Rory McIlroy’s Masters Scorecard: Round 1 Rollercoaster for Favorite

Getty Rory McIlroy

The start to the 2019 Masters didn’t go quite how Rory McIlroy had surely hoped. And then it took a turn in the right direction, beginning a rollercoaster of an opening round for the 29-year-old. Things ended on a sour note, though, and while McIlroy has work to do in order to push atop the leaderboard, he’s certainly still within striking distance.

McIlroy wrapped up the day by shooting a 73, sending him to the clubhouse at one-over par. But how he got there was the real talking point, and we’re going to take a closer look at his opening-round scorecard at the Masters which featured his score jumping up and down throughout.

Rory McIlroy’s Masters Scorecard: Round 1

*Note: All scoring info courtesy of PGATour.com.

• Hole 1: Bogey (Par 5) +1
• Hole 2: Par (Par 5) +1
• Hole 3: Birdie (Par 4) E
• Hole 4: Par (Par 3) E
• Hole 5: Par (Par 4) E
• Hole 6: Bogey (Par 3) +1
• Hole 7: Par (Par 4) +1
• Hole 8: Birdie (Par 5) E
• Hole 9: Par (Par 4) E

Front Nine Score: 36 (E)

• Hole 10: Bogey (Par 4) +1
• Hole 11: Bogey (Par 4) +2
• Hole 12: Par (Par 3) +2
• Hole 13: Birdie (Par 5) +1
• Hole 14: Par (Par 4) +1
• Hole 15: Birdie (Par 5) E
• Hole 16: Birdie (Par 3) -1
• Hole 17: Bogey (Par 4) E
• Hole 18: Bogey (Par 4) +1

Back Nine Score: 37
Total Score: 73 (+1)

As seen above, McIlroy struggled on par 4s Thursday, shooting four-over on 10 of them while managing a birdie just once. On the other hand, he was able to shoot three-under on the four par 5s at Augusta, which was a good sign and saved his day overall. Beyond that, McIlroy remains just four strokes back of the leaders, which feature Justin Harding, Adam Scott and Jon Rahm all tied at three-under with the first day winding down (may change).

Rory McIlroy Closes as Favorite to Win Masters

McIlroy was the popular pick to win the 2019 Masters Tournament, and while it’s still very possible, he’ll need to post a few better rounds moving forward. As Odds Shark details, he was listed at +750, a decent amount ahead of the next-closest player in Dustin Johnson, listed at +1100.

Here’s a look at the top-10 in terms of odds to win the Masters prior to the action getting underway, courtesy of Odds Shark.

• Rory McIlroy +750
• Dustin Johnson +1100
• Justin Rose +1400
• Jon Rahm +1600
• Rickie Fowler +1600
• Tiger Woods +1600
• Justin Thomas +2000
• Tommy Fleetwood +2200
• Brooks Koepka +2500
• Francesco Molinari +2500
• Jordan Spieth +2500

McIlroy’s group which features Rickie Fowler and Cameron Smith will tee off as the final one of the day in round two at 2 p.m. ET. Just before them are groups which include Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm and Haotong Li (1:49 p.m.) and Tommy Fleetwood, Xander Schauffele and Gary Woodland (1:38 p.m.), per the PGA.

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