Masters 2025: Looking ahead to Friday as Rose leads and McIlroy stumbles

The 2025 Masters is underway and, after an eventful first 18 holes, a packed leaderboard at the top features three former winners including Scottie Scheffler, who is searching for his third green jacket in four years.

As the page turns to Friday, here is what we're keeping an eye on.

Can Justin Rose hang on to the lead?

The English golfer has experienced this kind of start before, but he's hoping for a different ending Sunday.

It is the fifth time Rose has held the first-round lead at the Masters, the most in tournament history. It's the eighth time he has led or co-led in any round at Augusta National Golf Club, the most of any player who hasn't won a green jacket.

"I feel like I've played well enough to win this tournament," Rose said. "I just feel like I don't have the jacket to prove it. I feel like, no, it's a compliment. I've played a lot of good rounds of golf here. Got a lot of crystal, which is obviously always nice. But yeah, you know, ultimately, you want to be [the] last man standing on Sunday."

Rose, 44, has put himself in contention to be that if he plays well over the last 54 holes. He was unable to win the previous four times he held the first-round lead:

-- In 2004, the 23-year-old Rose had a 2-stroke lead after both the first and second rounds. But then he fell apart with a 9-over 81 that included nine bogeys Saturday. It was the worst third-round score by a 36-hole leader at the Masters in more than 25 years. He tied for 22nd at 2 over, 11 strokes behind winner Phil Mickelson.

-- Rose was tied for the first round lead with Brett Wetterich at 3 under in 2007. Over the last 54 holes, Rose was 7 over in cold and windy conditions. He was in the hunt until the end and trailed eventual winner Zach Johnson by one stroke after making birdies on Nos. 14 and 16 in the final round. But a double-bogey on the 17th hole dropped Rose into a tie for fifth at 4 over.

-- The next year, Rose and Trevor Immelman finished the first round atop the leaderboard at 4 under. Rose fell out of contention after posting a 6-over 78 in the second round. He carded a triple-bogey 8 at the long 15th after pitching into the water in front of the green. Rose was 11 over in the final three rounds and tied for 36th at 7 over.

-- In the 2021 Masters, Rose was 9 under in his final 11 holes of the first round to open a 4-shot lead over Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama. It was the fourth time Rose had led or co-led after the first round, tying Jack Nicklaus for the Masters record. Once again, Rose couldn't get it done on the weekend. He had a 1-shot lead after the second round and trailed Matsuyama by four after the third. Rose finished solo seventh at 5 under, five shots behind Matsuyama.

Can Rose get it done this year? He is a two-time runner-up at the Masters, losing to Jordan Spieth in 2015 and Sergio Garcia in 2017, so he knows all too well what it will take to slip on a green jacket Sunday.

Rose will have many of the world's best golfers -- Scottie Scheffler (-4), Ludvig Åberg (-3), Bryson DeChambeau (-3) and others -- chasing him.

"A little bit of Lady Luck here and there is always the difference here at times," Rose said. "But I've had my luck on occasion and been a champion. But you've got to be playing the golf to keep creating those opportunities, and obviously the only way to do that is to get your name on the leaderboard. I definitely don't shy away from it." -- Mark Schlabach

Does Rory McIlroy still have a chance?

It seemed as if McIlroy had all the momentum in the world. After countless slow starts at Augusta, the four-time major winner appeared to have broken the code. He was 4-under through 14 holes and had just hit the perfect drive on the par-5 15th. His long iron shot landed on the green and trickled off the back, leaving him a tricky, but straightforward, chip.

But as soon as McIlroy made contact, he appeared to wince. He had carried the ball too far and, as it started to roll past the pin, the crowd begged for the ball to sit. It didn't and trickled into the water. McIlroy made the long, arduous walk across the bridge to the drop zone and made double bogey. Momentum gone.

"The green is new so it gets a little bit firmer than some of the other ones," said Ludvig Åberg, one of McIlroy's playing partners. "But obviously, you're playing with fire when you're messing with that front, especially with a short pin. That chip from long isn't easy, either."

Another sloppy chip and a three-putt on 17 produced a second double bogey, and a quick mistake turned into a disastrous finish. On the 14th, McIlroy had been tied with Scheffler, who shot a 4-under 68 in the morning wave and, suddenly, after going 4-over on his last four holes, he was even par -- four shots behind Scheffler and eight shots behind the leader, Rose.

McIlroy declined to speak to the media after his round and headed straight to the range.

Even though McIlroy has had strong finishes at Augusta before, the slow starts have been his Achilles' heel and impossible to overcome. In his past seven first rounds at the Masters, McIlroy has broken par only once. Moreover, 18 of the past 19 Masters winners have been within four shots of the lead after Round 1. McIlroy was four shots back on 14; now he's eight back.

