Rory McIlroy begins his title defense with a 67, tied for the first-round lead. #themasters pic.twitter.com/g0I7T4IKym — The Masters (@TheMasters) April 9, 2026That was two behind the then-leaders Patrick Reed, the 2018 champion, and fellow American Sam Burns but McIlroy pressed the accelerator from there. He was close to another birdie at the 17th and produced a great recovery from a fairway bunker at the last. Rory McIlroy was pleased with his ‘great start’ (David J Phillip/AP)“I started to swing some good swings from the eighth hole and started to play some good golf.”His round was a vast improvement on 12 months ago, when he only managed to shoot a level-par 72. “It’s a great start, I’m right in the tournament and it’s a lot better than starting from seven behind going into the second round like I was last year.

Source: The Herald April 09, 2026 20:13 UTC