy had no way of knowing that, three groups ahead of him, Patrick Cantlay hit two shots into the water from a similar spot, leading to triple bogey.
McIlroy found the water once, then took his penalty drop on the other side and failed to get up-and-down, making a double bogey that felt even worse on a reachable par 5.
“That chip from long isn’t easy,” said Ludvig Aberg, who played with McIlroy and made birdie when his second shot held the green. “We said this week that if we’re in between numbers and you don’t love it, then you should always lay up and take the wedge. It might seem boring, but a 5 isn’t a terrible score on that hole.”
The par-4 17th was sloppier for McIlroy. His approach landed past the hole and took a hard hop, his chip got away from him, and he three-putted for a 6.
Hours before McIlroy began his final round, the tournament’s honorary starters — Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson — each said they believed McIlroy would win this year and were pulling for him. Nicklaus had lunch last week with McIlroy, who went through his hole-by-hole game plan for Augusta National, and the six-time champion didn’t suggest a single change.
Nicklaus also knows what’s held McIlroy back.
“He’s got all the shots. He’s got all the game. He certainly is as talented as anybody in the game,” Nicklaus said. “But if you look, go back and see his history the last few years, he gets to a place a lot of times an 8 or a 7 pops up, and that keeps you from getting to where he needs to go.”