Rory McIlroy regarded like among the best gamers on the earth on Thursday on the Genesis Scottish Open, his first spherical since his heartbreaking collapse eventually month’s U.S. Open.
The Northern Irishman sizzled across the Renaissance Membership, the Scottish seaside hyperlinks the place he gained final 12 months. McIlroy signed for a 5-under 65, and walked off the golf course trailing German Maximilian Kieffer and Haotong Li of China by one.
“My sport has been feeling fairly good in observe over the past ten or so days since I picked the membership again up. Clearly, the final time I performed, I performed nicely. I didn’t get the consequence I needed, however I nonetheless have quite a lot of confidence in my sport,” McIlroy stated.
“I went on the market right now, shot a stable rating. There are a pair I might have favored to gap coming in and be a couple of pictures decrease, however general, it was an incredible begin to the match. Yeah, I form of picked up the place I left off.”
McIlroy’s 65 is the bottom opening-round rating by a defending Scottish Open champion, based on golf statistician guru Justin Ray. He made 5 birdies and holed a chip-in eagle on the par-5 third, however two bogies prevented him from going any decrease than 5-under.
“Type of missed it in a great spot on 3, however form of the good factor about this course is even if you miss it on the brief aspect, it looks like you at all times have some form of shot to get it shut,” McIlroy stated of his eagle.
“And there, I simply wanted to hit a little bit bump, let it pitch on the perimeter, run all the way down to the opening, and I judged it properly.”
McIlroy regarded stable for many of the day in Scotland, and he has put himself in an amazing place to maybe win for the third time in 2024 and grow to be the primary back-to-back winner of the Genesis Scottish Open.
The benign wind circumstances helped his trigger, however everybody else needed to play this course, too. And but, McIlroy performed higher than virtually each different participant, as he sits in a tie for fifth after day one.
“The wind, from being a four-club wind final 12 months on Sunday, it was a few one-club wind on the market [on Thursday]. There was a little bit little bit of breeze however nothing too testing, and the golf course is fairly receptive,” McIlroy defined.
“We’ve had quite a lot of rain right here over the previous couple of days, and , it’s actually as gettable as I’ve seen it. It’s essential go on the market and put up a good quantity to get your self proper within the match.”
McIlroy did simply that.
Now the query is, can he redeem his powerful end at Pinehurst No. 2 with a bounce-back victory in Scotland?
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying Via. You should definitely take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.
