PGA Tour Brunch | The Masters | II
Second Round Preview of the 2026 Masters Tournament | Augusta
Note: Due to technical difficulty, the prior edition of today’s PGA Tour Brunch did not “hold” its lede and leaderboard. Here is the completed edition.
By TERRY LYONS, EDITOR of Digital Sports Desk
AUGUSTA - Sam Burns (T1/-5) shot an opening-round 67 which marks his low 18-hole score in 13 rounds at Augusta National. It was also his lowest opening-round in a major championship (23rd major championship appearance).
Burns holds first-round lead/co-lead for the fourth time on the PGA TOUR (2022 Valspar Championship/Won, 2021 BMW Championship/8th, 2021 Genesis Invitational/3rd) and is seeking his first major championship title.
Burns owns two Top-10 results in 22 prior major championship starts (T7/2025 U.S. Open, T9/2024 U.S. Open). This is his 190th PGA TOUR start, and he’s a five-time PGA TOUR winner.
The defending champion, Rory McIlroy (T1/-5) owns three career sub-70 scores in the opening round at Augusta National (65/2011/T15, 69/2018/T5, 67/2026/TBD).
McIlroy holds his 25th 18-hole lead/co-lead in an individual stroke-play event on TOUR but is only 3-for-24 converting the victory.
McIlroy is only the seventh Masters champion to hold the first-round lead/co-lead the year after victory, with the most recent being Jordan Spieth (2016).
Masters Leaderboard | After 18 Holes
T1 Sam Burns 67 (-5)
T1 Rory McIlroy 67 (-5)
T3 Kurt Kitayama 69 (-3)
T3 Jason Day 69 (-3)
T3 Patrick Reed 69 (-3)
T6 Four players 70 (-2)
Full Leaderboard: (link)
The Masters
COURSE: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
ARCHITECT: Dr. Alister MacKenzie, Bobby Jones Jr.; Perry Maxwell (1937)
YARDS/PAR: 7,565 yards/Par 72
PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: TBD
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Rory McIlroy
OVERVIEW: (link)
PAST RESULTS: (link)
FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 750
SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @TheMasters
2026 Masters | The Basics:
Tournament site: The Masters
Tee Times: 7:40am to 1:56pm (PGATourCom)
Weather: Today’s forecast is for sunny skies with no chance of rain. Temperatures rising from 49 to 73 degrees. Winds 1-to-4 mph.
PGA Tour Brunch at The Masters to post by 9:00am (EDT) tomorrow
How to Watch | The Masters
Friday, April 10, 2026
8:30-10:30am - “On the Range” - Masters.com, Masters app, CBS Sports Digital, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
9:00-9:45 - “Mornings at the Masters” - Masters YouTube
10:00am - 12 noon, - “Welcome to the Masters” ESPN
Broadcast:
1:00pm - 7:30pm - Masters.com (Streaming)
1:00pm - 3:00pm - Prime
2:00pm - 8:pm - Masters Radio on Sirius/XM and online
3:00pm - 7:30pm - ESPN and ESPNapp
How to Watch: (PGATourCom)
Reminder: The Masters is on Prime again today.
The Field w Update, Tee Times and Leaderboard
The Field: (link)
Update:
Thursday, April 2
Phil Mickelson / WD
Tee Times: (link)
Masters Leaderboard: (link)
What They’re Saying at Augusta National
Rory Defending at the Masters (ESPN)
Justin Rose with Strong Round (Golf Week)
How to Watch (PGATourCom)
Masters Site for Full Coverage (Masters.com)
ESPN Site (ESPN.com)
PGA Tour Site (PGATourCom)
On This Day in Golf History
April 10, 1949 - The Green Jacket is awarded for the first time and Sam Snead was the recipient of the most coveted item of clothing in all of golf. Snead shot a second consecutive (67) to win his first of three Masters titles. - Courtesy of Randy Walker, Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE
Parting Putt
PGA TOUR Brunch is brought to you by Digital Sports Desk. Subscriptions to PGA Tour Brunch are the perfect gift for your friends and/or family members who love pro golf. This e-News is not affiliated with The Masters, the PGA Tour or LIV Golf and is solely for news previews and coverage of the events.
The 3-for-24 converting leads stat on McIlroy is the most interesting number in this post. The back-to-back winners stat compounds it further. The data going into the week pointed toward fading him outright and taking him in finish markets only. Round 1 lead changes nothing about that math.