Rory McIlroy started his title defence on the Truist Championship on Thursday with a four-under-par first spherical.
The Masters champion shot a 66 with six birdies in all and bogeys on the eleventh and fifteenth holes.
He was 5 strokes behind the day one chief, America’s Keith Mitchell who completed on Thursday at 9 underneath.
Mitchell set the tempo with a 61, his lowest 18-hole rating on the PGA Tour.
World No 2 McIlroy performed alongside Shane Lowry on the Zurich Traditional of New Orleans and is now competing because the defending champion on the Truist Championship, beforehand referred to as the Wells Fargo Championship, forward of subsequent week’s PGA Championship.
McIlroy, of Northern Eire, waits to putt on the fourth gap. (AP Photograph/Matt Rourke)
The Truist Championship is happening on the Philadelphia Cricket Membership in Pennsylvania slightly than the Quail Hole Membership, the place the PGA Championship shall be held subsequent week.
Lowry is tied for seventh after a bogey-free opening spherical of 64.
McIlroy grew to become solely the sixth participant ever to finish a profession Grand Slam together with his dramatic victory in The Masters final month. He’s trying to construct in the direction of a sixth main victory on the PGA Championship with one other title win at this Signature Occasion this week.
“I don’t want to diminish this tournament and this championship, but to me, with everything that’s happened over the past couple of weeks, this was always going to be a great prep week for me to see where my game was and sort of refine a few things,” McIlroy mentioned.
“I still want to play well, and I still want to have a chance to win the tournament, but I’ll have a much better gauge of where my game is going into next week after these four days than I would have had if I hadn’t had played or if I just spent the week at home practising. It’s an important week for me.
“Hopefully in two weeks’ time you are speaking about me being a six-time main champion as a substitute of a five-time main champion.”
Who will win the Truist Championship? Watch throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Early coverage begins on Friday from 4pm on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from 7pm. Get Sky Sports activities or stream with NOW.
