AUGUSTA — Rory McIlroy was right where he wanted to be deep into his first round of the Masters. And then he wasn’t.
McIlroy, who is attempting to complete the career Grand Slam with a victory at Augusta National, was 4 under par through 14 holes, tied for second, and in position to get closer to leader Justin Rose.
But a horrific stretch of two double bogeys in three holes dropped him back to even par, seven shots back, in a perilous position heading into the second round.
Only two times—both by Tiger Woods—has a player gone on to win the Masters over the past 20 years after finishing the first round outside of the top 10. McIlroy is tied for 27th.
McIlroy declined to speak to reporters afterward and headed for the practice area.
The No. 2-ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking, McIlroy, 35, came to Augusta National with even more hype than usual as he had won twice on the PGA Tour this year for the first time going into the Masters.
His victories at Pebble Beach and the Players Championship along with some strong worldwide play over the past six months suggested this might be his year.
And McIlroy was seemingly doing exactly what was necessary.
He made birdies at the 3rd, 8th and 9th holes to shoot 33 on the first nine, then added another birdie at the 13th to get to 4 under par.
But the round unraveled at the 15th, where in 58 previous rounds McIlroy had made a single double bogey—during the third round in 2013.
McIlroy hit his approach from 241 yards over the green, leaving himself just 60 feet to the pin. But he hit his chip shot too hard and saw it land on the green and roll into the pond fronting the green.
He went to the drop area, wedged on and two-putted for a 7.
“It’s a new green, so it’s really firm already,” said Akshay Bhatia, who played in the group along with McIlroy and Ludvig Åberg. “It’s a very good risk-reward hole. If you lay up you’re almost trying to make 5 for that flag.
“If you go for it and you have a decent chip like Ludvig, you still have to execute the chip. It’s a really good hole. It’s an interesting kind of decision you have to make, because if you lay up you’re off a downslope to a pretty shallow green.”
At the 17th, McIlroy was over the green in two shots, then chipped long and three-putted.
Just like that he had given up four shots in just two holes and needs to regroup Friday morning with a 9:58 a.m. tee time.
More Masters on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Late Collapse Costs Rory McIlroy in Opening Round at Masters.
