Justin Rose grabbed the early lead after the opening round of The Masters, as Rory McIlroy saw his Grand Slam hopes suffer a big setback following a nightmare finish at Augusta National.
Rose charged up the leaderboard with eight birdies in a stunning seven-under 65, with his only dropped shot coming at the final hole, giving the former world No 1 a commanding three-shot advantage over Scottie Scheffer, Ludvig Åberg and Corey Conners.
Scheffler opened his title defence with a bogey-free 68 and Conners birdied three of the last four holes to also get to four under, with last year’s runner-up Åberg making it a three-way tie for second after a final-hole birdie.
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Scottie Scheffler made an impressive start to his Masters defence with a bogey-free 68 at Augusta National
McIlroy – searching for a first major win since 2014 – was on the same score with four holes left of his opening round, only to card two double-bogeys in a three-hole stretch – at the 15th and 17th – to stutter to a level-par 72.
The world No 2 is seven strokes back and outside the top 25, the seventh year in a row he has been six or more behind following the opening day, with the Northern Irishman now facing an uphill battle to claim the victory required to complete the career Grand Slam.
More to follow…
When is The Masters live on Sky Sports?
Sky Sports Golf will be showing record hours of live coverage from the 2025 contest, including more action over the final two rounds than previous years. Wall-to-wall coverage continues on Friday from 2pm, with Featured Group action and regular updates until the global broadcast window begins at 8pm.
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Scheffler reflects on his fast start to The Masters and his hopes for a third Green Jacket in four years
A new addition to this year’s coverage sees a Masters build-up show live from 3pm over the weekend ahead of full coverage starting at 5pm, covering all the action until after the close of play.
Sky+, Sky Q and Sky Glass will provide plenty of bonus feeds and allow you to follow players’ progress through various parts of Augusta’s famous layout, including Amen Corner and more.
Who will win The Masters? Watch throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the second round begins with Featured Groups on Friday from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
