Rory McIlroy was comfortable on the Southern Hills course on Thursday and took the opportunity to take the lead after the first round of the PGA Championship.
The Northern Irishman sent his tee shots over the trees and down the fairway, setting the table for seven birdies. He played 65, five under par, to give himself a one-strike lead at the top of the standings.
This is what McIlroy needs, trying to end a nearly eight -year drought without winning a grand slam tournament. That was his best start in such a situation since he shot 66 at the PGA Championship in Valhalla in 2014, when he eventually won his four majors.
I believe that when your game feels like this, you just have to get out there, stick to your game plan, take as many shots as you can and stay in your little world, McIlroy says. I feel like this course allows you to be aggressive on the tees, so I took advantage of my long drive and finished work on my game using my scaffolding and putts.
Will Zalatoris (-4) and Tom Hoge (-4), the winner at Pebble Beach, scored 66, while Matt Kuchar (-3) and Abraham Ancer (-3) played 67.
Tiger Woods (+4) fell midway through his round and at the end of it, completed the course with 74 shots. This is his worst PGA Championship start since 2015.
McIlroy and Woods played in the same group with Jordan Spieth (+2) just needing a win in this tournament to complete the grand slam. A series of missed birdies and par chances forced Spieth to play 72.
The difference between McIlroy and Woods is obvious from the opening round holes. McIlroy had a four -game birding streak starting on his third hole of the day.
McIlroy had a birdie on the same par -5 on the course, the latter seeing him climb to -6. He made two bogeys on three holes before ending his round with a birdie.
Only 17 of the 78 golfers who tee-off in the morning got a round under par.
I don’t think a major champion here has ever been in the -10s, so you know at least the scores, ”Hoge said. If you get away from the fairways and into the long grass here, it’s hard to control the ball around the vegetables because they’re fast. Just try to keep things simple.
Another part of Southern Hills history in seven major tournaments: five of the champions held or shared the lead after 18 holes.
Xander Schauffele was part of a group of six golfers at -2, while Tony Finau was one of the headliners of a group of seven at -1.
For her part, Canadian Mackenzie Hughes (+7) couldn’t do better than a round of 77. Her compatriot Adam Hadwin is at +3, three shots lower than Corey Conners (+6 ).
For Phil Mickelson, the defending tournament champion is absent because he chose to extend his break from the circuit after making comments about the rival Saudi-funded circuit scheduled to host its first event next month in London. .
Bryson DeChambeau also shines in his absence, having retreated the previous day due to a pulse that has slowly healed.
Source: Radio-Canada
