Masters 2013: Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell both off pace

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Media caption,

Graeme McDowell says he played some solid golf despite opening with a disappointing 73 at the Masters.

Rory McIlroy's 72 and Graeme McDowell's 73 left them well off the pace after the opening day of the Masters.

World number two McIlroy was two under after nine but four rather sloppy back nine bogeys - largely from good positions - led to his 72.

McIlroy was six behind leaders Sergio Garcia and Marc Leishman with McDowell frustrated by two finishing bogeys.

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Rory McIlroy says a couple of silly mistakes meant he had to settle for a level-par first round.

Amateur Alan Dunbar did well to card a 83 after an awful start while Padraig Harrington had a disappointing 78.

McIlroy birdied the second and sixth to move to two under but a poor wedge shot led to him bogeying the seventh after he found a back bunker.

He regrouped with a birdie at the ninth but a bogey followed at the 10th before a painful three-putt led to a dropped shot at the short 12th, where he missed from three feet.

McIlroy did manage to get his birdies on the back-nine par fives, the 13th and 15th, but more poor approach play from the middle of the fairway led to dropped shots at the 14th and 17th.

McDowell went to the turn in one under but double bogeyed the short 12th where he took four from just off the green.

Birdies at the 13th and 15th improved him to one under but he finished with two bogeys.

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British Amateur champion Alan Dunbar from Northern Ireland reflects on carding an 83 on his first round at the Masters.

Rathmore man Alan Dunbar was propping up the field after an 11-over 83 on his Augusta debut.

The British Amateur Champion from Rathmore battled bravely on the back nine after finding himself 10 over after eight holes.

The 22-year-old dropped an opening shot but the damage was really done on the second where he took a triple-bogey eight.

Six straight bogeys followed before he managed his first par of the day at the ninth.

Dunbar played his remaining 10 holes in one over with his sole birdie coming at the 15th.

Harrington was one under after five but he never covered from a double bogey at the short sixth and tumbled to a 78, which included three dropped shots in his final two holes.

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