ESPN.com · Apr 11, 2025
Justin Rose needs just 22 putts, leads Masters by three shots
Copy Link
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Justin Rose managed to steal the attention away from Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in the Masters by matching his personal best at Augusta National with a 7-under 65 for a three-shot lead Thursday in the first major of the year.
Scheffler did his part in his bid to win a third Masters green jacket in four years, playing a bogey-free round of 68.
McIlroy, so desperate to win this major and complete the career Grand Slam, was right there with him until the end. He took a pair of double bogeys late in the afternoon with careless mistakes and had to settle for a 72. It was the seventh straight time he failed to break 70 in the opening round of the Masters.