Rory McIlroy appeared to be in complete control at Augusta on Thursday – until everything suddenly shifted. The Northern Irishman was sitting comfortably at four-under with just four holes remaining when the round took a dramatic downturn.
A misjudged chip from behind the green on the par five 15th splashed into the water at the front, resulting in a damaging double bogey. And his woes didn’t end there.
On the 17th, McIlroy flew the green with his second shot, then took three putts from 20 feet to card another double. A wild tee shot on the final hole forced a recovery effort, but he salvaged par.
He closed the round at even par, seven shots adrift of clubhouse leader Justin Rose – who equalled his personal best score at the Masters to lead by three shots come the day’s end.
Earlier, Jack Nicklaus had offered a warning that proved to be uncomfortably accurate. The 18-time major winner had recently met with McIlroy to discuss his game, reviewing a round stroke by stroke.
“We went through it shot for shot, he got done with the round, I didn’t open my mouth and I said ‘I wouldn’t change a thing’,” Nicklaus recalled. “The discipline to do that is what Rory has lacked in my opinion.
“He’s got all the shots, he’s got all the game. He certainly is as talented as anybody in the game, but if you go back through his history in the last few years he gets to a place…
“And all of a sudden a seven or an eight pops up and that keeps him from getting where he needs to go.” McIlroy is scheduled to begin his second round just before 3pm on Friday.
He needs a strong performance to stay in the hunt for a green jacket. A win this weekend would complete the career grand slam and make him only the sixth player in golf history to achieve the feat.
He entered this year’s Masters on a hot streak, having claimed two PGA Tour victories in the build-up. But his performances in majors have been less consistent, despite signs of progress.
McIlroy, 35, hasn’t won a major since 2014. Last year’s US Open collapse still looms large – he held a two-stroke lead in the final round, only for Bryson DeChambeau to surge past and take the title.
It was McIlroy’s second straight runner-up finish at the US Open. He also came painfully close at Augusta in 2022, finishing second in what remains his best result there.
Trailing Rose by three heading into day two are Scottie Scheffler, Ludvig Aberg, and Corey Conners, all tied for second. Just behind them at three-under sit DeChambeau and Englishman Tyrrell Hatton.
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