RORY MCILROY BEGAN with a triple bogey in the Tour Championship but recovered to card three-under 67 in his opening round, largely thanks to four birdies in his last five holes.
It was a remarkable first round for McIlroy as he only recorded four pars in his 18 holes. That triple bogey saw him get off to a nightmare start and he was four-over after dropping a shot at the next hole, still on that mark following a birdie on the third and a bogey on the fourth.
Yet when he finished up McIlroy had carded eight birdies, four bogeys, a triple bogey and an eagle in a dramatic start to the season-ending event, which sees Scottie Scheffler still leading the way in a commanding position.
Rory doing Rory things 🦅 @McIlroyRory with an eagle at No. 6. pic.twitter.com/NltP5HA74g
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 25, 2022
With staggered scoring in play for the last event of the FedEx Cup play-offs, Scheffler began on ten-under and his 65 today on the par-70 course took him to 15-under. The world number one produced a superb finish with birdies in his last three holes to extend his advantage after the chasing pack had closed in.
Xander Schauffele is second on ten-under, Matt Fitzpatrick on nine-under after his 64 and then it’s Joaquin Niemann and Patrick Cantlay in a tie on eight-under. McIlroy is in a tie for sixth with Sungjae Im and Cam Smith.
It was a positive finish for McIlroy after that wretched beginning to his day. He gained momentum with a birdie on the 5th, a chip-in eagle on the 6th and a birdie on the 8th, which was negated by a bogey on the 9th. He was one-over for the day on the 14th tee but then enjoyed a terrific finish as he picked up shots on the 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th.
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