Rory McIlroy off to flying start, tied for lead in Masters title defense

NEW DELHI: Rory McIlroy began the defense of his first Masters title with a 5-under-par 67 that gave him a share of the afternoon 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.

Thursday’s effort tied the 5 under that Burns posted 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.

Like Burns, McIlroy made the turn in 2 under before carding a 3-under 33 on the back nine, courtesy of three consecutive birdies from Nos. 13-15.

McIlroy shot an opening-round 72 in 2025 that left him in a tie for 27th, and his average opening score in 17 previous Masters was 71.7. Through what he called a shaky first seven holes, a low round didn’t appear to be in the cards. Then a birdie at No. 8 led to him playing his final 11 holes in 5 under.

Earlier, Burns posted the best score of his Masters career in any round, besting the 68 he shot in the first round in 2023. In 12 rounds through four previous appearances at Augusta National, that had been the lone time Burns had broken 70 until Thursday. Agencies

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