McIlroy and Burns Share the Lead at -5 After Round 1 of the Masters; Day, Reed, and Kitayama Two Back

Masters Tournament 2026 Round 1 begins today. AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns share the first-round lead at the 2026 Masters Tournament at 5-under par, two clear of Jason Day, Patrick Reed, and Kurt Kitayama at -3. The numbers show Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, and Shane Lowry sit at T6 at -2, with Tommy Fleetwood and a group of six players one further back at -1.

Thursday morning at Augusta National started cold and breezy, with temperatures at 46 degrees and a northeast wind at 10-15 mph off the first tee. That matters because Conditions warmed slowly through the afternoon, reaching 72 by early evening with the wind easing to 7-12 mph from the ENE. Nevertheless, Players who teed off late in the afternoon caught softer air and warmer temperatures — a meaningful advantage on a day when the cold and breezy morning made Augusta National play every bit of its length.

Notably, before diving into the round, check out our Masters Tournament preview for full pre-tournament context, and Tuesday’s market watch for how the odds shifted heading into the week.

Round 1 Leaderboard

Masters Tournament 2026: What Happened in Round 1

The Co-Leaders

McIlroy and Burns each went out and did what Augusta National rewards most — attacked the par 5s and kept bogeys off the card. As a result, both ranked in the top six in SG: Approach for the day, and both gained strokes in every category. Of the 91 players in the field, no two players posted a better total strokes-gained number than this pair. The course played difficult for the morning wave, and yet both of them handled the cold, breezy conditions without flinching.

T3: Day, Reed, Kitayama

Jason Day reached -3 in his 50th round at Augusta National — good for his 11th round in the 60s on this course. Furthermore, day’s path to the number was different from the leaders above him. Instead, his SG: Approach came in at +0.67 (34th), but his SG: Putting was +3.25 — fourth best in the field. The putter carried him Thursday. Day averages 71.88 at Augusta across 14 starts with eight top-10 finishes, so this leaderboard position is not a surprise.

Patrick Reed — the 2018 Masters champion — opened with a birdie-eagle on holes 1 and 2, making him the sixth player in Masters history to start that way. Most recently, Sam Burns and Sam Bennett both did it in 2023. Meanwhile, Reed’s round mirrors Day’s statistically: irons were fine but not elite, while putting was exceptional. His SG: Putting of +3.52 ranked second in the entire field Thursday.

T6 and the Bubble

Four major champions sit at -2: Lowry, Schauffele, Rose, and Scheffler. Notably, Scheffler’s -2 extends a streak of six consecutive opening-round scores of 70 or higher in his last six TOUR starts. As a result, Scheffler is still right in the mix, but he has not looked like his dominant 2024 self early in events lately.

Rose acknowledged the patience required at Augusta. “Every hole you’re just being patient through experience, knowing that grinding out the pars is a good thing,” he said. At the same time, Rose’s seven top-10s in 20 starts here — including a runner-up in 2025 — confirm he understands this course better than almost anyone.

Tommy Fleetwood leads a six-way tie at T10 at -1. Also in that group: first-time Masters competitor Jacob Bridgeman, the best result among 22 first-time players in the field. Still, Fellow first-timers Kristoffer Reitan, Ryan Gerard, Sam Stevens, Michael Brennan, Ben Griffin, and Chris Gotterup — the only player in the field with multiple TOUR wins this season — are all at even par, one back of Bridgeman.

Who Will Miss the Cut

As a result, Several notable names are in early trouble and will need significant moves Friday to play the weekend.

Naoyuki Kataoka sits at +12 after Round 1. At a course that typically cuts around even par or better, that position is nearly unrecoverable. Because of this, Jose Maria Olazabal is at +2, which keeps him within range but only barely. On the flip side, Similarly, Mason Weir (+9), Brandon Holtz (+9), and Mateo Pulcini (+9) are all but eliminated barring extraordinary rounds Friday. Jackson Herrington (+4) and Mason Howell (+5) have a slim mathematical chance but will need to post something in the mid-60s just to reach the weekend. None of them carry the Augusta track record that would suggest a run like that is likely.

What We Learned

The Course and the Conditions

Thursday at Augusta National played demanding. The morning cold and northeast wind made the long par 4s — particularly Holes 11, 5, and 10 — even more punishing than their already-difficult averages suggest. Meanwhile, Hole 11, the toughest hole on the course in 2025 at 4.240 average, and Hole 5, which averaged 4.324 last year, both reward accurate iron play above all else. Kitayama’s iron dominance and McIlroy’s elite approach numbers explain a lot about where both players sit tonight.

