Rory McIlroy is refusing to get carried away about the potential of a profitable title defence at The Masters, regardless of leaping into the clubhouse lead after a surprising begin at Augusta Nationwide.
A 12 months on from turning into simply the sixth male golfer in historical past to finish the profession Grand Slam, following his dramatic play-off victory over Justin Rose, McIlroy enhanced his probabilities of turning into solely the fourth participant to win back-to-back editions of The Masters.
McIlroy blended six birdies with a lone bogey throughout a powerful five-under 67, simply the second time in his final eight visits he has began with an under-par spherical, leaving him in a share of the early benefit alongside Sam Burns.
Victory this week would see McIlroy equal Sir Nick Faldo’s tally of six main titles
“It’s a great start, but there’s a long way to go,” McIlroy informed Sky Sports activities. “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. Can’t get ahead of myself, but feeling good with where I’m at.
“I believe I swung freely. Even once I was lacking tee photographs on the entrance 9, I nonetheless stored swinging. I did not begin to get tentative. I stored swinging away simply hoping that in the end I would discover, and I did.
“I started to string some good swings together from the eighth hole, and from then on I played some really good golf.”
Beautiful begin to McIlroy’s title defence
McIlroy cancelled out a birdie on the par-five second with a bogey on the par-four subsequent, with the Northern Irishman remaining on stage par till he closed his first 9 with back-to-back birdies from the eighth.
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McIlroy opened the defence of his Inexperienced Jacket with a first-nine 34, which included two late birdies
The 36-year-old adopted an excellent par-save from the again of the twelfth inexperienced with successive birdies over his subsequent to holes, taking him to 4 beneath with 4 to play – the identical place he was in in the course of the opening day of final 12 months’s contest.
McIlroy prevented a repeat of final 12 months’s late Thursday stumble, the place he made two late double bogeys and fell seven behind, as he drained a 30-foot birdie on the par-five fifteenth to tug stage with Burns.
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McIlroy made three consecutive birdies on the second 9 at Augusta Nationwide, shifting him tied for the lead
He missed a birdie alternative for the solo lead on the seventeenth however recovered from discovering a fairway bunker off the ultimate tee to make par, seeing him equal the second-lowest opening spherical by a defending champion at The Masters.
“I thought I would feel different [as defending champion] but then I put my tee in the ground and my ball on the tee on the first hole, and I felt the same nerves that I always feel,” McIlroy admitted. “It’s the first major of the year, you want to get off to a good start, so I’m glad that I felt that way.
“I believe If I did not really feel that means, then one thing could be incorrect. I really feel like I settled into the spherical actually properly and actually shortly.”
He added: “Felt like I bought quite a bit out of my spherical right now. It began fairly scrappy. I used to be hitting out of the timber a little bit bit the primary seven holes after which began to string some good swings collectively from the eight gap onwards.”
‘Escape artist’ McIlroy does ‘what the great ones do’
McIlroy only found five fairways off the tee but responded well whenever out of position, with his patience rewarded when five birdies in an eight-hole stretch pushed him up the leaderboard.
“He [McIlroy] has been an escape artist right now from among the locations he put himself,” Butch Harmon told Sky Sports. “It has been a reasonably spectacular spherical to be five-under and tied for the lead.
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McIlroy shot a five-under 67 throughout his opening spherical at The Masters – this is a take a look at each birdie he posted
“That’s what the great ones do, because they’re not going to have it every time they go out there. How do you manage it? How do you get around? How do you make the right putts and keep the momentum going? He [McIlroy] has done all of that today.”
Sky Sports activities Golf’s Andrew Coltart added on commentary: “Historically, playing as he’s played today, would have been a 73 or 74 but he’s turned it into 67. That was wonderful golfing from McIlroy.”
Nicklaus backs McIlroy for extra Masters historical past
McIlroy’s spectacular opening spherical got here simply hours after Jack Nicklaus, who grew to become the primary participant to efficiently defend at The Masters again in 1966, backed him to observe go well with.
A take a look at the previous back-to-back winners at The Masters
“If you’re going to win two years in a row, you’ll find conditions you like and maybe you don’t find conditions you like, but you’ve got to adjust to both of those,” Nicklaus defined in his Honorary Starters press convention. “I was fortunate enough to be able to do that.
“Rory [McIlroy] has bought the monkey off his again, and I believe he has a really, excellent likelihood to repeat.”
5 of the final six winners of The Masters have been inside the highest three after the opening spherical, with McIlroy the exception final 12 months, though a star-studded leaderboard sees a lot in main rivalry.
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Check out some Rory McIlroy’s finest photographs he has ever hit at Augusta Nationwide
“There are plenty of great golfers out there that you have to worry about as well, not just him [McIlroy],” Jason Day stated after his opening-round 69. “McIlroy has got off to a great start.
“After I see 5 beneath main, and with what climate we bought arising, I’ve simply bought to be very affected person. I’ve simply bought to take my birdies once I can and simply do not attempt to power something an excessive amount of.”
Who will win The Masters? Watch throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Friday from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf, with additional coverage on Sky Sports+. Get Sky Sports activities or stream with no contract.
