Rory McIlroy slammed for getting "distracted" by Masters stars near him

Rory McIlroy has been accused of not acting like “a great champion” after his latest meltdown left his Grand Slam hopes hanging by a thread.

The No.2 had played the first 14 holes in four-under par before ruining his round with two lates double bogeys. It saw card a level-par 72 and sit seven shots off . His round fell apart at No.15 when his second shot flew over the green and he then chipped back across the putting surface into the water on his way to a horrible seven.

And Channel analyst Paul McGinley claimed his fellow Irishman had lost focus before playing his disastrous third shot.

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“I think he got distracted,” said the former Ryder Cup captain. “It took him a long time to play that pitch shot. His playing partner Akshay Bhatia put his second in the water. He took ages to play his shot - he took about 10 practice swings.

“So A it took a long time. Then B his ball landed in Rory’s line so he had to wait for him to walk around the lake to mark his ball. Then he had to wait for the players to walk off the 16th tee. So he ended up waiting five minutes to play his shot.

"He is such a quick player - he wants to get on with hit. He got distracted. I don’t blame Bhatia or the players walking off 16. For a player who likes to play quickly, it was a drop in concentration. And that is what great champions don’t do. And I am sure that the 17th was a legacy of it.”

He took a seven - and then another double bogey at the 17th when he chipped 28 feet past the pin and missed a six-foot bogey putt. McIlroy did not speak after his round and headed straight to the practice range. This is his 11th attempt to complete his career Grand Slam after wining his third different Major at the 2014 Open.

Eighteen of the last 19 Masters winners were within four shots of the lead after the opening round. And McIlroy has still only broken 70 twice - in 2011 and 2018 - in 17 opening rounds at Augusta National and he has now trailed by at least six shots after 18 holes at the last six Masters.

“It is a long way back for him,” added McGinley. “No-one will be beating himself up more than him. It has got to be gut-wrenching for him.”

McIlroy took a four-shot lead into the final round in 2011 before shooting 80 and finishing tied 15th. To make matters worse for McIlroy, he was outscored by his two playing partners. American Bhatia finished with a hat-trick of birdies for a 70.

And Ludwig Aberg, who finished runner-up on his debut here last year, shot a 68 to sit level with and Corey Connors in tied second. The Swede has played his first five rounds in Augusta in 11-under par. Asked why he plays so well here, Aberg said: “I don’t know!”