AUGUSTA, Georgia: Rory McIlroy charged into a commanding early first round lead in the 75th Masters Thursday, sinking seven birdies for a stunning round of 65. The 21-year-old Ulsterman had purposely favored a low-key approach to his third campaign at Augusta National after missing the cut last year and it paid immediate dividends as he bagged three birdies in a row from the second. He went out in 32 and picked up more shots at 11, 14 and 15 where his eagle putt came agonizingly close to dropping in before signing for a pace-setting 65, his best round to date at Augusta by five shots. “I would take 65 all day long, but it could have been lower,” he said, citing a missed birdie chance at the last. McIlroy was three strokes clear of Matt Kuchar of the United States with England's Ross Fisher and Brandt Snedeker of the United States next best among the early starters a further stroke back. South African veteran Retief Goosen could have joined them after becoming just the fifth player in Masters history to open a round here with an eagle two at the tough first hole. The two-time US Open winner got to five under going around the turn, but he dropped two shots going through Amen Corner (holes 11-13) and then bogeyed the last after a poor approach shot. Level with him on 70 were Sean O'Hair of the United States, Camilo Villegas of Colombia, Gregory Havret of France, Rickie Fowler of the United States and Hiroyuki Fujita of Japan. Out on the course Sergio Garcia was enjoying a welcome return to form and was at four under through 14 holes, but his Ryder Cup teammate Padraig Harrington slumped to a 77. The tournament looked as open as it has been for years with defending champion Phil Mickelson the favorite and with four-time champion Tiger Woods looking to record his first tournament win in 18 months. They were facing a daunting challenge from a bursting-with confidence European contingent that now dominates the world top 10. Woods set out in the company of US Open champion Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland and Robert Allenby of Australia. The 14-time major winner made a quiet start with five straight pars before he got into red figures with a birdie at the par-three sixth. Bogeys at 10 and 11, however, pinned him back at one over before back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 improved his position. There was big trouble for world No. 1 Martin Kaymer of Germany, who struggled to a six over 78, with playing partner and world No. 2 Lee Westwood of England easing to a 72. Mickelson at that stage was just getting his round underway with five straight pars in the penultimate grouping of the day teamed up with Geoff Ogilvy of Australia and US amateur Peter Uihlein. The popular left-hander from California is seeking to close in on another Nicklaus standard — his record six wins in the Masters — while knowing that a win would give him the world number one spot for the first time. Five other players could finish up the week as the world's top player in a further demonstration of how congested it has become at the top of the golfing tree. Woods is one of those, but the four others all come from Europe — Kaymer, Westwood, Luke Donald and McDowell.
