BMW Championship 2021: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Sam Burns Share Lead After Round 1

Things are tight at the BMW Championship. 

Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Sam Burns sit atop the leaderboard in a three-way tie after each shooting an eight-under 64 on Thursday in Owing Mills, Maryland. 

The field is tight behind them, with Sergio Garcia in fourth at seven under and Abraham Ancer and Patrick Cantlay tied in fifth at six under. After that group, 12 players sit just three strokes off the leaders. 

Burns and Rahm were the models of consistency on their way to the top of the leaderboard, each finishing with eight birdies and zero bogeys. Rahm averaged a driving distance of 318.7 yards, per PGATour.com, a driving accuracy of 64.2 percent, hit 83.3 percent of greens in regulation and gained 3.3 strokes putting. 

Burns posted a 307.3 yards/ 71.4 percent / 88.8 percent / 2.2 strokes gained split in those categories. 

McIlroy took a slightly more circuitous route, finishing with a bogey and a fantastic eagle on the 16th. His 92.8 percent driving accuracy and 3.1 strokes gained putting were incredibly impressive. 

However they got there, the top three played some excellent golf on Thursday. 

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Rahm, the top-ranked player in the world and the No. 2 player in the FedEx Cup standings, is yet again in the running. He's also the defending champion at this tournament. 

Oh, and he was dropping Ted Lasso references after his opening round:

What can't this guy do?

Garcia, meanwhile, made a late push to enter the top group, posting birdies on Nos. 16 and 17. While he couldn't push his way into the group of leaders, he's in prime position to make a run at the BMW. 

Other notable finishers included Phil Mickelson (-4), Bryson DeChambeau (-4), Brooks Koepka (-2) and Jordan Spieth (-1). The course played favorably on Thursday—only seven players finished above par. 

The action continues on Friday morning at 9:40 a.m. ET, with the group of Sebastian Munoz, Chris Kirk and Jhonattan Vegas opening play.