If any storyline is going to come close to the romance of McIlroy’s win last year, it would be 45-year-old Rose finally securing a Green Jacket and becoming the second oldest winner in Masters history.
Rose was a shot behind McIlroy and Burns before dropping back after successive bogeys on 17 and 18.
Nevertheless, the Englishman focused on the clear positives after finishing inside the top 10 after the opening day for the 10th time in his career.
“I look at the big picture. It was a good round of golf on a day which was challenging. Small margins but overall a good start to the tournament and I can build on it,” Rose said.
Scheffler, 29, has fallen below his lofty heights in recent weeks, lacking some of his precision from tee-to-green and paying the price for slow opening rounds.
But the two-time champion made a blistering start with an eagle on the second and a birdie on the third.
While the world number one could not add to the tally, he largely demonstrated the consistency for which is he famed to eke out a solid, if unspectacular 70.
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre plunged towards the bottom of the leaderboard with an eight-over par 80 – which featured a quadruple bogey nine.
The 29-year-old left-hander was picked out by some observers as a potential contender after finishing fourth at the recent Players Championship and a runners-up spot in Texas last week.
MacIntyre was already three over par in his round when his mood darkened further on the par-five 15th.
He emulated 1992 winner Fred Couples – who went from two under to six over in the space of three holes – by also hitting two balls in the water as they ended up posting nines.
Spain’s Jon Rahm, who is known for his own tempestuousness and was heavily backed to perform well this week, also had a day to forget.
Rahm shot a six-over 78 – the worst Masters round of the 2023 winner’s career – while his fellow LIV player Bryson DeChambeau carded a four-over 76. Much of that damage was done on the par-four 11th where posted a triple-bogey seven after taking three shots to emerge from a greenside bunker.
