Augusta, GA … Four-time Major winning Rory McIlroy should have finished with a three under par score had he not bogeyed the last.
However a sloppy bogey at the last where McIlroy found a greenside bunker with his approach shot into the last handed the current World No. 3 with a three under par 69.
“It was good and if someone had given me a 70 for the first day I probably would have taken it,” said McIlroy.
“The conditions were tough out there. They were tricky and it was tough to hole putts. The par threes were tough but I played the par fives the way I wanted to.
Rory McIlroy bogeys the last in a round of a two under par 70.
“I was a little bit disappointed with the finish and the loose shot on 18 but I just need to go out there tomorrow and try and get those two shots back as quick as I can and then stick to my game plan which is to take advantage of the par fives. If I can do that I won’t be too far away at the end of the week.
“It was one of my better starts at Augusta. I am in the top ten and as I said at the start of the week it’s important to make a good start. It would have been nice to have been a couple of shots better but I think 70 in those conditions was pretty good.
“I was a little angry coming off the 18th green but if I look back on it I hit some good shots, missed some opportunities and it could have been a bit better but I need to stay patient and realise that my score was good today and I am not too far behind the guys at the top of the leader board.”
The effort left McIlroy trailing just four shots behind World No. 2 and defending champion, Jordan Spieth.
