Rory McIlroy claims share of lead in hunt for back-to-back Masters victories

Defending champion Rory McIlroy basked in the warm Georgia sunshine and the glory of his return to Augusta to lay down a marker in his bid for rare back-to-back Masters wins with a share of the first-round lead.

Following a nondescript seven holes in which he struggled with his driving, the Northern Irishman, seeking to become only the fourth man after Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo to retain the green jacket, burst into life with five birdies in eight holes.

A round of 67 catapulted him into a share of the lead with American Sam Burns on five under, two clear of 2018 champion Patrick Reed, Kurt Kitayama and Australian Jason Day.

Rory McIlroy begins his title defense with a 67, tied for the first-round lead. #themasters pic.twitter.com/g0I7T4IKym

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 9, 2026

“I felt like I got a lot out of my round. It started pretty scrappy,” said the world number two.

“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 eighth hole onwards and played those last 11 in five under.

“I stayed really patient when I needed to. Honestly, I couldn’t have got a lot more out of my round. I feel like I leaned heavily on my experience out there to do that.”

A brilliant approach to the long, steeply uphill eighth, brought his second birdie of the day and moved him back into red figures, and he hit it even closer at the next to turn in two under.

That was two behind the then-leaders Reed and Burns but McIlroy pressed the accelerator from there.

The saying in these parts is the Masters does not start until the back nine on a Sunday, but the defending champion shifted through the gears with a birdie at the 13th, the hole he