“Just eased off on it a little bit” - Rory McIlroy, Max Homa on becoming first golfers interviewed live while playing at the Masters

Rory McIlroy mic'd up for ESPN during the first round of the 2023 Masters as it became the latest event to join this trend. Rory spoke to the channel while completing the ninth hole on Thursday. Max Homa also did a short interview on the 14th hole.

Rory was quoted as saying by Golf Week:

“It’s nice to provide the audience at home with a little more insight into what’s going on out here. I think Augusta has a great balance of blending that history and that tradition, but also making sure that we’re keeping up with the times.”

Rory's second shot on the ninth hole traveled near the hole before spinning back several feet away. He explained the shot to the commentators during his on-field interview:

“I just eased off on it a little bit, I think, just in the back of my mind. Obviously, you don’t want to go long on this pin, so I just eased off and probably pitched it five or six yards shorter than I wanted to.”

Both McIlory and Homa have given on-field interviews in the past. While Homa first put on an earpiece during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open in January, Rory did so during his quarterfinal match against Xander Schauffele at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Masters 2023 leaderboard after Round 1

Viktor Hovland during the 2023 Masters - Round One

After the first round of the Masters, Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland, and Jon Rahm shared the joint lead at 7-under.

Here's the Masters 2023 leaderboard after the conclusion of Round 1:

• T-1 Viktor Hovland: -7
• T-1 Brooks Koepka: -7
• T-1 Jon Rahm: -7
• T-4 Jason Day: -5
• T-4 Cameron Young: -5
• T-6 Scottie Scheffler: -4
• T-6 Xander Schauffele: -4
• T-6 Sam Burns: -4
• T-6 Shane Lowry: -4
• T-6 Adam Scott: -4
• T-6 Sam Bennett (a): -4
• T-6 Gary Woodland: -4
• T-13 Justin Rose: -3
• T-13 Collin Morikawa: -3
• T-13 Tony Finau: -3
• T-13 Jordan Spieth: -3
• T-17 Sepp Straka: -2
• T-17 Ryan Fox: -2
• T-17 Matt Fitzpatrick: -2
• T-17 Tom Kim: -2
• T-17 Scott Stallings: -2
• T-17 Chris Kirk: -2
• T-17 Keegan Bradley: -2
• T-17 Justin Thomas: -2
• T-17 Cameron Smith: -2
• T-26 Phil Mickelson: -1
• T-26 Harris English: -1
• T-26 Tyrrell Hatton: -1
• T-26 Joaquin Niemann: -1
• T-26 Dustin Johnson: -1
• T-26 Max Homa: -1
• T-26 Fred Couples: -1
• T-26 Patrick Reed: -1
• T-26 Patrick Cantlay: -1
• T-26 Hideki Matsuyama: -1
• T-26 Sungjae Im: -1
• T-37 Francesco Molinari: E
• T-37 Harold Varner III: E
• T-37 Rory McIlroy: E
• T-37 Tommy Fleetwood: E
• T-37 Mike Weir: E
• T-37 Talor Gooch: E
• T-37 Kevin Kisner: E
• T-37 Abraham Ancer: E
• T-45 Taylor Moore: +1
• T-45 Si Woo Kim: +1
• T-45 Billy Horschel: +1
• T-45 Corey Conners: +1
• T-45 Jason Kokrak: +1
• T-45 Russell Henley: +1
• T-45 Adrian Meronk: +1
• T-45 Sahith Theegala: +1
• T-45 Séamus Power: +1
• T-54 Charl Schwartzel: +2
• T-54 Bryson DeChambeau: +2
• T-54 J.T. Poston: +2
• T-54 Mito Pereira: +2
• T-54 K.H. Lee: +2
• T-54 Tom Hoge: +2
• T-54 Sergio Garcia: +2
• T-54 Thomas Pieters: +2
• T-54 Tiger Woods: +2