The first round of The Masters 2026 got under way at Augusta National with the usual mix of anticipation, pressure and early drama. Rory McIlroy began his title defence on day one, while the opening stretch also produced a rough afternoon for Carlos Ortiz, who found Augusta’s test as severe as ever.
Ortiz, the 34-year-old Mexican golfer, was making only his second appearance at the Masters and his first since 2021. His record in major championships has shown he is capable of competing at the highest level, including a tie for fourth at last year’s US Open at Oakmont. But Augusta National can expose even the strongest players, and Ortiz ran into immediate trouble.
His round quickly unravelled. A drive on the second hole found the creek down the left side, and he later fluffed a splash out of a fairway bunker at the fifth. The early damage added up fast, leaving him with a sequence of 5-7-5-4-6 across his first five holes. That included three bogeys and two doubles, a disastrous start by any standard.
At seven over par through five holes, Ortiz was already fighting simply to steady his round. Even a par at the sixth would do little to repair the damage or shift the mood after such a difficult opening stretch.
The first day at Augusta always tends to create its share of storylines, and this one was no different. While attention naturally follows the defending champion and the leading names in the field, the early holes can be unforgiving for anyone who loses precision off the tee or fails to recover cleanly around the greens. Ortiz’s opening holes were a reminder of how quickly the Masters can turn against a player.
The day also carried a nod to the tournament’s history, with this year marking the 30th anniversary of one of Augusta’s memorable moments. The reference served as another reminder that the Masters is as much about tradition and memory as it is about the current leaderboard.
As the opening round continued, the focus remained on how the leading players would handle Augusta National’s demands and whether McIlroy could begin his defence in a strong position. With the official leaderboard in motion and the first round still unfolding, the tournament was already producing the kind of pressure-filled moments that define golf’s most closely watched week.
The Masters rarely gives up low scores easily, and early mistakes can linger deep into the round. Ortiz’s struggles were a sharp example of that reality, while the broader competition was only just beginning to take shape.
