McIlroy promise but MacIntyre struggles

Rory McIlroy made a solid start in his bid to complete a full set of World Golf Championship titles as Matt Fitzpatrick claimed a share of the clubhouse lead in the WGC-Workday Championship.

McIlroy, pictured, carded an opening 69 to trail former Ryder Cup team-mate Fitzpatrick and American Webb Simpson by three shots at The Concession Golf Club, with former world number one Brooks Koepka a shot off the lead.

Koepka’s 67 was 10 shots better than playing partner, Masters champion and current number one Dustin Johnson, who carded two birdies, two bogeys and two double bogeys.

Victory on Sunday would make McIlroy the second player after Johnson to have won all four WGC titles and see him continue his impressive record of bouncing back from missed cuts.

McIlroy’s missed cut in the Genesis Invitational last week was his first since an emotional early exit from the 2019 Open Championship on home soil at Royal Portrush, but the 31-year-old’s record after his five most recent missed cuts includes two wins and a runners-up finish.

“I missed three putts on the last nine holes that I thought for sure were going to go right to left, and then I missed one on another hole that I gave a little less break as a reaction to those and that one dove and broke left,” McIlroy told Sky Sports.

“I felt like I got a good feeling with what I’m doing with the long game so I’ll hit a few balls to try to groove that in and I’ll go to the putting green to try to figure it out a bit.

“Of course it’s frustrating because you come off the course thinking you could be three or four shots lower than you were, but I’ve just got to keep putting the work in and hopefully it finds its way in there.”

Oban’s Robert MacIntyre, the only Scot in the field, made a disappointing start with three bogeys in the opening four holes but reduced some of the damage with a birdie at 13, carding an opening 74.