2025 Masters takeaways: Rory McIlroy will not be totally different in spite of everything, Ludvig Åberg flashes maturity at Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. — There was a second within the second spherical of the 2024 Masters the place Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy stood mere ft aside in a literal sense. They had been worlds aside within the figurative sense. Up on the hill on No. 11 peering down on the floor under, the 2 stood as wind whipped round Amen Nook amid a crispy, crusty day of inauspicious scoring.

Scheffler flighted his strategy to the fats of the inexperienced and walked away with par. McIlroy’s try ballooned into the excessive heavens; he may solely watch because it sunk to a watery grave, his inexperienced jacket possibilities together with it. McIlroy went on to signal for a 77. Scheffler went on to say his second inexperienced jacket in three years solely a pair days later.

McIlroy stood atop that very same hill Thursday amid a leaderboard that was then topped by the identical man. Solely a yr faraway from his newest disappointing begin to his Masters quest, McIlroy regarded worlds other than that model of himself … till he didn’t.

Whereas Augusta Nationwide is stuffed with blissful reminiscences for some, nightmares for others, what is usually forgotten about is who it might probably flip you into. What it might probably make you assume. What it might probably make you do.

That model of McIlroy was seemingly lengthy gone — no less than that is what the primary three months of the 2025 season prompt. It reappeared Thursday night on the worst of instances.

The Northern Irishman opened his 2025 Masters with an even-par 72 to take a seat seven strokes behind first-round chief Justin Rose. On paper, the rating truly improves his first-round scoring common throughout his profession grand slam quest and marks simply the third time since 2018 that he has carded a spherical of par or higher on a Thursday. 

However this sport is not performed on paper, particularly because it relates McIlroy on the Masters.

The four-time main champion acquired as deep as 4 below and regarded as if he may do no fallacious. Delivering 3 below, he navigated Amen Nook in knowledgeable style because of a gorgeous flighted mid iron from atop the hill on No. 11 and a wise sawed-off brief iron on the devilish subsequent.

He let his distance do the speaking across the bend on the par-5 thirteenth and cemented throughout that brief three-hole stretch that his sport is not what it was in his final 10 strolls round Augusta Nationwide. The bodily instruments are totally different. The course administration much more so. The gradual begins out the blocks gone with them.

After which the mess ensued. After three hours of reminding us what Rory McIlroy is able to doing to Augusta Nationwide, we had been reminded what Augusta Nationwide can do to Rory McIlroy.

An image good first 14 holes became a morbid piece of artwork in a span of half-hour. The comb strokes had been not mild and free flowing however stuffed with angst, violence and ideas of the previous. Though the canvas remained pristine, the artist was not the identical.

Standing within the fifteenth fairway, McIlroy held agency at 4 below. Strolling off the 18th inexperienced, he slumped to even.

After placing his strategy into the par-5 fifteenth onto the inexperienced and watching it roll over the again edge, McIlroy will need to have been pondering 4. As an alternative, he was met with a seven as he chipped his third into the water and didn’t rise up and down for bogey from the opposite aspect of the water.

Some harm was carried out, certain, however nonetheless standing at 2 below, McIlroy was removed from out of body. And he should have an opportunity — in all equity — nevertheless it certain felt like his match washed away after what transpired on the seventeenth.

Discovering the primary minimize off the tee, McIlroy came upon why many recommend to not miss lengthy of that inexperienced. His strategy landed previous the again pin location and careened under the floor past. An aggressive chip was struck with an excessive amount of mustard; his par try the identical. The putt trickled 6 ft previous. It led to a six and one other double bogey.

A par on the final put the ending touches of McIlroy’s disappointing day that resulted in a rating almost two strokes higher than the sector common. Most tournaments, he would discover solace in that. He would take the nice with the unhealthy and know there are nonetheless 54 holes to go. This 2025 model of himself can chase anybody down from seven again. This model of Rory is totally different.

However on the Masters? At Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership? With an opportunity to finish the profession grand slam?

Perhaps, this is not that Rory.

Rose rolls again the clock

Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Participant mixed to win 13 Masters. None of them led or co-led after the primary spherical as many instances as Rose, who now has the match file with 5 such benefits. The Englishman was merely sensational round Augusta Nationwide on Thursday — significantly on the greens the place gained over 5 strokes on the sector as he reached 8 below in his first 16 holes earlier than a blemish on the final.

Rose has carried out nearly all the things however don that inexperienced jacket. The primary-round leads are notable, sure, however the playoff with Sergio Garcia in 2017 involves the highest of the thoughts. He is aware of the way to plod his method round this property, and he is aware of his sport remains to be ok to win a significant championship at age 44.

Whereas the alternatives could also be fewer, as Rose admitted following his spherical, what’s most essential is that they’re nonetheless coming. The previous U.S. Open champion contended not in a single however two main championships final yr highlighted by the runner-up consequence to Xander Schauffele in The Open Championship at Royal Troon.

Does the closing window add extra strain … or does it add extra appreciation?