If this is the year McIlroy finally puts on the green jacket, as many expected, it will take a monumental effort. The four-time major winner will need to start making up ground right away Friday morning. If there's a silver lining in Thursday's efforts, it is that McIlroy drove the ball well and, aside from 15 and 17, played steady golf. But as this course often shows -- and as McIlroy knows all too well -- one crucial mistake can be too much to overcome. -- Paolo Uggetti

Which LIV players made a strong start in the first major of the year?

Even though 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm had yet another tough round at Augusta National on Thursday, shooting 3-over par and showing plenty of frustration, five other LIV Golf members found themselves in the top 11 after one round.

Sixteen total players are at 1-under par and tied for 11th place, including Cameron Smith, 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed and two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson. Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton both shot 3-under rounds of 69 and are tied for fifth place. Joaquín Niemann, a three-time winner this year, is at even par and tied for 27th place.

"It's just so hard," said Hatton, who seemed mildly pleased with his round. "It's like, you love being here and it's very special, but at any moment you can just hit a shot, and it just does your head in. I just need to keep hitting perfect shots."

Hatton had his best finish ever at Augusta last year (T-9), and reminded reporters Thursday that he said at the time that he needed to drive it better to improve at this course. On Thursday, Hatton hit 11 of 14 fairways. Mission accomplished.

DeChambeau also hit 11 fairways in the first round and put together a strong round after his best finish came last year (T-4). Afterward, however, DeChambeau wasn't totally pleased with his performance and, to no one's surprise, headed to the range to work on his swing under the lights. No one hit more range balls during the lead-up to the tournament this week than him.

"I want to steer that ship in the right direction. I feel like I've got a golf swing that is favorable right now; it's just not dialed in like I want it to be," he said. "I need to work on that a little bit and get comfortable for tomorrow."

Reed, for his part, was pleased with his swing, but it was his putter that gave him headaches. He hit all but one fairway and missed five greens in regulation, but he lost over half a stroke to the field with the putter in his hands, per Data Golf.

"Ballstriking wasn't a problem," Reed said. "The flatstick is on vacation and needs to kind of show up. It needs to get on a flight and meet me here."

Despite a round of 75, Rahm -- who threw his driver on the ninth hole and looked ready to snap it half -- said he feels ready to make a charge Friday.

"I'm confident," Rahm said. "It's a very difficult golf course. It's going to get harder. If I can get off to a good start, post a round in the 60s [Friday], then the weekend could be a new story." -- Uggetti

Who has work to do Friday?

The top 50 scores and ties will make the 36-hole cut at the Masters (there is no 10-shot rule), and there were 62 golfers with scores of 2 over or better after 18 holes. Data Golf's predictive model had the following projected cuts after the first round: 2 over (18.5%), 3 over (39.5%) and 4 over (29.6%).

There are several big names who need to play well Friday to stick around for the weekend: Will Zalatoris (2 over), Keegan Bradley (2 over), Max Homa (2 over), Dustin Johnson (2 over), Patrick Cantlay (2 over), Brooks Koepka (2 over), Phil Mickelson (3 over), Tony Finau (3 over), Jon Rahm (3 over), Wyndham Clark (4 over), Adam Scott (5 over) and Russell Henley (7 over).

Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, made the cut in the previous 15 Masters, last missing the weekend in 2009.

Lucas Glover, who struggled through a round of 6-over 78, wasn't in much of a mood to talk Thursday.

Asked to describe the course conditions, Glover said: "The course was perfect."

Asked to describe his round, he replied: "Awful."

Asked what he would need to do to turn his game around Friday, Glover said: "Not doing anything I did today." -- Schlabach

What about the weather for Friday?

Even after taking on about an inch of rain Monday, which wiped out most of the day's practice rounds, Augusta National's greens and fairways were firm and fast in the first round.

"It's hard out there. It's tough," said Brian Harman, who gutted out a 1-under 71 with 4 birdies, 1 bogey and a double bogey. "The greens are super firm in some spots. It's just so tricky on that back nine, it's hard to get good looks.

"You've got to hit perfect shots to get good looks, and it's just Augusta, man. It's a bear. I always say, for me I think it's the hardest place we play all year. Just the way it's matured. The par-5s for me on the back nine, I can't really go for. End up with these tricky little wedges. It's just hard -- start to finish."

Another round of showers and potentially thunderstorms is forecast overnight Friday with a cold front passing through Augusta. There's an 80% chance of precipitation and showers are expected to end between 6 and 9 a.m. ET on Friday. About two-tenths to four-tenths of rain might fall.

The forecast for the weekend is good with sunny skies and temperatures in the high 60s to low 70s predicted.

"Fingers crossed the rain stays away," said England's Tyrrell Hatton, who carded a 3-under 69 in the first round. "The course is in great shape. The greens are, for a Thursday, pretty rapid already and pretty firm in places. I imagine if the rain stays away then the scoring has the potential to get a little bit worse. That just shows how hard it is around here." -- Schlabach