Rory McIlroy survived an eventful first day in Los Angeles to finish near the top of the leaderboard at the Genesis Invitational. He was just one stroke behind England’s Aaron Rai, who finished two holes short of the full round.
The Northern Irishman braved rain, wind and a three-hour suspension of play to post an opening round score of 5-under 66.
The highlight of his day was his spectacular save of par on the sixth hole, when he chipped over a bunker on the green.
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Rory McIlroy was pleased with his performance on opening day of the Genesis Invitational despite having to overcome weather delay issues
McIlroy dropped just one stroke on Thursday, tying American Jacob Bridgman at 5 under.
Both had been challenged by Rai before play was suspended, and the Englishman was scheduled to restart the round at six under for 16 holes.
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox is also aiming for four under, while England’s Marco Penge is also one shot behind among the seven players.
McIlroy told Sky Sports: “It was very rough. There was obviously a delay and then the track was very, very wet so we had to control the trajectory and the spin.”
“The wind was strong on the last few holes, which made it a little difficult.
“I was really happy that I was able to control the flight of the ball. There were just a few holes on the back nine and I knew I could make par and move on with a good score.”
“Overall, I’m very happy with the work we did today and we’re in a great place to build from here.
“It would be really cool to pick up the trophy from Tiger Woods on the 18th green on Sunday. That’s something I haven’t been allowed to do yet. Hopefully, if I continue to play well, I’ll have a chance to get it on Sunday.”
Watch the rest of Friday’s Genesis Invitational live on Sky Sports Golf from 3.15pm and on Sky Sports Main Event from 10.30pm.
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