Augusta: Rory McIlroy wanted to get off to a solid start at the Masters, his latest shot at a career Grand Slam.
Saving par on the final three holes in the opening round on Thursday helped him keep it in sight.
McIlroy shot a 3-under 69, breaking 70 in the first round at Augusta National for the first time since 2011. He shot a 65 that year and looked like he would win a Green Jacket before a final-round meltdown.
=“You look at it and not anyone is really getting away,” McIlroy said. “Jordan had a pretty strong finish there. But this is my best start in a few years. And, yeah, it’s such a hard golf course to play catch-up on. If you start to chase it around here, that’s when you start to make mistakes.
“But to be right up there and have the ability to stay patient because of the position I’m in, that’s a nice luxury I have over the next few days.”
He can thank a few timely shots down the stretch.
McIlroy sank an 8-footer for par at No. 16, holed a sweeping, downhill, 13-footer for par on the next green and then chipped to a couple feet to save another par on 18.
“It’s not always the birdies that stick out in your mind,” McIlroy said, calling those shots the highlights of his round. “Those three holes. Big for momentum. I don’t feel like I’m going out trying to get those two shots or whatever back (Friday) morning. I can just be relaxed going on to the first tee, not being too concerned about trying to get those birdies back. So, yeah, they were huge.”
The first time McIlroy had a chance for the Grand Slam at the Masters, he opened 71-71 and found himself 12 shots back because Spieth ran away with it.
“Obviously it was very benign for us coming in the last few holes,” McIlroy said. “I’m not surprised about (Spieth) at all. He loves this golf course. He plays well around here. He always has. And he’s going to be tough to beat this week.”
Tiger Woods’ first Masters appearance since 2015 was a bit of a let-down — he shot a 73, leaving him seven shots off the lead — but the four-time Augusta champion insisted that he’s still in the game.
Woods was encouraged by two birdies coming down the stretch.
“I could have easily let the round slip away from me, but I got it back,” he said. “And I’m right back in this tournament.”
Well, not exactly.
Only two players have come back from seven shots behind after the opening round to capture the green jacket. But one of them is Woods, who rallied from that daunting deficit to beat Chris DiMarco in a playoff for his last Masters title in 2005.
“I fought hard to get back in there, and I’m back in this championship,” Woods insisted. “There’s a lot of holes to be played.”
