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 alongside 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 ahead of himself, saying 'it's a great start, but there's a long way to go.' He added that he felt the same nerves as always on the first tee, but quickly settled into the round and started to string some good swings together from the eighth hole onwards. McIlroy's round was marked by patience and resilience, as he responded well to being out of position on several occasions. His five birdies in an eight-hole stretch pushed him up the leaderboard, and he eventually shared the lead with Burns. Sky Sports Golf's Andrew Coltart praised McIlroy's round, saying it would have been a 73 or 74 in the past, but he turned it into a 67. Jack Nicklaus, who successfully defended his Masters title in 1966, backed McIlroy to follow suit, saying 'Rory has got the monkey off his back, and I think he has a very, very good chance to repeat.' The star-studded leaderboard sees plenty of major contenders, with five of the last six winners of the Masters being inside the top three after the opening round. Jason Day, who carded an opening-round 69, said 'there are plenty of great golfers out there that you have to worry about,' and that he needs to be patient and take his birdies when he can.