How impressive Masters start for Rory McIlroy quickly unravelled at Augusta National

Heading down the 15th, the 35-year-old looked in total command of his opening round as he sat tied for second alongside reigning champion Scottie Scheffler on four-under-par.

Then came a moment that will no doubt give him nightmares, especially if his latest attempt at completing golf’s grand slam once again fails to get off the ground.

An over-hit chip from the back of the green gathered mometum as the ball hit the surface and ended up in the pond, resulting in the first blemish to his round - a double bogey on a par five the players relish.

McIlroy then followed up that costly error by three-putting on the par-four 17th, after his approach shot from the right-hand side rough slipped off the back an into the patrons sat behind.

The world number two managed to save par and face on the 18th after finding the pine needles on the right of the fairway. But while playing partners Ludvig Aberg (68) and Akshay Bhatia (70) will have taken great delight from their opening rounds, McIlroy will have been left kicking himself after letting slip such a promising position.

Rory McIlroy let’s impressive start slip from his grasp

It was looking so promising for the Holywood man until his costly third shot on 15 that ultimately saw his game dramatically unravel.

In the presence of two rising stars of the game, he looked the more likely to post a low score - even if Swede Aberg plays with a composure and style beyond his tender years.

A birdie at four was followed by back-to-back birdies at eight and nine, with McIlroy even narrowly falling short of an eagle on the par-five former that the Ulsterman easily makes in two each time.

A par on 10 had the huge gallery in attendance buoyed after he found the bunker, and the cheer McIlroy got at Amen Corner after consecutive pars on 11 and 12 will surely have given him belief that the patrons want him to complete the grand slam just as much as he does.

A fourth birdie of the day at the par-five 15th gave those presence a sence that something special was brewing on day one of the 89th Masters.

Then came the 15th hole of the day - one that ultimately knocked the stuffing out of McIlroy and had him on the ropes as his day drew to a close.

He’ll have been glad to have got back into the clubhouse at the end to take stock and assess his unexpected collapse.

Yet there’s not too much time to dwell on those two costly late holes and a position of tied-27th. There’s a quick turnround ahead, with McIlroy and Co back out on Friday at 9.58am (2.58pm BST) and a seven-under-par leader to catch in Justin Rose, who shot a 65 on day one.