Rory McIlroy at Masters 2015: Leaderboard Score, Twitter Reaction from Thursday

There aren't many bad things to say about Rory McIlroy's PGA Tour career up to this point. The lone blemish on his resume is the absence of a green jacket for winning the Masters, which the 25-year-old hopes to rectify this weekend at Augusta. He bounced back from a slow start to end the first round at one under par with a 71. 

After the round, McIlroy told Jay Coffin of Golf Central that the way he fought back from a sluggish beginning was a positive sign even though he can do better:

"

It could have been a round that got away for me. It was good to get into red numbers after Day 1, and I feel with the way I’m driving the ball, if I can keep doing that and just be a little more patient with my iron play and give myself more opportunities, I’ll hope to be right there at the end of the week.

"

It's no secret that Augusta has been a house of horrors for McIlroy. His collapse in 2011 is one of the legendary failures in all of sports in recent memory, though he quickly put it behind him with a win at the U.S. Open two months later. 

Last year was McIlroy's best finish at the Masters, as he tied for eighth at even par. He will need to do better than that to complete the career grand slam and win his first green jacket. 

For all the accolades and titles McIlroy has won already, it's clear that something about Augusta doesn't agree with him. He's actually said this is a course that gives him goosebumps, via Ian O'Connor of ESPN.

"I think the first tee shot is probably the only first tee shot of a tournament these days that I still get nervous at," McIlroy said. "The one that you get butterflies and your heart races a little bit faster than it does usually."

Now, that's certainly a product of simply playing on the hallowed greens at the most prestigious course in the country. But you can't help but wonder if past failures linger in his mind.

The good news is he began 2015's edition well, though Michael Connor of SportsTalk 790 in Houston did have some fun with score comparisons:

McIlroy's round started in unusual fashion. Per Jason Sobel of ESPN, the 25-year-old found a water hazard on the second hole:

I guess McIlroy deserves credit for sneaking his ball into such a small area, but the overall impact on his start was disappointing. Impressively, he was able to save par on the hole. 

However, per Kelly Tilghman of the Golf Channel, McIlroy's first hole was everything that you could hope for from the world's best player:

"

324 yard piped drive. Approach stuffed to 11 feet. Not a bad start to try to land a career grand slam at age 25. Rory McIlroy is underway.

— Kelly Tilghman (@KellyTilghmanGC) April 9, 2015"

Consistency is one thing that often gets talked about with McIlroy. He's able to do things that others simply aren't capable of, but he was erratic in three PGA Tour events prior to the Masters. His first two holes at Augusta are reflective of that. 

McIlroy's biggest problem early was hitting the green. He was hitting long shots off the tee, but Rex Hoggard of the Golf Channel noted his inability to get to the putter was costing him:

Fortunately, things turned around for McIlroy after that. He birdied the seventh hole to get back to even par and would stay that way for three holes before another bogey on the 11th. Yet just when things looked bad, the four-time major champion went birdie-par-birdie on three holes from 13 through 15. 

It's fitting that McIlroy would end Thursday at one under par, as that's been his score at Augusta after 18 holes in three of the last four years. He's certainly hoping for a different end result, but being in the red with 54 holes to play is a good first step. 

As Sobel noted, it was basically a day for McIlroy not to do anything crazy:

However, Justin Ray of the Golf Channel did note that recent history suggests McIlroy's first round won't be good enough for him to win:

McIlroy knows there will be low scores out there as the Masters continues. Most of the low scores today came from players with early tee times, such as Charley Hoffman and Justin Rose, so keep an eye on when he starts tomorrow. 

In the end, despite some sluggish early moments, McIlroy proved he's not going to be overwhelmed by Augusta. He may feel the nerves before the first tee, but greatness tends to prevail once you get into the swing of things. 

There are 54 holes left and no runaway favorites at this point. McIlroy's quest for a green jacket is off to a solid start.