FATHER FORGIVE ME!
WAYWARD RORY HITS HIS DAD AS MASTERS BID GETS OFF TO TRICKY START
RORY McILROY has given himself a mountain to climb after a first day of struggles at the Masters, which even saw him hit his dad Gerry with a wayward shot.
McIlroy did say in the build-up that he was on the start of a new golfing journey – on this evidence, it could be a rocky road before he gets back to his best, as the Northern Irishman carded a four-over 76.
On a day when Augusta really bit back – traditional firm and fast conditions making it unrecognisable from the course we saw during last November’s tournament – American Brian Harman and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama held the early clubhouse lead on three under.
But for McIlroy this was another day to forget at the majors. If he is to complete the career grand slam this weekend, it will now take something very special indeed.
He didn’t actually start too badly, with four straight pars. But then it all started to go wrong, with three successive bogeys.
On the seventh, he pushed his approach right, where it caught his father Gerry on the back of the leg. McIlroy senior quickly saw the funny side, saying: ‘I should ask for an autographed glove.’
His 31-year-old son, who has recently started consulting coach Pete Cowen on a formal basis, did birdie the long eighth hole, but then three putted the ninth to go back to three over.
He soon looked crestfallen when hitting shots into water on 11 and 13, dropping two more shots. But McIlroy did at least birdie 15 and finish with three pars.
Another man to struggle badly was Lee Westwood, who has been in such fine form on American soil in recent weeks.
Westwood just couldn’t get anything going, and finished with a six-over 78.
But Harman and Matsuyama had fine days, both making 69. Harman finished superbly with birdies on 13, 15 and 18. The highlight of Matsuyama’s round was an eagle on the par-five eighth. That pair were a shot clear of three more Americans, the 2018 winner Patrick Reed along with Will Zalatoris and Webb Simpson.
Englishman Paul Casey was at one stage on three under after an eagle on eight. But he found it much harder work after that
and finished with a 73. The defending champion Dustin Johnson made a 74, with the highlight him chipping in for birdie on the 11th. But he ended with a really disappointing double bogey six on 18. The 1991 champion Ian Woosnam emerged with real credit yesterday, making 76 despite playing with a pulled muscle.
The Welshman gave a valuable insight into conditions too, saying: ‘I went on that first green and thought, “What’s happened here?”. It looked like glass. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them have to put some water on the greens. This is about as fast as I’ve seen it.’