The first round is in the books and two men stand alone atop the Masters leaderboard after an opening round filled with low scores. Rory McIlroy set the pace early, heading into a clubhouse with a 7-under 65, a blistering pace out of the gates at Augusta National. As groups continued to trickle into the clubhouse, nobody could touch McIlroy's score -- Tiger Woods came up way short, Phil Mickelson struggled and Y.E. Yang, who looked poised to take the lead, faltered late.
McIlroy's solo ride atop the leaderboard lasted until the final group, when long-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros mounted a late-charge to finish at 7-under, tied for the first round lead. Quiros came into the clubhouse hot, stringing together birdies on No. 17 and No. 18 to card a 65, placing him into a tie with McIlroy and two shots clear of the field.
Y.E. Yang and K.J. Choi sit two shots back at 5-under after first round 67s. But the two got there in different ways as Yang stumbled into the clubhouse with consecutive while Choi finished his round with two-straight birdies. Choi finished with one of the better putts you'll see on No. 18, sinking a winding putt from the front of the green to the back pin location that must have covered 50 feet or more.
Matt Kuchar and Ricky Barnes sit three shots back at 4-under in a tie for fifth place. Phil Mickelson is at 2-under, joined by Washington native Ryan Moore. Fred Couples has staggering company at 1-under, with Tiger Woods among a talent-laded group to card a first round 71.
The full Masters leaderboard can be found here. For more on the tournament, including Friday's tee times, check out the rest of our 2011 Masters StoryStream. Head on over to SB Nation Atlanta for a local angle or check out SB Nation's full coverage of the 2011 Masters.