Rory McIlroy wasn’t pushing any panic buttons after he opened with a “rusty” 66 within the $20 million Truist Championship in Philadelphia.
The Masters champion desires to change into a six-time Main winner at subsequent week’s PGA Championship and he felt he justified his bombs away technique from the tee as he combined six birdies with two bogeys to search out himself tied for twenty fifth, 5 photographs behind chief Keith Mitchell.
Whereas he made some errors, he was blissful to see what components of his sport want work after taking part in simply the Zurich Traditional of New Orleans with Shane Lowry after his Augusta Nationwide heroics.
“It suppose it labored out positive,” the Holywood star stated after hitting 12 drives between 316 and 373 yards on a low-scoring day at Philadelphia Cricket Membership’s Wissahickon Course the place Lowry fired a bogey-free 64 to share seventh, simply three photographs off the tempo.
“I drove the ball fairly properly. I missed it in a few spots however was type of in a position to get away with it.”
He made the flip in three-under 32 however after attending to four-under after 10 holes, he performed the rest in degree par as he three putted the eleventh earlier than sandwiching a sloppy bogey six on the fifteenth between birdies on the 14th and seventeenth.
Tied for twenty fifth on four-under, he was simply 5 photographs behind Mitchell, whose bogey-free, nine-under 61 gave him a one-shot lead over Denny McCarthy.
“The errors I made principally had been from across the greens, the three-putt on 12 after which making 6 at 15.,” McIlroy stated
“Other than that, I performed fairly good. I felt like I used to be a bit rusty on the market, simply hadn’t performed in per week and I hadn’t actually achieved a ton of observe, particularly like on and across the greens.
“I definitely can tidy a number of issues up, however general a good day.”
McIlroy is utilizing the occasion as observe for the PGA Championhip at Quail Hole the place he has received 4 occasions.
“I do not wish to diminish this event and this championship,” McIlroy stated. “However with every part that is occurred over the previous couple of weeks, this was at all times going to be an incredible prep week for me to see the place my sport was and refine a number of issues.
“I nonetheless wish to play properly, and I nonetheless wish to have an opportunity to win the event, however I am going to have a significantly better gauge of the place my sport goes into subsequent week after these 4 days, than I might have had if I hadn’t performed or if I needed to simply spend the week at dwelling practising.
“So this is a crucial week for me.”
Having puzzled after the Masters what the press would speak about there subsequent 12 months now that he’s ended his anticipate that fifth main and accomplished the Grand Slam, McIlroy recommended a number of concepts.
“Hopefully in two weeks time we’re speaking about me being a six time main champion as an alternative of a 5 time main champion,” he joked.
“I do not know. I imply, I used to be actually referencing, like that particular event and type of what we speak about in that constructing, , yearly for the final 10 years.
“However there’s sufficient nice story strains in golf, whether or not or not it’s like Scottie received by one million final week and appears to be taking part in again to his finest.
“You’ve got acquired Jordan Spieth going for the profession Grand Slam subsequent week. You’ve got acquired a variety of thrilling stuff taking place within the ladies’s sport.
“So there’s at all times nice storylines in golf. And , it definitely would not simply need to be about me.”
World quantity 12 Lowry can be flying below the radar in Charlotte after one other nice spherical.
He missed simply two greens in regulation, rolling in a 12 footer for his sixth birdie of the day at his ultimate gap.