For Rose — the main winner, the previous world No. 1, an proprietor of an Olympic gold medal — he says it is all upside from right here.

“I feel you at all times really feel self-pressure so as to add extra for certain. I do really feel that I may make a press release with how nicely I performed the again finish of my profession,” Rose mentioned. “That is a terrific alternative, although, for me, not strain. I feel to reply your query, yeah, I see all of it as upside now. I feel my résumé is properly rounded out. There’s a number of huge obtrusive gaps. Clearly three main championships I have not gained. Perhaps a Gamers Championship as nicely. 

“So, there’s tons of alternative to do issues I have not carried out earlier than, however the main headlines are form of all in place for me. So, I ought to use that as freedom to take these alternatives and use them to form of freewheel and use all of it as upside.”

The champ is right here

Augusta Nationwide loves its previous champions, and that would not have been made extra obvious following Scheffler’s opening 68 Thursday morning. Methodically selecting his spots, realizing when to ease off the fuel and belief a unique space of his sport, the world No. 1 made his 4-under efficiency appear like the best attainable rating he may have signed.

The patrons authorized.

To sound like a dad making a nasty joke, it was masterful, and it has positioned him to do what few have ever carried out earlier than. Scheffler seeks to grow to be the primary golfer since Tiger Woods and the fourth ever to go back-to-back at Augusta Nationwide. He additionally appears to affix Jack Nicklaus and grow to be the second participant to slide on the inexperienced jacket 3 times in a four-year window.

“It is humorous as a result of this can be a golf course the place there’s loads of alternatives,” Scheffler mentioned of being near the lead. “There’s loads of alternative over the weekend. There’s loads of alternative on Sunday with the place they put the pins. I am a bit shocked that it is like that, however I would not say that it might probably’t be carried out.”

Å boy, right here we go once more

Ludvig Åberg’s demise could have been vastly exaggerated. Ending runner-up in his debut at ANGC final yr, the Swedish famous person got here into this yr’s match a far cry by way of kind however clearly not in confidence. Recent off two missed cuts, Åberg didn’t miss a beat in his opening chorus. 

He performed his first 11 holes in even par after which caught fireplace down the stretch. Åberg hit lovely feelers into each Nos. 12-13 to arrange birdies and acquired up-and-down from simply lengthy of the floor amid McIlroy’s demise and shortly after Patrick Cantlay did the identical. The birdie on the final served as a superb reminder: This child is totally different. (Calling him child could also be disrespectful at this level.)

“Augusta is a spot the place expertise performs a giant position and type of know the place to depart it,” Åberg mentioned. “I am certain we’ll see some totally different winds and pins to final yr in order that will probably be extra within the type of expertise financial institution, if you’ll. Yeah, trying ahead to get some extra expertise on the golf course, and taking part in on this match on this venue is at all times a deal with.”

Hatton or Hat-off?

The grouping of Tyrrell Hatton, Jordan Spieth and Tom Kim trundled up the brief par-4 third with various levels of stress. Speith was fidgeting (so par for the course), Kim was lumbering alongside after his tee shot rolled up and bounced towards a spotter’s shoe. Hatton had regarded as if he had simply acquired the worst information of his life as his hat was eliminated and he was rubbing the highest of his head.

That information turned out to be a 1-under begin. 

The Englishman continued to hold his cap in hand between photographs, and it continued to work out for him. A yr after lamenting concerning the setup and the situations (so par for the course, like Spieth), Hatton has a terrific alternative after a gap 69 to beat his manufactured demons.

“I do not know if I’ve labored on my endurance. I feel it simply relies upon what aspect of the mattress I get out of, if I’ve a little bit bit or none, Hatton mentioned. “Clearly, at this time was a superb day — drove the ball fairly nicely, which in years passed by is one thing that I’ve struggled with. Final yr, obviouslym was my greatest end, and I mentioned that week I felt like I could not have pushed the ball a lot better than what I did.

“It was good to go on the market at this time and play a fairly stable spherical. Naturally, I am disenchanted with making bogey on 17. I do not really feel like I did an enormous quantity fallacious there. However I feel that is form of this place, as nicely. You do not actually need to do something fallacious to drop photographs. Yeah, as I mentioned, a little bit bit disenchanted with that, however glad to shoot one other spherical within the 60s.”

The Huge One

The primary-round chief a season in the past, Bryson DeChambeau is again at it once more. Whereas it was not the 65 from 2024, his opening 69 places him proper within the thick of it. He was removed from a one-trick pony, too, which ought to draw confidence to DeChambeau’s camp as he gained all through the bag and stays exhausting at work because the final man on the follow space Thursday evening.

Whether or not rain falls heading into Friday morning will not be a giant deal for some, nevertheless it could possibly be notable for the two-time main champion. He noticeably struggled on and across the greens in the course of the weekend of final yr’s championship. With gamers already commenting that is as agency, quick and slick they’ve seen this place on Thursday, any moisture within the greens — though it will likely be a distant reminiscence come late Saturday and into Sunday — performs into DeChambeau’s arms.