April 9 (UPI) -- Sam Burns and Rory McIlroy fired matching 67s through their first 18 holes of the 2026 Masters to share the first-round lead Thursday in Augusta, Ga.
Burns was the first player to card his 5-under at the 90th edition of the tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. He holed an eagle, in addition to four birdies and a bogey. McIlroy, the defending champion and No. 2 golfer in the world, later holed six birdies and a bogey en route to his 67.
"Great start to the week, obviously," McIlroy told reporters. "I felt like I got a lot out of my run today. It started pretty scrappy. I was hitting out of the trees a little bit the first seven holes, then started to string some good swings together from the eighth hole onwards.
"I played those last 11 at 5-under. I settled into the round nicely, even when I wasn't hitting fairways."
Burns, the No. 33 player in the Official World Golf Ranking, missed the cut at two of the last four editions of the Masters. He tied for 46th in 2025, when he fired a first-round 73. Thursday's 67 was his best career round at Augusta.
