Rory and Scottie control Masters, again. Plus: Bryson’s weird 5-iron situation

Rory McIlroy is tied for first after Day 1 of the Masters. Logan Whitton / Augusta National / Getty Images Share full articleGolf Briefing ⛳ | This is The Athletic’s daily newsletter for the 2026 Masters. Sign up here to receive the Golf Briefing directly in your inbox. Good evening! Welcome back to our special-edition newsletter covering the Masters Tournament. I’m Alex, and I’ll be with you for 54 more holes. Gabby will chime in from Augusta National shortly. Yesterday, this newsletter shared what felt like a reasonable theory: Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have been relatively off their games lately, and as a result, we thought the 90th Masters could be anyone’s game. It still is, with 54 holes to play, but the idea that Scottie and Rory would just step aside turned out to be about 80 yards off line. Just check out the leaderboard after Day 1: McIlroy had a morning tee time. He started birdie-bogey, then put on a short-game and scrambling clinic to salvage a stretch of pars in the middle of his front nine. He made five birdies between Augusta’s eighth and 15th holes and didn’t make a bogey, avoiding the messiness that almost cost him a green jacket on Sunday a year ago. McIlroy’s 67 was a stroke better than any repeat champ has ever posted in the first round of a Masters title defense, per Jim Nantz. He did all of that while hitting five of 14 fairways. Imagine if he cleans it up a bit. Following McIlroy in the afternoon wave, Scheffler did not need any time to settle into his round. Scheffler, the World No. 1, eagled the par-5 second, birdied the par-4 third and got onto his own long run of pars after that. He was a bit wobbly after that, weathering lousy shots and scrapping for pars: At the par-5 13th, he bounced a short wedge shot well past the hole and into a collection area, necessitating an up-and-down par. He finished with a 2-under 70, making par from the fairway bunker on the 18th. When it was over, Scheffler was right there. McIlroy is now the favorite (at +280, per BetMGM, for the moment), but Scheffler (+400) is next with three rounds left. Otherwise, a few superlatives from a fun first day: The weather was pristine, as forecast. With complete control over how much moisture the ground gets, Augusta can still make a hard course harder. The biggest names in the sport did not all have a great Thursday. Bryson DeChambeau knocked himself out of serious contention with a 4-over 76 that will require him to work hard on Friday just to make the cut. The big man has had a messy history at Augusta, a course he once referred to as, for him, a par-67 course. “You almost have to wonder if he offended the golf gods,” one of our senior editors, Daniel Shirley, said in our live blog as DeChambeau flopped. It was a bad round. That happens. But here’s where it got weird in a way that only Bryson could make possible. I’ll turn it over to Gabby: 💬 Bryson DeChambeau has a 3D-printed 5-iron in his bag for the 2026 Masters. Yes, you read that right. On Thursday, DeChambeau had a rocky start to his 10th Masters. But he did find success with the new tool he’s decided to employ: a 5-iron that DeChambeau created and produced himself. DeChambeau didn’t want to reveal much about the club after his round, but he did say that the process to create one like it can take 36 hours. The printing itself takes 8 hours total. He used the club once on Thursday, on No. 7. “It was great on seven. Hit a good second shot. Wind didn’t hit it off the left. Irons are still something I have to work on,” DeChambeau said. DeChambeau was only able to play the club after the USGA investigated whether it conformed to their rules and regulations for legal equipment. The USGA confirmed in a statement to The Athletic that the club was indeed tested. That process involves a robot that measures a club’s geometry and material properties, making sure they comply with the USGA’s standards. A member of DeChambeau’s team explained on Thursday the USGA contacted DeChambeau as soon as it discovered his plans to use the one-of-one club. It requested that tweaks were made to its design before he could put it into play. DeChambeau made the tweaks, and therefore was able to use the iron. DeChambeau has a long history with experimenting with his equipment. He uses woods and a driver from the company Krank that manufactures clubs for long-drive competitions. Besides the experimental 5-iron, DeChambeau uses irons made by an Israeli company called Avoda. The consistent theme in his equipment is a curved-face design, otherwise known as “bulge.” That configuration ideally helps eliminate or reduce side spin when a player mishits the ball. DeChambeau revealed last summer that he was also testing out prototype golf balls that have the same effect. Another member of DeChambeau’s team explained that the two-time major champion is working with a specific 3D-printing company that can “print anything,” not just golf equipment. He is also consulting on the design with a specific individual, who remained unnamed and is not on site at the tournament. When asked to elaborate on the story behind the 5-iron, DeChambeau said, “That’s a longer conversation. It’s not for here.” Thanks for the insight, Gabby. DeChambeau didn’t have the worst day among LIV Golf stars, though. Jon Rahm carded a 78, joining his coworker among the non-contenders. Through the weekend, you can find reporting like this in our live blogs via this page. 📓 Our reporters’ big “what we’re hearing” notebook on the day. 🖊️ The unwritten rules of Masters flag autographs, including this key one: If a player hasn’t won the Masters, he should be awfully careful about where he signs. 🧀 Why are the concessions at Augusta priced so cheaply? Hugh Kellenbeger explains. 🫣 “Rory may never lose this thing again after last year.” How McIlroy arrived at this Masters a different, more dangerous player. The Masters.com and Masters app streams will carry you through the morning, starting around 8:45 a.m. ET. These are also carried in various parts on the ESPN App, Paramount+ and Prime Video. The bigger broadcasts are on Prime Video at 1 p.m. and ESPN at 3 p.m. Full guide. The full tee sheet is here: 📫 Love The Athletic’s daily Masters updates? Check out our other newsletters. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms