McIIroy gets back into swing with new caddie
Rory McIlroy had his best friend on the bag and his best start on American soil in 18 months. For Jordan Spieth, it was more of the same with two long putts and another comment filled with bravado directed at his caddie.
Both of them opened with a 3-under 67 at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, leaving them two shots behind Thomas Pieters of Belgium at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.
Pieters, playing only for the sixth time since he challenged briefly at the Masters this year, holed a 30foot birdie putt on his final hole to finish a day of good scoring with a one-shot lead over Russell Knox.
The opening two rounds were moved up to the morning because of a forecast of thunderstorms in the afternoon.
McIlroy split with J. P. Fitzgerald, his caddie of nine years, after the British Open. He decided to use Harry Diamond, who played amateur golf for Ireland and was the best man at McIlroy’s wedding, for the Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship next week.
“We both did the numbers, and I sort of consulted him a couple of times. Yeah, it was good,” McIlroy said. “There was a couple of shots that I hit or a couple of clubs that I pulled that I maybe should have just thought a little bit more about. It’s been a while since I’ve paced yardages off and written notes in my book.”
Spieth has won two straight events going into this World Golf Championship with an eye toward next week at the PGA Championship and his shot at becoming the youngest player to complete the Grand Slam.
The opening round was no place to lose ground in such good scoring conditions. Dustin Johnson did his part with a 68. He hasn’t won since the Match Play just two weeks before his staircase injury that knocked him out of the Masters. Johnson only wants to give himself a chance to win, and he says all the parts are in working order for that.
Bubba Watson, also showing signs of getting his game turned around, was also in the group at 67 that included Kevin Kisner and Jon Rahm.
WIE TAKES EARLY LEAD»
Finishing fast after a slow start, Michelle Wie birdied her last three holes for an 8-under 64 for a one- shot lead in the Women’s Brit- ish Open.
Wie bogeyed the par- 5 second hole at Kingsbarns Links at St. Andrews, Scotland, and that was the last of her mistakes. The 27-year- old shot 30 on the back nine and wound up one shot ahead of I.K. Kim of South Korea.
Lindy Duncan was another shot behind at 66, with Lexi Thompson among those at 67.
Wie, the Stanford grad, showed no sign of the neck spasms that forced her to withdraw from last month’s U. S Women’s Open. She posted nine birdies during a morning round played in almost perfect weather on the eastern coast of Scotland. HUH HAS IT ROLLING IN RENO » John Huh took only 24 putts at Montreaux Golf and Country Club in Reno, the last one from 6 feet for his eighth birdie on his final hole to give him 15 points and a one-point lead over Stuart Appleby and Miguel Angel Carballo in the Barracuda Championship. This is the only PGA Tour event that uses the modified Stableford format that awards five points for an eagle and three points for a birdie, while deducting one point for a bogey and three points for a double bogey or worse. Cal’s Brandon Hagy was just two points behind.