'Shocking' three-hole meltdown busts Rory's Masters charge
Rory McIlroy needs only a Masters green jacket to claim a career major grand slam, but a shocking stretch of holes late in the first round has him on the back foot.
Moderated by Tomas Kauer 
Rory McIlroy needs only a Masters green jacket to complete a career grand slam of majors.
And 14 holes into his first round on Friday morning (AEST), he looked as good a chance as ever to finally end his decade-plus major drought.
But then, as it has on so many occasions, disaster struck. On the par-5 15th, he hit his third shot long of the green and then chipped into the water. He made double bogey.
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He made a safe par at the 16th, before a second double bogey on the 17th. Again, he hit his approach shot long of the green, and then three-putted after a poor chip shot.
"Shocking," Curtis Strange quipped in commentary.
Playing in the biggest Masters field in a decade, McIlroy carded an even-par 72. He sits seven shots behind runaway leader Justin Rose.
Scottie Scheffler, Corey Connors and Ludvig Aberg are three shots back in a tie for second. Scheffler is trying to become the youngest player since Jack Nicklaus to claim three green jackets.
Jason Day leads the Aussie charge in a four-way tie for seventh, five shots back from Rose. Day made par on each of the first 11 holes, before finally draining a long birdie putt on the par-3 12th.
He made it two in a row on the par-5 13th, and would par the rest of the way home for his first bogey-free round at Augusta since 2023.
"I had a really good strategy out there," Day said. He has three top-five finishes at the Masters.
"I didn't get myself out of position too bad, and then when I did get myself out of position, I had a relatively easy up-and-down.
"Unfortunately, I just missed a few too many opportunities for birdies. But sitting at 2-under right now ... I'm pretty happy with it.
"The better you start, obviously, the easier it gets as long as you keep that level of play up. Very pleased with how everything went."
Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee are only a shot behind him in a massive gaggle of players at 1-under.
Smith said he didn't have his best game with him, but was still happy with his scores.
"It was a good grind today. I wouldn't say it was my best stuff out there (but) managed to kind of get it around and get a good score in," he told Fox Sports.
Cameron Davis and 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott endured difficult opening days at Augusta. Davis sits at 2-over, and Scott at 5-over.
Playing in his 40th Masters, 1992 winner Fred Couple turned back the clock and sits among the gaggle of players at 1-under.
Couples chipped in for birdie from left of the green at the first and spectacularly holed a hybrid from 175m for eagle at the 14th. After finishing with four consecutive pars, the 65-year-old signed for a tidy 71 that made him the second-oldest player to shoot a subpar round at the Masters.
The worst round of the day went to Nick Dunlap, who became the first player in a decade to card an 18-over 90 and the youngest ever to do it.
