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It was all going so well forRory McIlroyas well until two double bogeys in the last four holes sent him tumbling down the leaderboard.

The Northern Irishman decided to skip post-round media and instead went straight to the practice area.

Still it has been quite a day forEngland's Justin Rose and ominously world number one,Scottie Scheffler is in hot pursuit in a trio three shots back.

Earlier in the first round, Fred Couples became the second-oldest man to shoot under par at the Masters - and only by a month from Tom Watson!

At 65, the 1992 Masters winner turned back time majestically with this frankly ridiculous shot from 191 yards and finished one under par.

That's basically better than world number two Rory McIlroy, number three Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa, who is fourth in the rankings..

Last year, he shot 80 and 76 on his way to missing the cut.

He's in with a shout of the weekend this time round.

Just the group containing Sahith Theegala, Sepp Straka and Sam Burns to come now.

None of the trio are threatening the top of the leaderboard mind.

It has largely been a frustrating day for Jon Rahm but an inventive shot from the right greenside bunker on the 18th, aiming miles right of the pin, helps him restrict the damage at least, as he walks off with a par.

Tommy Fleetwood also ends with a par and it is a one-over 73 for the Englishman.

The last few players finishing off their first rounds on the course now...

England's Justin Rose speaking after a seven-under 65 to lead the Masters in round one:"Starting the day it was very much in my own bubble, my own game. And you're off to a good start, and you're aware you're in the tournament from the word go and your name is on the leaderboard, and the crowd around you know you're playing well and you get energy from them as well.

"And then there was a nice special run, eight, nine, 10, and I got to six under. That's when the day felt a bit different. That's when I felt I was doing something potentially more on the special side.

"You have Amen Corner to come, and you're never really ahead of yourself until you're through 12 anyway, but good pars on 11 and 12. And felt like there was an opportunity to really post a low score, to be honest with you, and I did a great job on the back nine.

"The putt at No. 16, at that point maybe got ahead of myself. I felt like 17 and 18 were potential birdie holes with where the pins are. So I felt like, you know, I was definitely looking forward and looking to do something special today. Overall, I think great day. And yeah, I played a lot of golf here at Augusta National. So to come away with my equal best score is certainly an achievement for me."

Shane Lowry finishes his round with a flourish but there are no birdies for Bryson DeChambeau or Hideki Matsuyama on the 18th.

Matsuyama has a look of disbelief as his putt scoots all the way around the cup and stays up.

That one looked like it defied gravity. Lots of love for Bryson as he heads off the green with a par and an opening 69 will give him plenty of encouragement for Friday.

Jon Rahm, a winner in this parish in 2023, looks seriously miffed as he stomps off the 17th green. The Spaniard, looked to have drained a birdie putt from 11 feet only to see his ball lip out.

He's had plenty of looks today but very little fortune on the greens.

Superb shot from the 2021 winner. Hideki Matsuyama zips into four feet with his approach into the 18th. The gallery are loving that.

Bryson DeChambeau stiffs his effort into 11 feet before Shane Lowry absolutely flushes one into five feet, Three birdies to finish?

Lowry is currently in a tie for 26th with his big friend Rory McIlroy.

Recent history says you just have to be in the top 10 after the first round to stand a chance of winning the Masters - as only two of the last 20 Green Jacket winners sat outside the top 10 after 18 holes.

And on both occasions that was Tiger Woods, who as T11 in 2019 and 33rd in 2005. So apart from Tiger the winners of 18 of the last 20 Masters have all been inside the top 10 after Thursday's play.

And even in terms of the score, the furthest an eventual champion has ever been behind after round one is seven strokes, with only Nick Faldo (1990) and Tiger Woods (2005) managing to win after ending the first round seven shots behind the leader.

Simply put, players outside the top 10 tonight might as well go home, right?

Rory McIlroy, goes right into the pines off the tee on 18. His direct route to the green is blocked so he punches a low shot up towards the dance floor and then nearly chips in before saving his par.

There is a slight look of resignation as he does that. What might have been eh?

Akshay Bhatia rounds of his round with a third consecutive birdie, what a finish from the 23-year-old American.

It's also a very satisfactory ending to the first round for Ludvig Aberg, who collects his fourth birdie on the back nine to move into a tie for second.

Bryson DeChambeau gets off 17 having shipped just one shot.

Can he bounce back on the 18th?

This is where it all started to go wrong for Rory McIlroy, who has tumbled down the leaderboard into a tie for 28th.

Bryson DeChambeau was cruising but a loose tee shot down the left has him in all sorts of bother down the 17th.

Is his round about to go the same way as Rory's?

Viktor Hovland has had an indifferent opening day but his post-round meal is going to taste a little better after he closed with a birdie on the 18th.

That's three birdies in his final five holes and the Norwegian is in the red to start round two.

While Rory McIlroy is making a meal of his closing holes, he's a reminder of what our leader did a little earlier.Successive birdies helped Justin Rose open up a healthy lead.

Rory McIlroy makes a mess of another chip shot which doesn't check at all and sprints almost 30 feet past the pin.

His par putt drifts on six feet and all of a sudden, what had been a very good round is unravelling.

Can he knock this in for a bogey? No, it stays left. This is going to be a double. His second in three holes.

Akshay Bhatia's charge into the red number continues but it'll just be a par for Ludvig Aberg.

The 2023 Masters champions is having one of those rounds. Nothing seems to have gone right for Jon Rahm all day and he's gesticulating wildly after his tee shot on the short 16th.

It's not that bad Jon. His ball finds the heart of the green and meanders back down the hill to leave him with a 20-footer for birdie.

Well, the television pictures have been a little Rory focused so we didn't get to see Tommy Fleetwood's eagle try on 15. I can tell you he missed it but had a short one for birdie to get back to where he started the day.

A fairly simple birdie putt on the 16th and Bryson DeChambeau moves into a tie for second with Corey Conners and Scottie Scheffler.