McIlroy sets red-hot early pace at PGA Championship

TULSA, Oklahoma: Rory McIlroy set a red-hot early pace at the PGA Championship on Thursday (May 19), powering to the highest of the first-round halfway leaderboard with 4 birdies.

Starting on the again 9 and partnered with Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth in a golf tremendous group, McIlroy grabbed centre stage with 4 straight birdies from the twelfth to guide Davis Riley by a stroke.

It was little doubt the form of begin the Northern Irishman had been hoping for as he tries to finish an eight-year main drought at steamy Southern Hills.

A twice PGA Championship winner, McIlroy arrived in Tulsa in superb kind having recorded top-five finishes at his final two occasions, together with runner-up at the Masters, and he carried that momentum into an error-free first 9.

The featured group, who personal a mixed 22 main titles, was like an enormous magnet pulling within the early spectators who lined nearly each gap from tee to inexperienced.

Woods, again in motion for the primary time since his sensational return to competitors at April’s Masters 14 months after a automobile crash almost claimed his proper leg, wasted no time sending a jolt by the group with a birdie on his opening gap.

The 15-times main winner turned up the joy after accumulating a second birdie at the 14th however stumbled into the flip as he gave all of it again with bogeys at 15 and 18.

Spieth, bidding to finish the profession Grand Slam of golf’s 4 majors, was struggling to maintain up along with his enjoying companions.

The 28-year-old American had a constructive begin with a birdie at 12 however bogeys at 15, 16 and 18 dropped him to two-over and 6 behind front-running McIlroy.

While McIlroy, Woods and Spieth hogged many of the early consideration the afternoon concentration is going to shift to a different high-profile group that includes world primary and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, US Open champion Jon Rahm and British Open winner Collin Morikawa.

Scheffler is bidding to turn into the primary participant to win consecutive majors since Spieth received the Masters and US Open in 2015. The US Open was once the second main of the 12 months till 2019, when the PGA Championship was introduced ahead within the {golfing} calendar having been the ultimate main of the 12 months for many years.