Masters star cuts interview short and Rory McIlroy concern emerges | Golf | Sport
Rory McIlroy made a stunning start in his quest to retain the Masters title. The reigning champion is aiming to become only the fourth golfer in the tournament’s storied history to successfully defend the coveted Green Jacket. The 36-year-old sits joint top of the leaderboard alongside Sam Burns after both carded five-under-par during the opening round.
The duo are two shots clear of Australia’s Jason Day and American pair Patrick Reed and Kurt Kitayama, who are all tied in third place. While McIlroy pushes for an outright lead, several other big names endured a difficult day at Augusta National on Thursday. Two-time US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau had been widely tipped as a contender for the Green Jacket but ended the day four-over-par. After completing his round, DeChambeau appeared visibly irritated when fielding questions about his custom-made clubs. Here, Express Sport rounds up some of the most compelling headlines emerging from the Masters.
Rory McIlroy concern emerges
Former world No.1 Jason Day got off to a fine start at the Masters but admitted he was concerned by McIlroy already topping the leaderboard. The 38-year-old will have been satisfied with his opening round, yet Day was acutely aware of the challenge he faces in overtaking the defending champion.
“Obviously I’m looking at him right now because the leaderboard is staring me right in the face,” Day said. “He’s off to a great start defending the championship, the Masters.
“So, yeah, there is plenty of great golfers out there that you have to worry about as well. Not just him. And first and foremost you got to worry about yourself. Just make sure you’re doing the right things. If you can do that and execute the shots that you need to, then hopefully things should take care of themselves.”
Bryson DeChambeau shuts down question
Bryson DeChambeau abruptly ended an interview after suffering a disappointing opening round, which featured a triple-bogey on the 11th. He sits in joint 56th position and was confronted with numerous questions about his new 3D-printed five-iron following his round.
The 32-year-old revealed that the process takes roughly a day and a half to complete, although DeChambeau is still striving to master the technique. A reporter asked: “Would that be something you would want to do for the weekend?”
DeChambeau initially blew raspberries in response to the question before replying: “No. It has to be USGA-conforming. There’s a whole process you have to go through.”
He was then asked: “Can you tell us a little bit more about the process of making the 5-iron? Where was it made? Just a little bit of-” However, DeChambeau interrupted the reporter.
“That’s a longer conversation. It’s not for here,” he said. The two-time major champion refused to answer any further questions.
