McIlroy Tied for Lead at Augusta as DeChambeau Struggles

Rory McIlroy, the defending champion, has taken a share of the lead after the first round at The Masters, joined by Sam Burns on five under par. McIlroy, seeking to become the first back-to-back winner at The Masters since Tiger Woods, made a strong start with five birdies in an eight-hole stretch, resulting in an opening-round 67. Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, and world No 1 Scottie Scheffler are also in contention, while Bryson DeChambeau had a difficult start with a four-over 76. McIlroy found momentum after a slow start, with successive birdies helping him reach the turn in 34, and he continued to build on this with another birdie at the 14th, taking him to four under with four holes to play. He eventually tied with Burns for the lead after taking advantage of the par-five 15th. McIlroy reflected on his round, saying, 'I felt like I got a lot out of my round... I stayed really patient when I needed to.'