Rory McIlroy made 17 consecutive pars in his return to the PGA Tour at the Truist Championship, finishing the opening round with a 1-under 70.
The Northern Irishman, who took four weeks off after successfully defending the Masters in April, has fond memories of playing at Quail Hollow, having won the tournament four times in the past. In his first win in 2010, McIlroy had 23 birdies and two eagles over four rounds, but had to wait 17 holes to make his breakthrough on Thursday.
McIlroy looked like he could go for even par, but he sunk a long sweep putt on the 18th for birdie and a first-round score of 70. If McIlroy hadn’t made birdie, it would have been the first time in his PGA Tour career that he had made 18 consecutive pars.
He flew the ball beautifully all day, especially on the dogleg left par-4 second hole, where he made a huge 335-yard drive across a group of trees. But the 37-year-old’s putts let him down, with McIlroy missing multiple birdie chances, especially slipping a right-to-left putt on the 12th wide and then another putt wide on the 13th.
“I wasn’t frustrated. I was hitting some good putts,” McIlroy said. “Some days they don’t want to go in. I felt like I was hitting some good putts, so I was just trying to hang in there. I made some too many reads on the front side.”
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy thanks the gallery on the 18th hole during the first round of the Turist Championship
“Then I ended up under-reading a few times as a reaction to over-leading. It was more of a lead. I was starting the ball on my line and making good putts. I just needed to understand the lead a little more. But by the end of the round I felt like I was kind of on a roll.”
After holed out on the 18th, McIlroy threw his arms high in celebration of finally sinking the putt.
“It was really good to see that one point go in at the end. We were able to build on something,” he added.
“I thought I couldn’t remember the last time I played golf and didn’t get a birdie. I think I was just trying to make a birdie. I felt like I didn’t get a birdie on the 7th or 8th so I thought my chance had passed, but it was nice to see that one putt go in at the end.”
American Matt McCarty finished the first round at the top of the scoreboard with an 8-under 64. Sungjae Im followed in second place with 7 under par, but the final round was shortened and tournament officials suspended play due to bad weather.
The chasing group includes European players such as Christopher Reitan, Harry Hall, Nikolai Hujgaard and Sepp Straka, and Canadian Nick Taylor are all chasing the lead at 5 under.
Fleetwood get off to a strong start
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Justin Rose was left visibly frustrated after a poor iron shot during the opening round of the Turist Championship at Quail Hollow.
Tommy Fleetwood, who has been struggling with his form for the past month, got off to a good start with an eagle on the first hole, and made four birdies along the way to finish the round with a 4-under 67.
It was a near-fantastic 18 holes for the Brit, who was T3 on the leaderboard, but missed his par putt on the 18th and ended the day on a disappointing note.
“Today was good. I had a perfect start. 10 on eagle was great,” Fleetwood said. “I felt like I played well and hit some solid iron shots. The course wasn’t easy and the conditions were soft, which is probably what we expected. So if we play well, we’ll move up.”
“I was talking about this with Phil (Kenyon) yesterday, and being able to do everything right and knowing what it’s like on the putting green and being like, ‘That was a good read, I started online, the right pace, but it’s not going in.’ You can do all that, but at the end of the day, putting is about putting the ball in the hole, and when you can’t see the ball going in, it can feel very difficult.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood reacts to a missed putt on the 12th hole in the first round of the Tourist Championship
“I feel like today was one of those days that I didn’t need, but wanted. I had a little bit of momentum. That putt I hit on the last hole, even though it missed, it was a putt that looked like it would go in today. That gave me confidence.”
“Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring, but we’re going to take the better days as they come.”
Fleetwood shares eighth place with fellow Briton Alex Fitzpatrick, who is making his second start since earning his PGA Tour card with his brother Matt at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans.
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When the PGA Championship kicks off on Thursday, May 14th, you can watch Rory McIlroy chase back-to-back major titles live, only on Sky Sports.
Meanwhile, Justin Rose finished the day at level par with four birdies and four bogeys. The British player, currently playing for his new club McLaren, endured a tough battle in last week’s Cadillac Championship, finishing T65.
Today, Rose took an approach shot on the par-4 first hole, hooked the shot, and the ball fell towards the left edge of the green. Rose became furious and dropped the club on the ground before gesturing towards it.
Who will win the Turist Championship? Watch live all week on Sky Sports. Early coverage begins on Sky Sports+ from 4pm on Thursday, followed by full coverage from 7pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get and stream Sky Sports without a contract.
