McIlroy chases Moore, other Mexico leaders

MEXICO CITY — Rory McIlroy had more trouble with his stomach than his ribs. The golf was just fine. Playing for the first time in seven weeks because of a rib injury, McIlroy coped with a bad stomach and the high altitude with a 3-under-par 68 that left him one shot out of a sixway tie for the lead as the Mexico Championship made a strong debut Thursday.

Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood, two of the four players who were in the field for the first edition of this GOLF World Golf Championships event in 1999, each shot 67 and were joined at the top by UNLV product Ryan Moore, PGA champion Jimmy Walker, Ross Fisher and Jon Rahm.

McIlroy, who can return to No. 1 with a victory this week, had not competed since Jan. 15 because of a hairline fracture of a rib.

Leaning on his driver as he waited to tee off midway through his round, he said he spent most of the night in the bathroom and “the altitude doesn’t help.”

LPGA — At Singapore, Michelle Wie took the first-round lead in the HSBC Women’s Champions, making six birdies in a 10-hole stretch in a 6-under 66.

Bishop Gorman product Inbee Park, Ariya Jutanugarn, Brooke Henderson, Mo Martin and Anna Nordqvist — all major champions — shot 67 on Sentosa’s Tanjong Course.

EUROPEAN PGA — At Pretoria, South Africa, France’s Gregory Havret, South Africa’s Haydn Porteous and Sweden’s Alexander Bjork each shot 6-under 65 to share a one-stroke, first-round lead in the Tshwane Open at Pretoria Country Club.