At Augusta, Scottie Scheffler soars, Rory McIlroy fades and Justin Rose leads

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Time stands still at Augusta National and change can be undetectable at the Masters. The color of the flowers lining the course, the manually operated leader boards telling the tournament’s story, and those greens, slicker than a bowling lane and less forgiving than an ex. Springtime in Augusta doesn’t particularly care what year it is.

One new mainstay, though – reliable, predictable and in many ways inevitable: Scottie Scheffler among the leaders, treating this tricky course like his second home. The defending Masters champion entered the tournament as the favorite and he did not disappoint in his opening round, shooting a 4-under-par 68 on Thursday. The bogey-free start left him tied for second and positioned perfectly as he pursues a third green jacket.

“I felt pretty good,” Scheffler said. “Any time you can keep a card clean out here, it’s a really good thing.”

As steady as Scheffler is here, the only other player in the field who stirs as much intrigue right now is Rory McIlroy. And as only McIlroy can, the 35-year old North Irishman spent most of the afternoon making shots and building hope. Could this be the week he finally completes the career grand slam and snaps that nasty streak of 38 consecutive majors without a win?

He cruised through his opening round and was near the top of the leader board at 4 under on his back nine. But disaster was waiting at the 15th hole, where his chip shot rolled off the green and trickled into the water. The double bogey there was deflating but the one he posted two holes later, completely devastating. McIlroy finished the day with a 72, tied for 27th and seven shots off the lead.

Only one golfer is ahead of Scheffler after the opening round – Justin Rose, twice the runner-up here. The 44-year old Englishman posted eight birdies en route to a 7-under 65 and was accompanied around the course Thursday afternoon by a rhythmic roar from the gallery. Canadian Corey Conners birdied three of his final four holes to post a 68, tying him with Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg for second.

“We all are running our own race as hard as we can,” Rose said. “… But you do notice Scottie on the leader board and you’re like, ‘That’s a great start for him.’ You know, he’s going to be tough from there for sure.”

Was anything more predictable? Scheffler is as talented with his irons as anyone on the planet and Augusta National seems tailored to his game in so many ways. Even though Scheffler isn’t enjoying the same hot start he had last year, his play – particularly his putting – has trended in the right direction in recent weeks.

“This is definitely the most prepared that I’ve felt all year,” he declared early in the week.

Scheffler managed to grab the spotlight right out of the gate, commanding a large gallery that erupted for each of his four birdies. On the par-3 fourth hole, he calmly drained a 62-footer that shook the trees across the course. He later rolled in a 42-foot birdie putt on No. 16.

“The golf course was in front of me most of the day,” said Scheffler, who needed only 26 putts in Thursday’s round, tied for seventh fewest on the day. “Kept the ball in play, did a lot of really good things out there.”

He’s not about to start talking about what Sunday’s final round might hold, just as he’s had little interest in reflecting on his previous two Masters titles, in 2022 and 2024. Among Scheffler’s biggest skills: He moves effortlessly past a bad shot, a bad round or a bad tournament. The good ones, too.

“I start the tournament even par just like everybody else. Last year doesn’t have a lot to do with this year,” he said.

Even though McIlroy has posted wins this season at Pebble Beach and the Players Championship, Scheffler, 28, is the favorite every time he drives down Magnolia Lane. His first Masters win showed he was a major champion; his second made clear he’s a star. A third green jacket – he’d join Jack Nicklaus as the only golfers to win three in a four-year stretch – would show staying power and separation, something the sport has lacked since Tiger Woods was in his prime.

“This is more than just a two- or three-year flush run,” said the Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner, “and we’ve seen that over the last 10 years. Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka – they all had flush sort of three- to four-year runs. If we think this is something more sustained – and I do – that these are Scottie’s prime years, then the win is coming. And it’ll be more than one win.”

Competing at his sixth Masters, Scheffler enjoys sending an early message to the tournament field. He posted an opening-round 66 last year, good for second place and setting the stage for a magical weekend. When he won in 2022, he opened with a 69 (tied for third), and in 2023 he opened with a 68 (tied for sixth).

“Anytime you get close to the lead, it’s going to be easier for you to win the golf tournament,” Scheffler said Thursday. “That’s a simple fact of the matter.”

McIlroy has not been a particularly fast starter here. In 16 previous starts, he only broke par seven times on the opening day. He hasn’t been below 70 in the opening round since 2018 – a year he managed to make the final group on Sunday but closed with a 74 and finished tied for fifth. He did not take questions from reporters following his round Thursday, opting to instead make a beeline for the driving range.

His late-round collapse Thursday was particularly tough to stomach because McIlroy had entered the week with heightened expectations, the world’s second-ranked player who appeared to be closing the gap.

“Rory has laid down a marker in 2025 to say to Scottie, ‘I’m here, I’m not going away, and maybe I’m coming for your No. 1 spot,’ ” Lerner said before the tournament. “Long way to go.”