Ror’s day takes turn for worse
RORY MCILROY’S patchy display mirrored the stopstart nature of the weatherdelayed Genesis Open first round at the Riviera Club in Los Angeles last night.
After torrential rain spoiled most of Thursday’s play, players were allowed to lift, clean and place on fairways but Mcilroy failed to take advantage and signed for a round of 72, one over and eight behind leader Jordan Spieth.
Two early birdies in Los Angeles put the Northern Ireland man in prime position, but Mcilroy’s form nose-dived from the turn.
He took a three putt bogey on the ninth after a 320 yard drive right down the middle that left him with just a sand wedge approach to the par four.
A bogey at 12 was followed by another at 13, where he twice tried to hit out of the rough after clipping branches off the tee.
With his driving going the way of his putting, his approach play followed suit and Mcilroy ended up finding just 50% of greens in regulation and finished the day on one over par.
Waterford’s Seamus Power was one shot better off than Mcilroy.
Spieth, without a win on tour since his 2017 British Open success, started his round on Thursday and completed it yesterday with a bogey-free 64.
He chipped in twice and afterwards said the course was “as gettable as it can possibly be right now.”
Mcilroy’s playing partner Tiger Woods also finished the day on level par but was undermined by some woeful putting as he took four threeputts in a single round for only the third time in his PGA Tour career.