A jet in Augusta changes the mood. Justin Rose, already 44 years, without victories for more than two, lost in 39th position of the little significant world ranking, reached the masters without confidence. He seemed a player who had passed the glory, who caressed her especially in 2017, when Sergio García beat him a tournament that seemed for him.
And neither did it seem chosen when on a hot Thursday, with tolerable wind and very slow Green, I was going to take the third blow to hole 1. He had a putt ahead of 7 meters downhill. Of those who do not get. But he hit it with determination and entered through the center. It was the first Birdie of a sequence of three, which completely changed the rictus of the sympathetic English. “And seeing three low in the third hole launched me. I felt I was playing an excellent golf. When I saw myself in trouble, especially at the beginning of Hole 5, I emboked an excellent putt for par and felt it was my day.”
,
In Hole 10, before the amen corner, there was already six bass, a figure that shot eight with the eighth Birdie in the third barrage, when he linked two successes in the 15, which was not easy with the new Green, and on the 16th. In the last hole, in the forest where he lost the 2017 tiebreaker with Sergio, he returned to visit the trees. He had to get her out and the only Bogey of the day fell. “But it is not necessary to explain it,” said happy.
Mcilroy on the first day of the Masters
He threw 65 strokes as in 2021, the masters he led after the first 18 holes with four shocks and in which he finished seventh. Now there are three the difference that draws Scottie Scheffler, the only golf with Jason Day who played without errors, Corey Conners – a Canadian to put pepper now that the tariff war is – and Ludvig Aberg, the nordic who has the measurement like mantra, the Swedish lagom, and a wonderful stick speed. He plugged the first Birdie from outside and from Hole 12 grew to equal to four under par.
Aberg’s rise occurred in the section where many of those who had peeked out were clear, like the English Rai, which in 10 was in -4 and ended in two low torque. Or Colin Morikawa, three under a couple after the Eagle of the 13th and ended at the pair, such as Joaco Niemann, stubborn to play from the 13 (Par 5) stream that did not crowned and ended in Bogey. But none felt the rawness of Rory Mcilroy.
The European star has been winning a big one for more than 10 years. And in the Masters he has lived incredible collapses. None like 2011 when he threw 80 blows on the last day. In the skirts of the Green of Hole 15 it was three blows from Justin Rose, with four low par. And he played such an aggressive chip that he ended up on the lake on the other hillside. Double bogey. And two holes later, another bad Approach resulted in another double Bogey ugly. The Augusta National, definitely, is not his best field. He has only played in the first round twice below 70 blows and the last time was seven years ago. Nor the best psychologist finds an answer.