Rory McIlroy has placed the field on early notice after setting scorching-hot Augusta National ablaze with an ominous start to his Masters title defence.
Bidding for rare back-to-back triumphs, McIlroy laid down a marker with an opening five-under-par 67 to be the first defending champion since Jordan Spieth a decade ago to capture at least a share of the first-round lead.
"I felt like I got a lot out of my round. It started pretty scrappy," said the world No.2 who sits atop the leaderboard with American Sam Burns.
