It was widely held among specialist journalists that it would be extremely difficult for Rory McIlroy to get through the week at Augusta. The experience of the defending Masters champion can be exhausting. He arrived last Saturday to attend the ANWA live, was at the Drive, Chip and Putt on Sunday, played 18 holes with his father, hosted the champions’ dinner on Tuesday, the par‑3s on Wednesday… A lot of hustle, a lot of distraction, a lot of things that have little or nothing to do with preparing for a golf tournament of the Masters’ magnitude
However, against that journalistic prejudice was the intuition of Rafa Nadal, who told Ten Golf this Thursday that he was convinced McIlroy would do well after shaking off the anxiety generated by the need to win the Masters. Well, McIlroy (-5) carded a 67 on Thursday and went straight into the lead, tied with Sam Burns (-5). It seems someone who has won 22 Grand Slams and has been in the same skin as Rory knows much more about the matter than some seasoned scribes
Rafa’s intuition has proved accurate and brilliant. Rory played very solid golf, was excellent around the greens and deployed the classic Augusta playbook, the one that says you must survive and take advantage of the par 5s. McIlroy made a single bogey at the 3rd, carded four birdies on the four par 5s and added two more at the 9th and the 14th. By the way, the one at the 9th was very similar to the putt he holed in the final round of 2025 and which he himself says was where he began to win the Masters
From Rafa’s intuition to the magic of 58. David Durán discussed it on Ten Golf’s Bola Provisional last Monday. To date, the Masters has produced 57 first‑time winners. That is, this 90th edition is looking for number 58. It seems the magic is working. The caddie wearing number 58 this week (they are assigned strictly by order of registration in the tournament, except number 1 which always belongs to the defending champion) is Sam Burns’s. Of course, Burns has never won at Augusta, in fact he has never won a Major, although he came very close last year at the US Open. The Masters has only just begun, but the magic of 58 is already showing
Burns played pinpoint golf in a round that was by no means easy, although the wind never really came up. He only missed two greens and hit eleven of the fourteen fairways. That is, practically, playing like clockwork, especially if we bear in mind that that dual task, hitting fairways and finding greens, is particularly difficult when the surface is as firm as it is this week. His game plan, in any case, is similar to McIlroy’s. There’s not much mystery to it. His record on the par 5s was -5, with three birdies and an eagle. His other birdie came in the mythical heart of Amen Corner
McIlroy and Burns already have a two‑shot lead over the next‑placed players. Packed there, among those who have finished their rounds, are: Kurt Kitayama (-3), Jason Day (-3) and Patrick Reed (-3). Also finished under par are Shane Lowry (-2), Xander Schauffele (-2), Haotong Li (-1), Nick Taylor (-1), Tommy Fleetwood (-1) and Brian Cambpell (-1). Under‑par rounds are scarce. Augusta is playing tough
