The first round of the 2026 Masters Tournament is in the books.
The two stars of the show? Defending champion Rory McIlroy… and a very tough Augusta National.
Here are my five biggest takeaways from Thursday at the Masters.
1. Rory McIlroy looks relaxed and confident
The defending champion absolutely delivered in his first competitive round at Augusta since exiting 18th a year ago with a career Grand Slam. McIlroy had an uninspiring start but he made five birdies from 8-15 to post a fine 5-under 67 to share the lead with Sam Burns.
McIlroy put it very nicely, winning 2.34 shots on the green along with a great iron performance. After some injury concerns at Bay Hill, I wasn’t too happy with McIlroy coming into Augusta with the weight of being the defending champion – but he looks to be in great form again and is now the likely favorite to take another green jacket.
2. When Augusta plays this hard, veterans rise to the top
Of the 16 players who finished under par Thursday, only three were under 30—Burns, Scottie Scheffler and Jacob Bridgeman. Scheffler is the No. 1 player in the world and Bridgeman was probably the best player at the start of 2026.
Experience seemed to rule again as Augusta played tough with a score average of just under 75. The 36-year-old McIlroy led, with 38-year-old Jason Day (T3), 35-year-old Patrick Reed (T3), 39-year-old Shane Lowry (T6) and 45-year-old Justin Rosee (6) behind him.
We also saw 45-year-old Adam Scott play very late to make par, along with a surprisingly strong round from 46-year-old Sergio Garcia, both of whom are defending champions. Even 66-year-old Fred Couples was getting through one of the day’s rounds before a disastrous finish.
Augusta is playing hard and will likely get tougher with no rain in the forecast. Veterans are likely to benefit from this the most.
3. No need to worry, Scottie Scheffler is fine
Scheffler is still the best in the world. It was one CLINICAL day for the two-time Masters champion as he posted a 2-under 70 that could easily have been lower.
He got off to a strong start with an eagle on the second and then a two-putt birdie on the par-4 third hole. He didn’t make another birdie the rest of the day, but it wasn’t due to poor play.
Scheffler played his usual patient style of golf, hitting the fairways and greens and making it look easy while most of the field struggled late in the day in strong conditions. The player never caught fire, but Scheffler sits nicely on the leaderboard at T6, especially as he faces an early time tomorrow.
McIlroy, Burns and Reed will tee off later on Friday when Augusta usually plays tougher.
4. Rahm, DeChambeau and LIV players as a whole were the biggest disappointments
Many people expected big things from Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau this week. The two LIV Golf stars have been in terrific form this season and have had plenty of success at Augusta in recent years.
But they fought back Thursday, with Rahm posting a birdie-free 78 and DeChambeau a 76.
I’m still waiting for both to make the cut. Rahm had his third-worst day on the field, which surely won’t continue. DeChambeau was playing well before needing three shots to get out of a green bunker on the 11th hole, leading to a triple bogey.
It was a tough day for the LIV players, which could indicate that the naysayers, myself included, were right about a controversial start time. Everyone had two weeks off and a birding holiday in South Africa last time was not the best preparation for Augusta.
Of the 10 LIV players who faced off on Thursday, nine of them scored high scores, with only Garcia posting a 72 to lead the way.
5. And watch out for a former LIV golfer…
Anyone who doesn’t follow golf history as far as the greats might believe Reed is leading the way for LIV, but DP World Tour points leader — yes, Reed is long gone from LIV — got off to a hot start in the first round of the Masters.
He held the early lead after a front nine-31 before dropping a few strokes to shoot a 69 and sit T3.
Reed has talked about how much he’s enjoyed his schedule this year and the extra time off since leaving LIV, and it looks like it’s paying off after the first round. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the 2018 champion be a factor again at the weekend after finishing third last year.
What were your takeaways from day one at the Masters?
Let me know below in the comments.
Main photo caption: Rory McIlroy looked confident during the first round at Augusta National. (GETTY IMAGES/Andrew Redington)
