One of the most successful golfers of the last fifteen years, Rory McIlroy has won major tournaments and other PGA Tour events more frequently than anybody else.
Despite all of those triumphs, the Northern Ireland native has struggled to finish at the top of the scoreboard after The Masters.
On a beautiful late Sunday afternoon at Augusta National Golf Club, the 35-year-old has won two PGA Championships, one U.S. Open, and one British Open, but he has never worn the renowned green jacket.
Having finished second in 2022 and, more famously, leading by four shots on the last day of competition in 2011, McIlroy has come close at The Masters before, shooting an 8-over 80 on Sunday to end in a tie for 15th place.
Going into the last four holes of his first round on Thursday, McIlroy was among the players near the top of the leaderboard, but he dropped to even par for the day after making double bogeys on two of his last four holes.
McIlroy’s hole-by-hole score following Thursday’s opening round is as follows:
Thursday score: Even par
4 (Par)
5 (Par)
3 (Birdie)
3 (Par)
4 (Par)
3 (Par)
4 (Par)
4 (Birdie)
3 (Birdie)
4 (Par)
4 (Par)
3 (Par)
4 (Birdie)
4 (Par)
7 (Double Bogey)
3 (Par)
6 (Double Bogey)
4 (Par)
Rory McIlroy’s’ shocking’ three-hole breakdown stops his Masters push
McIlroy shot an even-par 72 while competing in the largest Masters field in ten years. He is seven shots behind Justin Rose, the clear leader.
Ludvig Aberg, Corey Connors, and Scottie Scheffler are tied for second place, three strokes behind. Scheffler is seeking to become the youngest player since Jack Nicklaus to claim three green jackets.
Five strokes behind Rose in a four-way tie for seventh place, Jason Day is leading the Australian push. Day finished the par-3 12th hole with a long birdie putt after making par on the opening 11 holes.
On the par-5 13th hole, he made it two in a row. He would par the remainder of the way home to record his first round at Augusta without a bogey since 2023.
Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, and Cameron Davis had a rough first few days at Augusta. Scott is at 5-over, and Davis is at 2-over.
The 65-year-old shot a clean 71, making him the second-oldest player to score a poor round at the Masters, after concluding with four straight pars.