Rory McIlroy’s quest for an elusive first green jacket got a lot more difficult late on Thursday afternoon. And all it took was two bad holes.

McIlroy’s tournament got off to a terrific start as he turned in 33 during his opening round at Augusta National. He added a fourth birdie of the day at No. 13 to move to four under and looked in position to take it even deeper after finding the fairway at the par-5 15th. Then, disaster struck.

First, McIlroy’s approach was on line with the pin, but it bounded over the back of the green. From there, his pitch carried too much steam and rolled all the way into the pond. A drop, a pitch and two putts later, he walked off with a disappointing double bogey. But the damage wasn’t done.

On 17, another big bounce took McIlroy’s approach shot over the green again. And after a poor pitch, the four-time major champ three-putted for a second double bogey. He parred 18 for an opening 72 that puts him seven shots off Justin Rose’s lead.

For McIlroy’s longtime Ryder Cup teammate, it marked the fifth time he’s held at least a share of the first-round lead at Augusta National, breaking Jack Nicklaus’ record. However, Rory’s recent record here has been marked by slow starts. Just once in the past seven years has McIlroy shot under par in the first round.

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Rory McIloy’s chip from behind the 15th green rolled past the flagstick and into the water. He eventually made a double-bogey 7 – Stephen Denton

McIlroy, who entered the week as the second favorite to win behind World No. 1 and defending champ Scottie Scheffler, didn’t talk to media after his round. His second-round tee time is 9:58 a.m. on Friday.

The bad news for Rory? In the past 15 Masters, the winner has only been outside of the top four after the first round four times. McIlroy is currently tied for 27th place.

The (kinda) good news for Rory? His best Masters finish, a runner-up in 2022, began with a pair of 73s. And by far his best opening round, a 65 in 2011, only resulted in a T-15.

In any event, McIlroy’s margin for error the rest of the way if he’s to end that decade-plus drought in majors this week just got a lot smaller.

Main Image: Stephen Denton