McIlroy takes lead as heavyhitters struggle

TULSA, Oklahoma: Rory McIlroy got the dream start that has eluded him at recent majors to grab the firstround lead at the PGA Championship yesterday, outshining the two other members of his ‘‘super group’’ Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth.

While Woods (74) and Spieth (72) laboured, McIlroy made it look easy at Southern Hills Country Club by carding a fiveunder 65, his best opening round at a major since the 2011 US Open.

That was good enough for a onestroke advantage over Will Zalatoris and Tom Hoge, with Matt Kuchar, Justin Thomas and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer returning 67s to sit two adrift.

Starting on the back nine, McIlroy’s day featured a stretch of four straight birdies from the 12th, his longest such run at a major, then added two more after the turn before picking up bogeys at 6 and 8.

But McIlroy would make sure the round would end on an upbeat note by rolling in an 19footer for birdie at the last.

Looking to end an eightyear major drought, McIlroy arrived in Tulsa in superb form having recorded topfive finishes at his last two events, including a runnerup result at the Masters where he closed with a sizzling final round of 64.

His score yesterday makes him the first player to shoot 65 or better in the final round of one major and 65 or better in the first round of the next.

‘‘I’ve been playing well coming in here,’’ said McIlroy, twice winner of the PGA Championship.

‘‘I think when your game is feeling like that, it’s just a matter of going out there and really sticking to your game plan, executing as well as you possibly can, and just sort of staying in your own little world.’’

McIlroy’s firstround struggles at majors are well documented, the Northern Irishman making a habit of having to dig himself out of early holes.

Those sputtering starts are seen as the main reason he has not been able to add to his haul of four majors.

But in this major, Woods will be among those needing to rebound after slumping to a fourover 74.

Back in action for the first time since his sensational return to competition at April’s Masters, just 14 months after a car crash nearly claimed his leg, Woods fired up the crowd with a birdie on his opening hole.

The 15time major winner turned up the buzz with a second birdie at the 14th but he also piled up seven bogeys, including two to close out his round, to sit nine off the lead and with work to do today just to make the cut.

The pained expression on his

face as he walked off the course was in stark contrast to the joyful look he had at Augusta National when the 46yearold stunned the golf world by firing an opening round oneunderpar 71 on his return to competition.

‘‘It was a frustrating day,’’ said Woods, adding his leg did not feel as good as he thought it would.

‘‘Loading hurts, pressing off it hurts, and walking hurts, and twisting hurts.’’

It was also a day of frustration for Spieth as his bid to complete the career Grand Slam of golf’s four majors got off to an unimpressive start with a scrappy 72.

The marquee group of McIlroy, Woods and Spieth, who own a combined 22 major titles, was like a giant magnet pulling in the early spectators who lined almost every hole from tee to green.

The afternoon wave had its highprofile trio featuring the

world’s top three ranked players in Masters champion Scottie Scheffler (number one), US Open champion Jon Rahm (number two) and British Open winner Collin Morikawa (number three).

But it also had the tougher conditions. As the wind and temperatures picked up, none of the heavyhitters made an impact with Scheffler returning a 71, Morikawa 72 and Rahm 73. — Reuters