Live coverage from the first round of the 2026 Masters continued at Augusta National as Rory McIlroy began his title defence on day one at the season’s first major.
The latest updates from the course included the official leaderboard and ongoing live coverage as the opening round unfolded in Georgia. Readers were also directed to follow the event on Bluesky and to email Scott with thoughts and reactions.
Ortiz suffers a harsh start
One of the more difficult early stories came from Carlos Ortiz, who is making only his second appearance at the Masters and his first since 2021. The 34-year-old Mexican arrived in Augusta with a strong recent major pedigree after tying for fourth at last year’s US Open at Oakmont, a result that underlined his ability at the highest level.
But Augusta National was proving to be an entirely different challenge. Ortiz endured a very poor opening stretch, beginning with a drive into the creek down the left side of the second hole. He then fluffed a splash shot from a fairway bunker at the fifth, compounding an already difficult round.
His sequence through the first five holes was 5-7-5-4-6, a run that included three bogeys and two doubles. At seven over par through five holes, he was already facing a steep climb just to recover any momentum. Even a par at the sixth to stop the bleeding would only offer limited relief after such a punishing start.
A reminder of Masters history
The live blog also marked the 30th anniversary of a memorable Masters moment involving Greg Norman, a reminder of how Augusta National’s history continues to echo through the tournament’s present.
As the first round progressed, the focus remained on the wide range of fortunes on display in the field: title defences, major aspirations, and the unforgiving nature of Augusta. The Masters is known for exposing even the smallest mistakes, and Ortiz’s opening holes offered a clear example of how quickly the course can turn against a player.
With McIlroy’s defence underway and the first round still developing, the day at Augusta National was already showing the mix of expectation, pressure and unpredictability that defines the Masters.
