McIlroy drums up Masters ghost with two late doubles

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a stroke from the No. 18 tee during the first round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 10, 2025.

Rory McIlroy drummed up the ghosts of Masters past when he turned a magnificent start into what turned out to be a bitterly disappointing opening 72 when he double bogeyed two of his last four holes at Augusta National.

Four-under par for the day playing the 15th, tied for second with Scottie Scheffler and seemingly cruising to his best opening round since 2011, he overshot the green and chipped back into the water en route to a gut wrenching double bogey seven.

Paul McGinley suggested on Sky Sports that McIlroy lost focus as playing partner Akshay Bhatia took an age to play his fourth from the drop zone after putting his second in the pond that guards the green.

But McIlroy was clearly crestfallen by the kind of unforced error that prompted Jack Nicklaus to temper his pre-tournament prediction by saying that McIlroy’s propensity to make “an 8 or a 7” was his only fear.

The Holywood star then flew his 170-yard approach over the 17th green and down a steep slope before three-putting for another double bogey.

He parred the last but he was seven strokes behind England’s Justin Rose, who grabbed the first round lead for the fifth time since 2004, carding a seven-under 65 with a lone bogey at the 18th to lead by two shots from defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Canada’s Corey Conners and last year’s runner-up Ludvig Aberg.

Shane Lowry birdied the last to shoot 71 and share 11th place, but McIlroy, who had broken par on day one just once in his last six starts, was back in 27th.

He looked destined to put that slow-start narrative to bed on balmy April afternoon when he birdied the third by following a pitch to a few feet and then saved an early crisis at the third where he knocked a 50 footer 12 feet past the hole and made the return putt for par.

He had to make a seven footer for par at the fifth but after safely negotiating the dangerous sixth and seventh, he two putted the eighth from 20 feet for birdie and birdied ninth from four feet to turn in 33 for his lowest opening nine holes in the Masters since he shot 32 en route to a 65 in 2011.

After a great sand save at the 10th, he parred the 11th and 12th before reducing the 13th to drive,  a seven iron and two putts from 20 feet to move into a tie for second alongside Scheffler and Conners.

A birdie looked on the cards at the 15th until that fatal error and after compounding his mistake by making another double bogey at the 17th, he will have to regroup mentally now to work his way back into contention.

As for Lowry, the Offaly man did not have his best day from tee to green.

But he putted well as he made up for three bogeys by making his fourth birdie of the day at the 18th.

The Clara man three putted for bogey at the third but chipped in for birdie at the fourth and an even better par at the fifth, where he hit a 152-yard third to four feet after being forced to chip out from the trees.

He often lives and dies by his putter but it was hot on day one.

He had to make a six footer for another par at the sixth after airmailing the green but like McIlroy, he birdied the eighth and ninth thanks to wedge shots to four and eight feet respectively.

He dropped his second shot of the day at the 10th, where he drove left into the  trees made a good 10 footer for par at the 11th after missing the green safely to the right.

Pars followed at the next five holes and while he missed the green at the 17th and made bogey, he made amends at the last.