Ireland’s McIlroy, Spain’s Quiros take early lead at Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. – The flair of Rory McIlroy. The sheer power of Alvaro Quiros. These are but two of the fresh faces in golf who offered more evidence Thursday at the Masters that a new generation is on the way.
That’s only going to make it tougher on Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
The 21-year-old McIlroy, who opened with a 63 at St. Andrews last summer in the British Open, again delivered exquisite shots on one of golf’s biggest stages for a 7-under-par 65. It was such a clean round that he didn’t make a bogey and was left wondering how much lower he could have gone if not for missing five birdie chances inside 10 feet.
“It wasn’t maybe as exclusive or spectacular as the 63 at St. Andrews,” he said. “But it was very solid from start to finish.”
Then came Quiros, a 28-year-old Spaniard whom many consider the longest hitter in the game. Blasting away on a course where he had never shot better than 75, he spun an approach back to 3 feet on the 18th hole to catch McIlroy atop the leaderboard.
They had a two-shot lead over a pair of South Koreans, former PGA champion Y.E. Yang and K.J. Choi.
Mickelson and Woods, with six green jackets between them in the last decade, blended in more than they stood out.
Woods played in the morning in only a moderate breeze, ideal conditions for scoring. But he lost his way starting the back nine with consecutive bogeys, made only one birdie on the par 5s and had to settle for a 71.
“I would rather be where Rory’s at,” Woods said. “But, hey, it’s a long way to go. We have a long grind ahead of us. The temperature is supposed to warm up and I’m sure they will start making the pins a little more difficult as the week goes on. I’m right there in the ballgame. I’m only six back, and as I said, we’ve got a lot of golf ahead of us.”
Mickelson was far more erratic off the tee, hitting tee shots into the Georgia pines and spraying one so far into the azaleas left of the 13th fairway that he looked like he was on an Easter egg hunt as he searched for his ball. He hit only four fairways, last in the field of 99 players.
As always, his superb chipping kept him from dropping shots on three straight holes around the turn. His only mistake came on the 18th, when he hit his approach into the gallery left of the green and chipped too hard, missing a 7-foot par putt for a 70.
“I scrambled well today, but I let four or five birdie opportunities slide,” Mickelson said. “I’m going to have to capitalize on those opportunities to go low. I didn’t shoot myself out of it, but I didn’t make up ground on the field like I wanted to.”
The top Americans on the leaderboard were Matt Kuchar and Ricky Barnes at 68. Another shot back was a group that included former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, Brandt Snedeker and Sergio Garcia.
The good news for McIlroy was not only a great start to the Masters, but a great forecast.
Last summer in Scotland, the freckle-faced kid from Northern Ireland followed his record-tying 63 with an 80 when he got caught up in the blustery conditions of St. Andrews. He eventually rallied for a tie for third at the Open, and hopes he gained some experience.
“Obviously at the time, I was very disappointed to come off the course and shoot 80 after shooting 63,” McIlroy said. “But looking back on it, it was a very valuable lesson in my development as a golfer. It’s possible that I can go out and shoot another 65, but I know that it’s also very likely that I’m not going to do that.
“So if I do find myself in a bit of trouble, I’m going to have to stick in there, grind it out.”
PGA champion Martin Kaymer, the No. 1 player in the world, struggled again at the Masters and shot a 78.