AUGUSTA, Ga. — While Rory McIlroy was scorching Augusta National, making birdies at a rate that seemed unimaginable in the opening round of a major championship, Tiger Woods was plodding along in pristine conditions battling to stay under par, if only by a stroke.
If you wanted to watched exciting golf at the 75th Masters yesterday, you watched McIlroy, the 21-year-old curly-haired kid from Northern Ireland, who drained seven birdies against no bogies in carding a nifty 7-under par 65.
“I know it sounds simple, but it wasn’t,” McIlroy said after making it look simple.
If you wanted the “same ol’, same ol,” you watched Woods, whose opening-round 1-under 71 was about as riveting as lukewarm coffee. A two-putt birdie at the par-5 13th and a 30-footer for birdie at the par-4 14th saved him after consecutive bogeys at the 10th and 11th, the two par-4s that start the back nine.
“I’m very pleased,” Woods said. “I’m right there in the ballgame. I’m only six back. We’ve got a lot of golf ahead of us.”
Indeed, winning the Masters is a four-day marathon, but though there’s plenty of golf to play, yesterday’s opening should not easily be dismissed. At a time when golf is waiting for one of its young guns to establish himself as the next superstar, McIlroy became the youngest ever to lead a Masters.
There was a time when Woods could be six back after the opening round and expect the early leaders to crumble at the sound of his footsteps. But McIlroy already has shown he is not afraid of Woods. He announced before last year’s Ryder Cup that he would not mind being paired against the 14-time major winner in a singles match.
“Unless his game rapidly improves in the next month or so, I think anyone in the European team would fancy his
chances against him,” McIlroy reportedly told the BBC.
Woods later confronted McIlroy in a clubhouse at the BMW Championship in Chicago and warned: “Be careful what you wish for.”
But the two never met in singles and their beef became a footnote as Woods continued to struggle with his game. How delightful would be if the two were atop the leaderboard on Sunday, offering a stage to prove whether Woods, 35, still has the game to take down the young lion.
Certainly, that wasn’t the case yesterday.
Woods was upbeat after his round, describing how he hit “a lot of beautiful putts” that were “skirting the edge.” But there also was a three-putt bogey at the par-4 10th, a bogey at the par-4 11th and a missed 10-footer for birdie at the par-4 18th.
A 1-under 71 normally is a solid opening round for Woods.
In winning his four Masters, he shot three 70s and a 74 over the opening 18 holes. He shot a career-best 68 in the opening round last year after having not played a competitive round in months because of his personal issues.
To suggest there might have been a changing of the guard yesterday could be a bit premature, but figure McIlroy to be a tough rabbit to catch.
Woods has a chance to teach McIlroy another lesson this weekend: respect your elders.
“Be careful what you wish for,” he told McIlroy last year. Now Woods has a chance to prove his point.
george.willis@nypost.com
