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Rory McIlroy made 17 straight pars and a birdie to card a one-under par 70, returning to PGA Tour action after a successful defense of The Masters at the Truest Championship.
The Northern Irishman has fond memories of playing at Quail Hollow, having won the event four times in the past. During his first win in 2010, McIlroy made 25 birdies across four rounds, but today he had to wait 17 holes for his breakthrough.
McIlroy produced a near-flawless round before making birdie on the 18th and posting a final first-round score of 70.
However, McIlroy missed multiple opportunities for birdie, notably sliding the putt left to right on the 12th wide, before sending another wide on the 13th hole.
“I wasn’t disappointed, I was hitting good putts,” McIlroy said. “Some days they don’t want to go in.
“I was just trying to stay patient because I felt like I was hitting good putts, I overread a couple on the front.
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, acknowledges the gallery on the 18th hole during the first round of the Truist Championship
“Then I under-read a couple in response to the over-read. It was a read thing. I was starting the ball on my line and hitting good putts. I just needed to get the reads out a little better. But it kind of felt like I got into it at the end of the round.”
After holing out on 18, McIlroy finally drained a putt with his hands in the air to celebrate.
“It’s nice to finally see someone step in, to build something,” he added.
“I was thinking about the last time I played golf and I didn’t have a birdie. I think I was trying to make one. I felt like I didn’t make a birdie on 7 or 8, so I thought my chance was gone, but it’s nice to finally see a putt go there.”
American Matt McCarty topped the leaderboard with a first-round eight-under par 64. A chasing pack that included European players Christopher Retan, Harry Hall, Nikolaj Hodggaard and Sepp Straka all trailed him at five-under.
Fleetwood gets off to a flying start
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Justin Rose was visibly frustrated by a poor iron shot during the opening round of the Truest Championship at Quail Hollow.
Tommy Fleetwood, who has struggled for form over the past month, got off to a flying start, making an eagle on the first hole, before posting four birdies to finish his round with a four-under par 67.
It was a near-flawless 18 holes for the Englishman, who sits T3 on the leaderboard before missing a par to end his day on a sour note on the 18th.
“Today was good, got off to a perfect start, an eagle on 10 was great. I felt like I played well, hit some solid iron shots. The course isn’t easy and it’s probably as soft conditions as we’re going to get them. So, play well and we’ll be cracking.
“I was talking to Phil (Kenyon) about it yesterday, and it’s like you can do everything right, and you know what it’s like on the putting green and you say, ‘That was a good read, started it on the line, the right pace, and it doesn’t go in’. You can do all that, but at the end of the day, it’s about the putt ball and sometimes if it doesn’t go in the hole, you feel ‘tough.’
Tommy Fleetwood of England reacts to a missed putt on the 12th hole during the first round of the Truist Championship
“I feel like today was one of those days that I not only needed, but wanted. I had some momentum. Even that putt I hit on the last hole, even though it went off the lip, the putts looked like they were going to go in today, and that brings confidence.
“Who knows what tomorrow brings, we’ll take the good days when they come.”
Fleetwood shared eighth place with fellow Englishman Alex Fitzpatrick, who is making his second start since winning his PGA Tour card with his brother Matt at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans.
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You can watch Rory McIlroy’s bid to make it back-to-back majors when the PGA Championship starts on Thursday 14 May, live only on Sky Sports.
Justin Rose, meanwhile, carded four birdies and four bogeys to finish at even par for the day. The Englishman is currently playing with a new set of McLaren clubs, and endured a tough outing at last week’s Cadillac Championship, finishing T65.
Today, Rose lined up an approach shot on the par-four first hole, but hooked his shot, sending the ball over the left edge of the green. Rose subsequently pouts, slamming her club into the ground before pointing it at him.
Who will win the tryst championship? Watch live all week on Sky Sports. Preliminary coverage starts from 4pm on Thursday on Sky Sports+, before full coverage on Sky Sports Golf from 7pm. Get Sky Sports or Flow without any contract.
