Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the fairway on the 15th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)2026-04-10T10:00:07Z AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Defending champion Rory McIlroy picked up where he left off a year ago.For a couple other big names at the Masters, just making the cut is no guarantee.McIlroy and Sam Burns enter Fridays second round tied for first after opening with 5-under 67s at Augusta National. Those within striking distance include past champions Patrick Reed and Scottie Scheffler, plus a few others who have come close here in Justin Rose, Jason Day, Shane Lowry and Xander Schauffele.Further back, a couple LIV Golf stars arent yet certain of making the weekend. Bryson DeChambeau shot 76 on Thursday, and Jon Rahm was two shots worse.Its a hard golf course, Rahm said. Some of the players might have been able to manage a respectable round, but when you have no feel with the swing whatsoever, its just not an easy one.McIlroy shot one of his best first rounds ever at the Masters, seemingly unburdened by the pressure of the years first major after finally winning it last year to complete the career grand slam. Afterward, however, he said gratefully that he still felt some nerves. I was anxious just like I always am on that first tee. Its the first round of major season, the first round of the 16 most important rounds of the year, McIlroy said. Im thankful that I felt the same as I always have. I think it would be worrisome if I didnt feel that way because it definitely still means something to me. Burns was at 5 under, and that matched his performance on the four par 5s: an eagle and three birdies. Read More By the end of Thursday, there were some ominous signs, including a dry forecast that could toughen up Augusta National. Aside from McIlroy and Burns, only three players shot in the 60s. The par-5 15th hole yielded the fourth-most birdies (21) on day one, but it was also the site of some of the days biggest blowups. Danny Willett, Fred Couples and Robert MacIntyre made quadruple bogeys there, and Reeds second shot went so far past the green it ended up in the pond thats famously part of the par-3 16th. With that hole playing a little bit downwind, even though it wasnt much wind, you had to land it a pace or two on the green at the most if you wanted to hold it with your second shot, Scheffler said. Stuff can happen quick around this place, and its really hard.Scheffler (70) was 3 under through three but didnt make another birdie the rest of the day. Hes tied with Rose, Schauffele and Lowry, all of whom have finished in the top three at Augusta National but have never won.Reed, Day and Kurt Kitayama shot 69.DeChambeau, Rahm, Viktor Hovland (75) and Patrick Cantlay (77) better get moving if theyre going to be relevant this weekend. MacIntyre (80) is in even worse shape after fuming through a back nine in which he sent an eagle putt clear off the green on No. 13 and shot a nine on 15.___AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf