Masters 2011 leaderboard: Tiger Woods 6 shots behind Rory McIlroy

Masters 2011 leaderboard: Tiger Woods 6 shots behind Rory McIlroy

The Masters 2011 at Augusta National got underway with a familiar face lurking behind first round leader Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland.

Tiger Woods shot a 71 to remain six shots off the pace in the opening round of this year's Masters, an event he has won four times in his career.

"I'm right there in the ball game," said Woods, still struggling to regain his old winning form after an extended break. "I'm only six back and we got a lot of golf ahead of us."

The 21-year-old McIlroy shot a seven under par, bogey-free 65 to lead the field at Augusta National. The performance of McIlroy was reminiscent of how Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus before him made their own mark at the Masters early in their careers.

"I would rather be where Rory's at," Woods said after the opening round of the Masters 2011. "But hey, it's a long way to go. We have a long grind ahead of us."

Masters 2011 can be a turning point for Wood's sagging fortunes after his comeback. He finished tied for fourth place last year at Augusta but has since failed to even match that finish in 15 PGA starts.

While Tiger Woods has never been known for accurate driving, his short game and putting are where his true strengths lie. The 35-year-old former world number one said he felt good about his putts today.

Rory McIlroy has shown a phenomenal first round, but Tiger Woods may make his winning mark yet again in this year's Masters.

Posted by George Daniels on Friday April 08 2011, 2:12 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0