Justin Rose fired a scorching seven-under par 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead at the Masters, putting himself in prime position at Augusta National.
It also saw him make history as the fifth time Rose has either held the lead or co-lead after 18 holes at the Masters, pushing him one clear of Jack Nicklaus to set the all-time mark.
The 44-year-old Englishman made a dream start with birdies at each of the opening three holes.
Rose continued his impressive form with further birdies at the eighth, ninth and tenth holes.
Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose had contrasting first days at The Masters
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He then added two more at the 15th and 16th to reach eight-under, briefly flirting with the Augusta National course record of 63.
A wayward drive at the 18th led to his only bogey of the day, but he still finished with a commanding three-shot lead.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler sits three shots back after an impressive bogey-free four-under par 68.
The world number one opened his birdie account with a four-footer at the par-five second hole.
He then rattled in a spectacular 62-foot birdie putt at the fourth, drawing massive roars from the Augusta crowd.
"Anytime you can keep a card clean out here, it's a really good thing," Scheffler said after his round.
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The 28-year-old Texan is attempting to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only players to win consecutive Masters titles.
Scheffler capped his round with another long-range effort, sinking a 42-foot birdie putt at the par-three 16th.
Rose's performance has etched his name in Masters history, breaking Nicklaus's record as Augusta's greatest front-runner.
This equals his best score in 71 outings at the iconic course, providing a massive boost to his hopes of improving on his second-place finishes in 2015 and 2017.
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Justin Rose made history at The Masters as he finished the day 7-under
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Rose has finished among the top 25 in 14 of his first 18 appearances at the Masters.
His form this year has been somewhat erratic, with a share of third at Pebble Beach and a top ten at Bay Hill mixed with three missed cuts.
However, the Brit showed he still has championship mettle when he nearly chased down Xander Schauffele in last year's Open at Troon.
Rory McIlroy's hopes for a career Grand Slam suffered a significant setback on the 15th hole.
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Rory McIlroy chips into the water on 15 💀@TrackingRory | #themasters
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The Northern Irishman was positioned well at four-under through 14 holes, just three shots off the lead.
Disaster struck when McIlroy smacked his third shot into the water at the par-five 15th.
He finished with a double-bogey 7, dropping him to two-under-par and severely damaging his chances.
McIlroy closed with an opening-round 72, finishing the day seven shots behind Rose.
It continues a troubling trend for McIlroy, who has only broken par in one of his last seven opening rounds at Augusta.
