Augusta is already Ror-ing with drama
McIlroy, Burns set early pace in a fiery Masters first round; Stray Shots
Rory McIlroy picks up where he left off last year atop Masters leaderboard (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Quite frankly, it’s a helluva leaderboard after one eventful round at the Masters.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy shares the lead at 5-under 67 despite hitting only five fairways all day. There’s something to be said for this playing carefree theory.
Talented if not sexy American Sam Burns is right up there with Rory.
“I was nervous, I was anxious just like I always am on that first tee,” McIlroy said. “It’s the first round of major season, the first round of the 16 most important rounds of the year. Yeah, I’m thankful that I felt the same as I always have. I think it would be worrisome if I didn’t feel that way because it definitely still means something to me.
“But I would say that I didn’t hit the ball very well the first seven holes, and sometimes here that would lead me to get tentative and a little guidy, and I kept swinging, just trusting that I’m going to find it eventually. So maybe that was a little bit different.”
The pack in third at 3-under includes past Masters champion Patrick Reed and former PGA champion Jason Day along with Kurt Kitayama.
The heavyweight foursome at 2-under are all major champs — world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, two-time major winner Xander Schauffele, two-time Masters playoff runner-up Justin Rose and former Open champion Shane Lowry.
Lurking among a crowd in red figures at 1-under are fan favorites Tommy Fleetwood and Gary Woodland. Eight major winners are among the 16 tied at even par, including past Masters winners Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott and Hideki Matsyama.
Geezers José María Olazábal and Freddie Couple were each 2-under on the back before the perilous 15th hole derailed them with a double and quad, respectively. No. 15 (Firethorn) was merciless on Thursday, torching dreams of multiple players including Robert MacIntyre, who collected one of four quads there and likely earned a talking-to by flipping his middle finger at the pond.
LIV golfers had a nightmarish start, with only past champion Garcia managing to get home in even par. Popular favorites Bryson DeChambeau (76) and Jon Rahm (78) need a special effort Friday to avoid early exits. Only Dustin Johnson (73) among the rest of the LIV team even beat 60-year-old short hitter Olazábal (74), and none of them did better than recent defectors Reed (69) and Brooks Koepka (72).
“It’s a hard golf course,” said Rahm. “Some of the players might have been able to manage a respectable round, but when you have no feel with the swing whatsoever, it’s just not an easy one. What I manage? Hopefully get some physio, get some dinner, get something positive going in that sense. Tomorrow is a new day.
“It’s going to be a very much more uphill battle right now, but I’m going to have to come out tomorrow and most likely post something in the 60s to have a chance to make the cut and give myself a chance on the weekend.”
Day 2 should be fun.
Stray Shots: Traditions unlike any other
By Peter Kaufman
1. Hello, friends: Jim Nantz has been announcing at the Masters since 1986 — this is his 41st year at Augusta (and the 90th Masters is this year). His inaugural appearance, of course, was Jack Nicklaus’ most famous victory.
Nantz has been the anchor of the CBS telecast since 1989. He intends to continue his Masters run for another 10 years until the 100th Masters in 2026. Lucky us.
His celebrated career has included Super Bowls and March Madness, but it’s for his Masters coverage that most of us revere him. His silky delivery of “the towering Georgia pines” and his smooth demeanor means the arrival of “spring” just as much as the tournament itself does. It’s impossible to find anyone with a cross word to say about Nantz, as well.
