McIlroy and Burns prosper but Fitzpatrick curses luck

So this is what Rory Mcllroy’s new normal looks like.

- Ewan Murray Augusta National

The defending championis footloose and fancy-free at Augusta National. Heisalso, quite plainly, no longer ofa mind to revel in the events of the 2025 Masters.Mcllroy has returned to Augusta, for so longa place that exacted psychological torture on him, to deliver an emphatic statement. The floodgates are wobbling. Ittooknotimeatall for his to become the name on Augusta lips once more.

Parallels between Mcllroy on day one at this major and his win 12 months ago are valid. In both instances he played swashbuckling, theatric golf (and not always from fairways). Rafa Nadal, anxious to watch every swing from the galleries, must have admired what he witnessed. After round one, Mcllroy is firmly on course to become only the fourth man to successfully defend at Augusta. Those who believed the 36-year-old’s history-making concluded with playoff glory over Justin Rose here may be sorely mistaken. This version of Mcllroy looks like an athlete with perfect comfort in sucha demanding environment.

By the time Mcllroy strode from the 18th green, he shared the lead with Sam Burns. A 67 was only one shot shy of the best first-round score by areigning Masters champion.

In the early stages of his day, Mcllroy had to scrap and scrape. By the 8th, where he drilled a glorious fairway wood from semi rough, he wasbackin the groove. Birdies there plus the 9th, 13th, 14th and 15th gave Mcllroy cause to beam. Par was saved at the last despite the finding of sand from the tee.