rewrite this title The Masters: Rory McIlroy plays down potential major title defence despite ‘great’ opening round at Augusta National

Rory McIlroy is refusing to get carried away about the possibility of a successful title defence at The Masters, despite jumping into the clubhouse lead after a stunning start at Augusta National.

A year on from becoming just the sixth male golfer in history to complete the career Grand Slam, following his dramatic play-off victory over Justin Rose, McIlroy enhanced his chances of becoming only the fourth player to win back-to-back editions of The Masters.

McIlroy mixed six birdies with a lone bogey during an impressive five-under 67, just the second time in his last eight visits he has started with an under-par round, leaving him in a share of the early advantage alongside Sam Burns.

“It’s a great start, but there’s a long way to go,” McIlroy told Sky Sports. “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 think I swung freely. Even when I was missing tee shots on the front nine, I still kept swinging. I didn’t start to get tentative. I kept swinging away just hoping that sooner or later I’d find, 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.”

Stunning start to McIlroy’s title defence

McIlroy cancelled out a birdie at the par-five second with a bogey at the par-four next, with the Northern Irishman remaining on level par until he closed his first nine with back-to-back birdies from the eighth.

The 36-year-old followed a brilliant par-save from the back of the 12th green with successive birdies over his next to holes, taking him to four under with four to play – the same position he was in during the opening day of last year’s contest.

McIlroy avoided a repeat of last year’s late Thursday stumble, where he made two late double bogeys and fell seven behind, as he drained a 30-foot birdie at the par-five 15th to pull level with Burns.

He missed a birdie opportunity for the solo lead at the 17th but recovered from finding a fairway bunker off the final tee to make par, seeing him equal the second-lowest opening round 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 think If I didn’t feel that way, then something would be wrong. I feel like I settled into the round really nicely and really quickly.”

He added: “Felt like I got a lot out of my round today. It started pretty scrappy. I was hitting out of the trees a little bit the first seven holes and then started to string some good swings together from the eight hole 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 today from some of the places he put himself,” Butch Harmon told Sky Sports. “It’s been a pretty impressive round to be five-under and tied for the lead.

“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 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 more Masters history

McIlroy’s impressive opening round came just hours after Jack Nicklaus, who became the first player to successfully defend at The Masters back in 1966, backed him to follow suit.

“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 explained in his Honorary Starters press conference. “I was fortunate enough to be able to do that.

“Rory [McIlroy] has got the monkey off his back, and I think he has a very, very good chance to repeat.”

Five of the last six winners of The Masters have been inside the top three after the opening round, with McIlroy the exception last year, although a star-studded leaderboard sees plenty in major contention.

“There are plenty of great golfers out there that you have to worry about as well, not just him [McIlroy],” Jason Day said after his opening-round 69. “McIlroy has got off to a great start.

“When I see five under leading, and with what weather we got coming up, I’ve just got to be very patient. I’ve just got to take my birdies when I can and just don’t try and force anything too much.”

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