Rory McIlroy lays foundation foundation for glory with the Bricklayer

Leader: Rory McIlroy on his way to an opening round 65

13 April 2012

If Rory McIlroy is to cement his challenge for a maiden Major title at the Masters today, he will have to hope that Alvaro Quiros, the Spaniard who calls himself the 'bricklayer' of golf, fails to build on a sensational opening round of seven under par 65.

McIlroy's charge to the top of the leaderboard with his own 65 yesterday was the kind of fairytale for which the Masters is renowned. The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland confirmed his precocious talent with his booming drives and a deft touch around the greens which made a mockery of the claim by Butch Harmon, Tiger Woods's former coach, that he did not possess the short game to compete at Augusta National.

Yet McIlroy's story paled compared to that of Quiros, the 28-year-old from near Valderrama whose family was so hard up he could not afford to watch golf on Spanish pay TV until the age of 21 and who had never even seen Augusta until he qualified for the Masters three seasons ago. He did not make the cut in 2009, nor last year.

But in his first round this time, Quiros, one of the longest hitters in the professional game, birdied the last to knock an amazing 10 shots off his previous best score on the course. And he did it in the company of Britain's Gareth Lord, a former caddie of the year with Ryder Cup player Robert Karlsson, who was carrying his bag for the first time.

Quiros's performance brought memories flooding back of the way compatriot Seve Ballesteros, twice a winner of the Masters, used to thrill the crowds at Augusta. But he refused to accept any comparison with the golfing legend, too weak from treatment for a brain tumour to attend the Major.

He said: "I'm pretty sure in every single corner of this course everybody will know what Seve did in his time, especially with his short game. I used to hear Seve would say that hitting close to the greens here was good. But he was able to play shots that nobody else can hit. This is something you have or you don't have. Nobody is going to teach you to be Seve. In my case, being up close to the greens is not the best thing because I don't have Seve's hands. He was an artist, I'm more of a bricklayer. That is why I hit the ball so long. But I'm not as skilful."

Quiros, who in February served notice of his talent by beating a field including Woods and Lee Westwood in the Dubai Desert Classic, insisted his only thought going into the second round was to make the halfway cut.

McIlroy will adopt a similar low-key approach, with memories still fresh of the way he followed up a brilliant first-round 63 in last year's Open with an horrendous storm-tossed 80.

He said: "What happened at St Andrews will be a massive help. It was a very valuable lesson in my development as a golfer. I've still got a lot of learning to do but I'm getting there."

In third, two shots behind McIlroy and Quiros, were Koreans YE Yang and KJ Choi, with defending champion Phil Mickelson on two under par and Woods tied on one under.

The English challenge was led by Surrey's Ross Fisher, who managed a three-under 69 despite worrying about wife Joanne, who is due to give birth to the couple's second child next week.

Fisher has been this way before, having insisted he would walk from the course if Joanne went into labour during The Open at Turnberry two years ago, even though he went into the final round one shot off top spot.

In the end, he finished four shots behind champion Stewart Cink. "Hopefully, it's not like last time," he said. "She hung on but I didn't. Hopefully I can hang on this time."

Westwood's hopes of making a fast start were dashed by his putting and he had to settle for an even par 72. "If you can't hole out from four feet, you're going to struggle," he said.

Luke Donald also returned a 72, two behind Paul Casey. Justin Rose was set to resume on one over, with Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell a shot back.

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