Rory McIlroy fires 67 in his lowest Masters Round 1 since '11 - ESPN

AUGUSTA, Ga. — When Rory McIlroy pushed his tee into the ground at Augusta National's first tee box Thursday morning, he felt his right hand shake.

It was a familiar feeling, but on this particular day — his first competitive round at the Masters since he secured his long-awaited victory and the career grand slam last year — it was also a feeling he welcomed with open arms.

«I was anxious just like I always am. I'm thankful that I felt the same… I think it would be worrisome if I didn't feel that way because it definitely still means something to me,» McIlroy said. «That's a good thing. That's why we want to be here. We want to be able to try to play our best golf when we're feeling like that.»

Rory McIlroy is in line to be the seventh reigning Masters champion to hold the 1st-round lead at the following Masters. Only one of the previous six went on to win:

McIlroy did not, by his standards, play his best golf in the opening round yet still managed his 18 holes with a combination of patience and freedom that resulted in a 5-under 67, good for a share of the early lead with Sam Burns and his lowest opening round at the Masters since 2011.

«I didn't hit the ball very well the first seven holes, and sometimes here that would lead me to get tentative and a little guide-y,» McIlroy said. «I kept swinging, just trusting that I'm going to find it eventually. So maybe that was a little bit different.»

Despite hitting only 5-of-14 fairways, McIlroy showed he knows exactly how to score around here, finding birdies on the 13th and 15th holes despite hitting his drives in or behind Augusta's pine trees, as well as one on the 14th — a hole he played over par last year.

McIlroy said he felt like the way he hit the ball, a fair score