Check in to GOLF’s Tour Confidential every Sunday night for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport. This week, with the Masters at Augusta National, we’ll hit one key topic every night.
Day 1 of the 2026 Masters is complete, and the leaderboard so far is a good one. Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns share the lead at five under, with guys like Patrick Reed (three under), Xander Schauffele (two under), Scottie Scheffler (two under) and others in contention. Meanwhile, popular pre-tournament favorites Bryson DeChambeau (four over) and Jon Rahm (six over) have to work to do. What surprised you the most on Thursday at Augusta?
Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): Me sorprendió mucho el terrible rendimiento de Jon Rahm. He was supposed to be in form. He loves the venue. The course conditions–even firmer and faster than usual — seemed ideal for a guy with his great touch around the greens. All the stars appeared aligned. And he put up an absolute stinker. The putter betrayed him, for sure. But he looked wildly out of sorts throughout the bag.
Zephyr Melton, associate game-improvement editor (@zephyrmelton): Gotta be Rory McIlroy’s blazing start. We wondered if winning the green jacket might free him up around Augusta National, but I didn’t expect him to come out and immediately take the first-round lead in such stress-free fashion. He couldn’t have asked for a better start to his title defense.
Jack Hirsh, associate gear editor (@JR_HIRSHey): What did Sens say? I almost failed Spanish in high school. I really shouldn’t have been surprised by this given the forecast, but I was amazed just how perfect the golf course was on Thursday. If this holds up through the weekend, we are in for a treat because the golf course is just a perfect venue for an awesome Masters (one that Rory McIlroy is going to win by six).
Josh Schrock, associate news editor (@schrock_and_awe): It’s that both Rahm and Bryson are in danger of sharing an Uber to the airport after Friday’s round. Both came in playing well and with good history at Augusta National. Smart money was on one of them finding their way into the mix. I’m more surprised that Rahm basically exited the proceedings after nine holes. He missed three short putts early, turned in four over and then hammered his second on 13 into the bushes and made double. It’s another disappointing major result for Rahm after his move to LIV. It’s something he has to figure out.
Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): Since the obvious answer (Rahm and Bryson duds) has been taken, how about the fact that I’m wonderfully surprised by how good this leaderboard is? The Masters, more than any other major, seems to have the cream rise to the top, but eight of the top nine are big names and seven have won majors. Fleetwood, Spieth, Koepka, etc., also in a solid spot after one round. Will be fun to see how this evolves over the next couple of days.
