Thursday, April 7, 2011

Rory McIlroy has another first-round lead at a major championship, opening the Masters with a 7-under 65.

Now, he's got to show he can follow up.

The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland went to the clubhouse at Augusta National two shots clear of the field on Thursday — a reminder of his start last year at the British Open.

He opened with a 63 but slumped to an 80 in the howling wind of the second round, rallying for a third-place finish at St. Andrews. He also finished third at the U.S. PGA Championship and helped Europe reclaim the Ryder Cup.