One year removed from his iconic Masters victory, Rory McIlroy once again finds himself atop the leaderboard at the season's first major.
The 36-year-old launched his title defense at Augusta National with a sizzling opening round Thursday, making three birdies in a row on the closing stretch to tie Sam Burns for the clubhouse lead at 5-under.
McIlroy began to pick up steam on the par-5 8th, where he utilized a fairway wood to move from 261 yards to 24 feet for a comfortable two-putt birdie. He followed that up with another birdie on the ninth hole to turn at 2-under.
"I didn't drive the ball particularly well, especially on the front nine, but I was able to make pars and scramble well," McIlroy said afterward on ESPN. "From the eighth hole, that second shot up the hill, I was able to string a few good swings together. I played the last 11 holes in 5-under par. Proud of how I hung in there the first few holes when I didn't quite have it."
McIlroy birdied both par 5s on the second nine despite being forced to lay up after wayward drives put him in trouble. Those sandwiched another birdie at No. 14. In the end, he shot a 33.
Thursday's 67 marked the second-best opening-round score of McIlroy's Masters career and his lowest since posting a 7-under 65 in 2011. While the number is impressive in itself, the manner in which he plotted his way around a firm Augusta National is perhaps more notable.
Outside of a three-putt bogey on the third hole, he never really put himself in danger of leaving a big number on the board. Despite battling a balky driver early, McIlroy seemed comfortable, unlike the roller-coaster ride he's experienced at the Masters over the years.
"I think the thing for me over the last 10 years here - I was chasing trying to win the Masters, but I was also chasing the Grand Slam," McIlroy said. "To tee it up on the first tee today and not have that - I still felt nerves, still felt the anxiety that I always feel when I tee it up here. I just feel like I settled into the round really nicely. When I hit it in the trees a few times on the front nine, I was like, 'You know what, it's okay. I'll figure it out. Make a par and move on.'"
There hasn't been a repeat champion at the Masters since Tiger Woods claimed the green jacket in 2001 and '02. Thursday's performance puts McIlroy in a much better position to win the event than he was last year, when he sat seven strokes off the pace after 18 holes.
