OLYMPIA FIELDS, Sick. — Rory McIlroy did not thoughts being within the tough at rain-soaked Olympia Fields, aside from having timber and a bunker between him and the seventeenth inexperienced. And even that did not matter Thursday within the BMW Championship.
McIlroy discovered the quick grass solely six instances with 18 tee pictures — three of them on par 3s — and nobody would have guessed that taking a look at his card. He performed bogey-free for a 5-under 65, giving him a share of the lead with British Open champion Brian Harman within the second FedEx Cup playoff occasion.
“Solely hitting three fairways in the present day and arising with 65 is a little bit of a bonus,” McIlroy stated.
The greens had been so tender from a two-hour rain delay within the morning that McIlroy realized attempting to get at pins was simpler coming from the tough, as a result of the ball would not have as a lot spin.
“I am not saying I used to be attempting to purpose for the tough,” he stated with a smile.
And positively the spot he discovered himself in on the par-4 seventeenth wasn’t best. He solely had 116 yards left on the 456-yard gap, however he had a stand of timber blocking his path to the inexperienced, a giant bunker in entrance of the placing floor.
McIlroy punched 7-iron by means of a spot within the branches, simply over the bunker, simply over the inexperienced after which chipped in for birdie. It was that sort of day.
“There was a few branches above the window I used to be taking a look at, and I used to be like, ‘If it hits these, it is simply going to drop down close to that entrance left bunker and I will have an honest angle down the inexperienced and have a 10-footer or much less to save lots of par,'” McIlroy stated. “It was a little bit of a hit-and-a-hope. Simply attempting to string that needle. It was both chip it out or take it on. And it is solely Thursday.
“I assumed, ‘What the heck? I will take it on and see what occurs.'”
Harman, who returned from his British Open title final week on the FedEx Cup playoff opener with some rust, delivered his pleasure towards the tip of the spherical. He holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the par-3 sixteenth, after which chipped in for birdie on the seventeenth.
They had been had been one shot clear of a giant group at 66 that included Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sahith Theegala and Rickie Fowler, an excellent begin for various causes.
Scheffler went 9 months with out ending worse than twelfth after which went outdoors the highest 20 for consecutive weeks as his placing has struggled. Fowler has an opportunity to earn one of many six computerized spots on the U.S. Ryder Cup crew by successful.
As for Fitzpatrick and Theegala, it is all about being among the many high 30 within the FedEx Cup after this week to advance to the FedEx Cup finale at East Lake.
Fitzpatrick is No. 40 and wishes an excellent end to succeed in the Tour Championship and salvage a disappointing 12 months. Final 12 months’s U.S. Open champion beat Jordan Spieth in a playoff at Hilton Head, however he has one high 10 in his final 9 begins that has seen his FedEx Cup standing drop.
“Actually happy,” Fitzpatrick stated of his efficiency, including “actually” six extra instances, equaling the variety of birdies he made within the opening spherical.
Theegala is at No. 31 going into the BMW Championship and jumped into the combination by holing out with a 9-iron from the 14th fairway for an eagle.
“I feel it is unattainable to disregard,” Theegala stated of the FedEx Cup standings. “I feel everybody could be mendacity in the event that they did not know precisely the place they stood — not precisely however considerably of an thought what it is going to take to get to subsequent week.”
Collin Morikawa and Cameron Younger had been amongst these at 67, each attempting to enhance their Ryder Cup inventory. Jon Rahm, two-time defending champion Patrick Cantlay and Spieth had been at 68.
Lucas Glover, going for his third straight victory in as many weeks, shot 70.
Rahm received at Olympia Fields in 2020 on a course so dry and agency that 4-under par bought him right into a playoff he received over Dustin Johnson.
The tough was lengthy and moist. The greens had been so tender it made it a problem to hit it the appropriate distance — particularly with a again pin — understanding the ball would zip again. That is why McIlroy did not thoughts if the ball was within the tough. This was a time to blast away, and the sport’s most inventive driver placed on a present.
“Numerous the tee pictures I used to be simply being tremendous aggressive as a result of I knew behind my thoughts I wasn’t actually being penalized for it,” McIlroy stated. “The golf course is actually not taking part in the best way it performed in 2020. That was not my method a number of years in the past right here.
“However hopefully with the wind and the solar, the golf course begins to agency up slightly bit and begins to play slightly bit extra like how I feel it ought to play.”
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