RORY McILROY MANAGED seven birdies in his opening round at the Kolon Korea Open and is currently just one shot behind leaders YE Yang and Rickie Fowler.
The US Open champion posted a three-under-par round of 68 at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, having also found the water on two separate occasions.
”I felt like I played well. I started nicely and I was three under through nine holes, but I had a bad couple of holes on the back nine at 10 and 11 with a bogey and a double bogey,” McIlroy told reporters.
”I did well from there to birdie four of the next six holes to get back to four under, but then I was disappointed to bogey the last. But overall, it is a good start and something to build on.
”The shot on 11 was just a bad shot, while on 18 the wind grabbed it. I was aggressive, but I want to play aggressively.”
Fowler set the early pace with six birdies and two bogeys, before Yang – the defending champion – caught up with him.
“I made a few birdies, but unfortunately I didn’t play the par fives as well as I had hoped and played them two over, so that is something to obviously look to improve,” said Fowler.
