Rory McIlroy was delighted to salvage an opening 72 in the Masters, even though it left him seven shots off the lead held by American Charley Hoffman.

For the past 11 years the eventual champion has been inside the top 10 after the first round at Augusta National, with Tiger Woods the last player to come from well off the pace in 2005.

And although McIlroy had to settle for a share of 12th after three birdies in his last six holes, the world number felt he remained firmly in contention for the victory he needs to complete the career grand slam.

The Masters — in pictures Show all 47 1 /47 The Masters — in pictures The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round Three Jordan Spieth will start day four just two shots off the lead Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round Three Spieth avoided a similar fate at the 12th hole this year after suffering a quadruple bogey in 2016 Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round Three Rose made five birdies on the back nine to move into contention Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round Three Rose will head out in the final group along with Garcia Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round Three Justin Rose holds a share of the lead along with Sergio Garcia Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round Three Sergio Garcia retained the shared lead he held at the end of day two Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round Three Garcia has 22 top-10 major finishes but has never won one Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round Three Hoffman could only manage a level-par round of 72 on Saturday Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round Three Hoffman lost the lead on day three Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round Three The four-time Major winner is hoping to win for the first time at Augusta Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round Three McIlroy looks out of contention after failing to make progress on day three. Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round Two A good chance went begging for McIlroy on the 11th Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round Two Garcia moved into contention on Friday as he claimed a share of the lead. Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Charley Hoffman takes a four-shot lead into the second day of the Masters Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Charley Hoffman takes a four-shot lead into the second day of the Masters Getty The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One The first round of the 2017 Masters began on Thursday, in challenging conditions. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One A detailed view of the main leaderboard is seen near the first fairway. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Concessions are seen during the first round of the 2017 Masters Tournament. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One The Masters flag blows in the breeze on the seventh hole. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One A box containing pairng guides is seen. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Honorary starter Jack Nicklaus holds up his hat to the crowd. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Nicklaus plays his shot as Gary Player looks on. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Honorary starter Gary Player plays his shot during the first tee ceremony. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Honorary starters Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus take part in the first tee ceremony. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Brendan Steele of the United States walks the second hole. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Thomas Pieters of Belgium plays his second shot on the 18th hole. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Trevor Immelman of South Africa plays a shot from a bunker on the second hole . Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark plays his third shot from a bunker on the first hole. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Kjeldsen attempts to escape the hazard. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Adam Scott of Australia reacts. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Tommy Fleetwood of England started well before fading on the back nine. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa waits on the second green. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Matthew Fitzpatrick of England plays a shot on the second hole. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Caddie for Matthew Fitzpatrick of England, Jamie Lane lines up a putt on the second green. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Russell Henley of the United States reacts to his second shot on the 17th hole. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Dustin Johnson of the United States practices on the range prior to his tee time. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One The World No 1 failed to recover from a lower back injury and was forced to withdraw at the final hour. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Johnson was surrounded by the media as he announced his withdrawal. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland putts on the first green. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Jordan Spieth of the United States waits to hit on the seventh hole . Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Danny Willett of England after playing a shot from under the trees. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Ian Woosnam of Wales makes par on the second hole. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One A thru board is seen near the second hole fairway as patrons look on. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Jordan Spieth of the United States plays a tee shot on the first hole . Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Charley Hoffman of the United States lines up a putt on the first green. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Balls are seen on the practice range during the first round of the 2017 Masters Tournament. Getty Images The Masters — in pictures The Masters — Round One Daniel Berger of the United States plays his shot from the ninth tee. Getty Images

"My short game really saved me today, especially on 10, 11 and 12, which were huge," McIlroy said. "Thankfully I managed to birdie the two par fives and another one coming in and even par was a great score so I'm really happy with that.

"I know I did my best out there and I gritted it out. I would have ripped someone's hand off for a 72 on the 10th tee. I feel somewhat disappointed because I had a chance on 17 for birdie to shoot under par, but I'm really happy with that and it puts me in a good frame of mind.

"I would have struggled to put together a back nine like that in previous years. I've done the work on the short game and I believe I'm doing the right things. I just didn't want to give up. I wanted to put my head down, show a bit of grit, a bit of determination, and I was able to do that."

McIlroy admitted he was stunned to see Hoffman shoot 65 in the tough conditions, adding: "I thought if anyone broke 70 today that would be an unbelievable score and then to see what he did over the last six or seven holes was incredible golf.

"I'm walking off there after my start ecstatic with a 72 and he is walking off with a 65, but as they say they don't give green jackets out on Thursdays and there is no winning post there.

"I think I'm in a good position with three rounds to go and we will see how it goes."