McIlroy has another reason to celebrate with his best Masters start in 15 years

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy has been celebrating all week at Augusta National as the defending champion, and on Thursday he found something else to savor — a 5-under 67, his lowest start at the Masters in 15 years to share the early lead with Sam Burns. McIlroy settled in after a slow start. He blistered a 3-wood out of the first cut over the hill and onto the green at the par-5 eighth to set up an easy birdie, a swing that brought a little more freedom the rest of the way. But then, nothing is more freeing than finally having a Masters green jacket. "I think winning a Masters makes it easier to win your second one. I do," McIlroy said. "It's hard to say because 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. "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 at the end of the day." Burns was among the early starters. He played the par 5s with three birdies and an eagle and wound up with his lowest score in his fifth Masters appearance. "Historically, people who have success here play the par 5s really well, and we were able to do that today. So it's a good recipe around this golf course," Burns said. The gorgeous blue sky and only moderate wind by Augusta standards had the look of a pleasant day for all, except the players know better. If the forecast holds, it could be the first Masters in 25 years without rain. That means firm greens, a fast course and frayed nerves. "I think this could be the toughest Masters we've played in a while," Shane Lowry said after a 70. "They can do whatever they want with the golf course this week. ... I think before the week is out, it's going to get very, very crusty around here." Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world trying to win his third Masters in five years, was among the late starters. He made an early statement. Scheffler rolled in an 18-foot eagle putt on the par-5 second hole, and followed with a driver on the 350-yard third hole that tumbled up the slope and onto the green, setting up a two-putt birdie from about 35 feet. He was 3 under through three, then completed the front nine with all pars without ever finding too much stress. Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion and a two-time winner on the European tour this year, was at 69 along with Jason Day and Kurt Kitayama. Reed was atop the leaderboard for so much of the day due to two eagles on the front nine that sent him out in 31. But he dropped a shot on the 10th, and then was flummoxed by what he thought was an ideal shot for his second into the par-5 15th. Such are the firmness of the greens that his shot hit hard off the back of the green, bounded down the slope and didn't stop rolling until it was in the pond on No. 16. "Water?" Reed asked his caddie as he looked toward the green. "It landed on the green." "That was a head-scratcher for me," Reed said later. "I didn't see that going that far, but if I have 7-wood or closer into that green — especially to that pin — I'm going to go for it every day. ... I knew if it went over the green, we would be fine. Didn't really think I was going to go 30 yards over the green." While the lack of a big wind made it manageable, Augusta National can still take a bite out of anyone. Bryson DeChambeau found that out on the 11th hole when he put his approach in the right bunker and it took him three to get out on his way to a 76. Patrick Cantlay had nine 5s on his scorecard, did not make a birdie and shot 77. Eight players already were at 80 or higher, including Aldrich Potgieter — among the longest hitters in golf — with an 84 in his Masters debut. McIlroy wasn't sure want to expect in his 18th appearance, his first as the Masters champion. Only twice had he started with rounds in the 60s, his best a 65 in 2011. That year, he went on to shoot 80 on the final day. There were still nerves. It's still Augusta National. "My hope was to get off to a solid start," he said. "I feel like the way I played, 5 under, exceeded where I thought I would be or what I wanted to do." ___ AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf