Rory McIlroy Reflects on Strong Round 1 at 2026 Masters, Sharing Lead with Sam Burns

Rory McIlroy admitted that he didn't play his best golf during the first seven holes of Thursday's first round at the Masters, but the defending champion recovered nicely, shooting a 5-under 67 that left him in a first-place tie with Sam Burns.

"I think it took me a while to get to that point where, if I focus on the process and the little mini goals of not compounding errors, like today, hitting it in trees and trying to be a hero, making good decisions, thinking my way around the golf course," he told reporters. "I think those are the expectations I have for myself. And if I can live up to those expectations, then the scores and the results should take care of itself."

He added that winning the Masters last year and having that monkey off his back made it easier to focus on Thursday.

"There's still shots out there that you feel a little bit tight with, and you just have to stand up and commit to making a good swing and not worry about really where it goes," he noted. "But I think it's easier for me to make those swings and not worry about where it goes when I know that I can go to the Champions Locker Room and put my green jacket on and have a Coke Zero at the end of the day."

There's a lot of golf left to be played at Augusta National, but it's hard to imagine McIlroy getting off to much better of a start.