Rory McIlroy's candid admission after getting off to flying start at The Masters

Defending champion Rory McIlroy insisted the nerves he feels every April at Augusta National remained despite his strong start to the 2026 Masters. 

The Northern Irishman, 36, enhanced his chances of becoming only the fourth golfer in history to defend the green jacket after firing an opening five-under 67 to share the lead with America's Sam Burns. 

McIlroy, who mixed six birdies with a lone bogey, was far from his best and only hit five fairways but produced moments of brilliance to save par when he was out of position and avoided a repeat of last year's late Thursday stumble. 

It is only the second time in his previous eight visits that the grand slam winner has begun the major under par. 

McIlroy and Burns lead by two shots from a group of three players on three-under. 

That trio includes former champion and ex-LIV Golf recruit, Patrick Reed, who slipped on the green jacket in 2018.  

Last year's runner-up, Justin Rose, closed with back-to-back bogeys but is still nicely position on two-under alongside world number one and pre-tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler. 

European Ryder Cup stars Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood are also inside the top 10. 

Major champions Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau endured forgettable days and are in danger of missing the cut. 

"I thought I would feel different," McIlroy told Sky Sports after his round. "But then I put my tee in the ground and I felt the same nerves I always feel."

McIlroy said his hands were shaking as he pegged up at 15:31 BST. 

"That's a good thing," he said. "That's why we want to be here. We want to be able to try to play our best golf when we're feeling like that.

"That feeling went away. It's not as if you feel like that the whole way around, but it was still nice to feel that on the first tee.

"It's the first major of the year and you want to get off to a good start. I feel like I settled into the round really nicely and quickly. 

"Wherever I hit it on this golf course, I feel like I've seen it all over the past 18 years so I feel like I can figure it out, make it to the front of the green, make a par and move on and I did that well on the front nine today. I started to find my game a bit on the back."

McIlroy missed the fairway with his opening drive but managed to save par. 

He put the first circle on his card at the next but dropped a shot at the drivable par-four third after leaving himself short-sighted with his tee shot. 

McIlroy remained on level par until he hit back-to-back birdies from the eighth. 

He made two consecutive pars at the 10th and 11th and was extremely fortunate at the iconic par-three 12th.

McIlroy's tee shot missed the green long and took a heavy bounce towards the flower bed, but it rolled back into the first cut. 

From there, McIlroy produced a stunning recovery shot and saved par. 

McIlroy took advantage of the par-fives again at 13 and 15 and also found another birdie at the 14th. 

He missed an opportunity for another birdie at the 17th and needed to scramble again at the last. 

McIlroy's tee shot found the fairway bunker but he found the putting surface and lagged his long birdie putt close. 

He added: "I said this when I came in on Tuesday, I think winning a Masters makes it easier to win your second one. I do. 

"It's hard to say because there's still shots out there that you feel a little bit tight with, and you just have to stand up and commit to making a good swing and not worry about really where it goes.

"But I think it's easier for me to make those swings and not worry about where it goes when I know that I can go to the Champions Locker Room and put my green jacket on and have a Coke Zero at the end of the day."

McIlroy said he has made a great start but there is a long way to go. 

"It's a lot better than starting from seven behind going into the second round like last year," he said. 

"I'm not getting ahead of myself but I'm feeling good with where I'm at."

McIlroy tees off in round two of the 2026 Masters at 18:44 BST on Friday alongside America's Cameron Young and young amateur Mason Howell.