The first round of The Masters 2026 got under way at Augusta National, with some of the tournament’s biggest names, including Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, among those in action as the opening day unfolded.
As ever, Augusta National quickly reminded players how demanding it can be. The course offered little margin for error, and the early stages of the round already produced a few signs of how difficult the day could become for those who found themselves out of position.
Carlos Ortiz struggles early
One of the more difficult starts belonged to Carlos Ortiz, who was making only his second Masters appearance and his first since 2021. The 34-year-old Mexican arrives with strong major-championship credentials after tying for fourth at last year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont, but Augusta proved harsh from the outset.
Ortiz’s round began badly with a drive into the creek down the left of the second hole. Later, he also fluffed a splash out of a fairway bunker at the fifth. Those mistakes left him with a sequence of 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 uphill battle, and even a par at the sixth did little to change the tone of the round.
For a player with the talent to contend in major championships, the opening stretch served as a reminder of how punishing Augusta can be when things begin to unravel. There is little recovery time on a course that rewards precision and punishes small errors quickly.
Augusta’s enduring difficulty
The Masters is built around those moments of pressure, and the first round again underlined why the tournament remains one of golf’s sternest tests. Players who miss in the wrong spots can find themselves fighting simply to avoid further damage, while the leaders often emerge by keeping mistakes to a minimum and taking advantage when opportunities arise.
That has long been the Augusta formula: patience, accuracy and composure matter as much as power. On a day when the opening groups were still settling in, the early leaderboard was already beginning to separate those who could handle the demands of the course from those who were paying for every lapse.
A notable anniversary
The day also carried a historical reminder, as it marked the 30th anniversary of Greg Norman’s famous Masters collapse. For longtime followers of the tournament, it was another moment to reflect on how quickly fortunes can change at Augusta National, where commanding positions have often disappeared in the space of a few holes.
As the first round continued, attention remained fixed on the marquee names and on whether the field could avoid the kind of early damage that can define a Masters week. With McIlroy and Scheffler among those under way, the tournament was only just beginning to take shape.
Official leaderboard updates and live coverage remained available as the opening round progressed.