Par 5s Separated the Field

Burns said it plainly — the par 5s are the key at Augusta. Most importantly, Holes 8, 13, and 15 are the three easiest holes on the course. Players who converted those opportunities gained ground. Players who did not fell back. That theme will continue through all four rounds. Additionally, the fact that only two players reached -5 suggests Augusta played firm and fair Thursday, not soft and scoreable.

History Favors the Top 10

In 18 of the last 20 Masters Tournaments, the eventual champion was inside the top 10 after Round 1. The two exceptions were Tiger Woods in 2019 (T11) and McIlroy himself in 2025, when he was T27 before winning. That makes the current leaderboard meaningful — most of the eventual winner is already in this list. However, Scheffler’s path from T6 at -2 is supported by a 70.33 scoring average across six Masters starts and two green jackets. That history does not disappear because of one average opening round.

Round 2 Preview — Masters Tournament 2026

The Setup

Friday at Augusta National should play differently. The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies, a high of 79 degrees, and winds shifting from ENE to southeast at 5-10 mph. That is softer than Thursday’s breezy, chilly morning conditions. Lower scores are likely Friday, and the players who tee off in the afternoon will have the warmest, calmest conditions of the week.

McIlroy and Burns will tee off as the co-leaders and will draw the most attention. Furthermore, Scheffler, despite sitting three back, carries the most upside of anyone in the T6 group. Beyond that, his SG: Off the Tee of +2.74 ranked second in the field Thursday — when the driver starts and the irons follow, Scheffler at Augusta is as dangerous as anyone alive. His putting was below average Thursday at -0.34, and even a modest improvement there gets him back in the conversation quickly.

Players to Watch

Kitayama’s irons were the best in the field Thursday. However, his tee-to-green reliance on iron play over driving distance at Augusta could become a factor on the longer holes Friday. Still, +5.01 in SG: Approach is not a one-hole fluke — that is a full-round statement.

Furthermore, Tommy Fleetwood at -1 is easy to overlook at T10, but his T3 at the 2024 Masters and his 72.00 scoring average here suggest he handles Augusta competently. His numbers across the board Thursday were solid — approach, tee shots, and putting all in positive territory.

For full updated projections heading into Friday, visit the BetTheRent Projections page.

Things to Watch Friday

Will McIlroy’s iron game hold up on faster greens? Thursday’s conditions softened the approach game. As Augusta dries out Friday afternoon, greens will firm and holding approach shots gets harder. McIlroy’s +2.99 in SG: Approach was elite — repeating that on tighter surfaces is the question.

Can Burns sustain a -5 pace with limited Augusta experience? His career scoring average here is 73.67, and he has made the cut just twice in four tries. Burns played above his Augusta history Thursday. Whether that holds Friday determines whether this is a breakout week or a regression.

Is Reed’s putter repeatable? Reed ranked second in SG: Putting Thursday at +3.52. However, a massive one-day putting gain often regresses. If the putter cools Friday, Reed’s iron play alone may not keep him near the top.

Will Scheffler’s flat start become a problem? He has opened with 70 or higher in six straight TOUR events. At Augusta, his 70.33 career scoring average suggests he finds lower numbers as the week goes on. Still, Sitting three back of the leaders after 18 holes means Friday is already a must-move day.

Player Spotlight: Kurt Kitayama

Kitayama entered this week having made just one top-10 in 17 prior major championship starts — a T4 at the 2023 PGA Championship. In practice, his Augusta record heading into this week was modest: one cut made in two starts, a best of T35, and a scoring average of 74.33. On paper, nothing pointed toward a top-3 position after Round 1.

Nevertheless, Kitayama led the entire field of 91 players in SG: Approach Thursday at +5.01. That number is not just good — it is the kind of iron-play performance that wins at Augusta National. His putting backed it up at +2.96, ranking seventh. The only area where he did not gain strokes was off the tee, at +0.07 — essentially neutral.

Also worth noting: Kitayama and Burns are the only two players in the top 3 who have never won a major championship. Notably, if either of them holds on through Sunday, it will be a first major title. For Kitayama specifically, Friday will be the test. Can the irons stay sharp when Augusta’s greens firm and the pressure of contending at a major sets in? The data from Thursday says he has the game for it. His history says the sample size is still small. Round 2 will tell us which version is real.

In 18 of the last 20 Masters Tournaments, the champion was inside the top 10 after Thursday. Still, every name needed is already on this leaderboard. For deeper context on how this week’s numbers fit the bigger picture, see our predictions. Follow live scoring at the PGA Tour leaderboard. Full model data at DataGolf.com.

Projections powered by DataGolf data.