McIlroy Makes Strong Start in Bid to Defend Masters Title

Rory McIlroy has begun his defense of the Masters title with a strong opening round, carding a five-under 67 to share the early lead with Sam Burns. McIlroy, who last year became the sixth male golfer to complete the career Grand Slam, mixed six birdies with a lone bogey in his impressive round at Augusta National. Despite his strong start, McIlroy is refusing to get carried away, saying 'it's a great start, but there's a long way to go.' He added that he felt the same nerves as always at the start of the tournament, but settled into the round quickly. McIlroy's round was marked by his ability to recover from difficult positions, with his patience rewarded when he carded five birdies in an eight-hole stretch. His impressive opening round has set him up well for the rest of the tournament, with McIlroy looking to become only the fourth player to win back-to-back editions of the Masters. The 36-year-old's chances of defending his title have been backed by Jack Nicklaus, who successfully defended his title in 1966. Nicklaus believes that McIlroy has a good chance of repeating his victory, saying 'Rory's got the monkey off his back, and I think he has a very, very good chance to repeat.' With a star-studded leaderboard, McIlroy will face stiff competition from other top golfers, including Jason Day, who carded an opening-round 69. Day said that he needs to be patient and take his birdies when he can, rather than trying to force anything. The Masters continues on Friday, with live coverage on Sky Sports Golf from 2pm.