'I knew I was feeling it' - Relief for Rory McIlroy as 'nerves' felt on first day of Masters defence

Reigning champion Rory McIlroy said it was nice to feel the nerves as he began his Masters defence.

The Holywood ace’s victory at Augusta National in 2025, a win that made him just one of six players to complete golf’s grand slam, lifted a huge weight off the world number two’s shoulders and ended 17 years of hurt and near misses in Georgia.

It also presented the five-times major winner with the freedom to enjoy his game more, rather than be burdened by expectation as his wait for not only a green jacket but also another major title intensified each year.

It’s fair to say many thought the relieving of that pressure would make McIlroy feel fundamentally different as he stood over his opening drive on the first tee at Augusta National on Thursday.

The Ulsterman himself even thought it might be possible after rewriting golf’s history books.

He was, therefore, delighted to feel the nerves kicking in as he prepared to get his 2026 Masters campaign under way.

‘I was nervous, I was anxious just like I always am on that first tee,’ admitted McIlroy.

‘It's the first round of major season, the first round of the 16 most important rounds of the year.

‘Yeah, I'm thankful that I felt the same as I always have. I think it would be worrisome if I didn't feel that way because it definitely still means something to me.

‘Look, we're playing the first major of the year. It's the Masters. If I felt absolutely nothing on that first tee, that's not a good sign.

‘So it was nice to feel my hand shaking a little bit when the tee went into the ground and struggling to put the ball on top of the tee!

‘I knew I was feeling it. That's a good thing. That's why we want to be here. We want to be able to try to play our best golf when we're feeling like that.

‘That feeling went away. It's not as if you feel like that the whole way around, but it was still nice to feel that on the first tee.’

McIlroy didn’t let the nerves overwhelm him as he posted an opening-round score of 67 to take a share of the lead into Friday with American Sam Burns.

A ‘scrappy’ start was transformed into an impressive beginning to his Masters defence as the 36-year-old registered birdies at holes eight, nine, 13, 14 and 15 to accompany the one he recorded on the second, which was immediately cancelled out with a bogey on the par three fourth.

McIlroy admitted, in the past, such adversity could easily have had a negative impact on his round at Augusta.

But if his 2025 Masters victory has changed anything, it’s given him the confidence to keep faith in his game.

‘I would say that I didn't hit the ball very well the first seven holes, and sometimes here that would lead me to get tentative and a little giddy,’ said McIlroy.

‘I kept swinging, though, just trusting that I'm going to find it eventually. So maybe that was a little bit different.

‘ I just trusted that eventually I'll start to make some good swings.’