A2166 words1:14News Report American AccentPublished Apr 10, 2026 · Updated Apr 10, 2026

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Comprehension Vocabulary Shadowing Quiz Dictation Writing Practice

Rory McIlroy started his title defence at the Masters very well.

He shares the lead with Sam Burns after the first round.

Both golfers finished at five under par on Thursday at Augusta.

McIlroy won the Masters last year.

Now he wants to win it again.

Only three golfers have done this before.

They are Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods.

The competition was very hard on Thursday.

Only 16 golfers scored better than par.

#10

Par means the expected number of shots for the golf course.

#11

McIlroy and Burns both shot 67, so they are two shots ahead of everyone.

#12

Several other golfers also played well.

#13

Kurt Kitayama, Jason Day, and Patrick Reed finished at three under par.

#14

Shane Lowry, Xander Schauffele, and Justin Rose finished at two under par.

#15

The golf course will be drier for round two.

#16

The weather is getting warmer and the ground is drying out.

#17

This will make the competition even harder for the golfers.

#18

Round two starts on Friday.

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The Masters 2026: Rory McIlroy shares lead with Sam Burns after first round – as it happened

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