McIlroy Returns to Form with Clubhouse Lead at BMW Championship

BMW Championship – round one leaderboard

-6 R McIlroy (NI), W Clark (US), C Gotterup (US), J.J. Spain (US), G Woodland (US); -5 R Hisatsune (Jpn)

Selected others: -4 A Fitzpatrick (Eng), L Aberg (Swe), M Thorbjornsen (US); -3 M Fitzpatrick (Eng); -2 R MacIntyre (Sco), A Rai (Eng); -1 T Fleetwood (Eng), J Rose (Eng)

Full leaderboard

Rory McIlroy credited his team’s efforts for helping him regain his form and secure a clubhouse lead after the first round of the BMW Championship.

The world number two, who struggled to a 66th-place finish at the recent St Jude Championship, carded six under par to share the lead at Bellerive Country Club.

McIlroy reached the turn at two under par, then birdied the 13th hole and three of his final four holes, joining an American quartet of Gary Woodland, Wyndham Clark, J.J. Spaun and Chris Gotterup at the top.

He emphasized that collaboration with his swing coach Michael Bannon and caddie Harry Diamond was instrumental in restoring his rhythm following last week’s performance in Memphis.

“I felt like I got myself moving in the right direction with my swing improvements, but you never know how you’ll perform when you arrive at a new venue,” McIlroy told the Golf Channel.

“This course plays more favorably for my game than Memphis did last week. The fairways are wider, giving me more margin for error off the tee, which I needed to use a few times today. The setup definitely suits my style better, and I feel significantly more at ease here compared to last weekend.”

Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune finished at five under par, while Alex Fitzpatrick, Michael Thorbjornsen and Ludvig Aberg were tied for seventh at four under par.

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre closed at two under par, rebounding from his 12-over 82 in the opening round at the St Jude Championship before withdrawing before the second round.

World number one Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion who also won in Memphis, encountered four bogeys during the first seven holes, placing him well down the leaderboard.

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