Rory McIlroy tied for lead to begin Masters defense
Rory McIlroy began the defense of his first Masters title with a 5-under-par 67 at Augusta National.
Augusta, Ga. – Rory McIlroy began the defense of his first Masters title with a 5-under-par 67 that gave him a share of the first-round lead with Sam Burns at Augusta National on Thursday. It is only the third time in 18 Masters starts that McIlroy has broken 70 in the first round, and the second-lowest opening-round score he has posted, only trailing a 65 in 2011.
"Great, great start to the week, obviously. Felt like I got a lot out of my round today," the product of Northern Ireland said. "I settled into the round nicely even when I wasn't hitting fairways.
" Masters scoreboard Thursday's effort tied the 5 under posted by Burns earlier in the afternoon. Both players took significant advantage of the par-5s. Burns eagled the second hole and birdied the three others, while McIlroy birdied all four of them.
"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 enter Friday with a two-shot lead over Jason Day, Kurt Kitayama and Patrick Reed.
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