Justin Rose grabbed the early lead after the opening round of The Masters, as Rory McIlroy saw his Grand Slam hopes suffer a big setback following a nightmare finish at Augusta National.
Rose charged up the leaderboard with eight birdies in a stunning seven-under 65, with his only dropped shot coming at the final hole, giving the former world No 1 a commanding three-shot advantage over Scottie Scheffer, Ludvig Åberg and Corey Conners.
Scheffler opened his title defence with a bogey-free 68 and Conners birdied three of the last four holes to also get to four under, with last year’s runner-up Åberg making it a three-way tie for second after a final-hole birdie.
Scottie Scheffler made an impressive start to his Masters defence with a bogey-free 68 at Augusta National
McIlroy – searching for a first major win since 2014 – was on the same score with four holes left of his opening round, only to card two double-bogeys in a three-hole stretch – at the 15th and 17th – to stutter to a level-par 72.
The world No 2 is seven strokes back and outside the top 25, the seventh year in a row he has been six or more behind following the opening day, with the Northern Irishman now facing an uphill battle to claim the victory required to complete the career Grand Slam.
Rose leads as McIlroy messes up fast start
Rose made the dream start with three consecutive birdies and produced a similar run from the par-five eighth to pull clear of the field, with the Englishman then holing from 10 feet to take advantage of the par-five 15th.
The two-time Masters runner-up temporarily went four clear after rolling in a long-range birdie at the par-three 16th, with Rose’s lone bogey coming when a wayward tee shot at the par-four last saw him having to pitch out from the trees.
Rose becomes the first player in Masters history to have multiple opening rounds of 65 or lower, while it is the fifth time he has held the lead or co-lead after the opening day at Augusta National – more than any other player.
Scheffler – bidding to become the first back-to-back winner at The Masters since Tiger Woods – took advantage of the par-five second before draining a remarkable 60-foot birdie at the par-three fourth.
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Scheffler holed two monster putts during a fast start to his title defence at The Masters
A brilliant pitch at the par-five eighth set up a 12-foot birdie that saw him reach the turn in 33, the same total as the opening day of his title defence in 2023, with Scheffler ending a run of pars and moving to four under with another long-range birdie at the par-three 16th.
US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and fellow LIV Golf league player Tyrrell Hatton share fifth place on three under, while Akshay Bhatia – who played alongside McIlroy – sits a further stroke back with Harris English, Jason Day and England’s Aaron Rai.
