AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — A brief look at Thursday’s opening round at the Masters (all times EDT):
LEADING: Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns at 5-under 67.
CHASING: Patrick Reed, Jason Day and Kurt Kitayama were at 68.
FADING: Jon Rahm shot a 78, his highest score at the Masters.
SHOT OF THE DAY: Shane Lowry holed a wedge for eagle on the par-5 13th.
BEST DEBUT: Jacob Bridgeman holed a chip on the 18th for birdie and a 71, making him the only player among 22 newcomers to the Masters to break par.
WILD RIDE: McIlroy hit only five fairways. In the last 10 years, only Hideki Matsuyama in 2021 hit five fairways and still shot 67.
QUAD CITY: The 15th hole yielded three quadruple-bogey 9s and four double bogeys. It was the only par 5 to play over par.
KEY STATISTIC: McIlroy is the sixth defending champion to have at least a share of the 18-hole lead. Of the previous five players, only Jack Nicklaus in 1966 went on to win.
NOTEWORTHY: None of the 10 players from LIV Golf broke par. Sergio Garcia had the best score at even-par 72.
QUOTEWORTHY: “You might get a yellow jacket if you win.” — Justin Rose, referring to the yellow sheen on the greens with a dry, sunny forecast the rest of the week.
TELEVISION: Friday, 1-3 p.m. (Prime Video), 3-7:30 p.m. (ESPN).
ONLINE: https://masters.com/index.html
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