BMW Championship Leaderboard 2012: Rory McIlroy Will Make It Two Wins in a Row

Riding the high of winning the Deutsche Bank Championship, Rory McIlroy has again set himself up for a PGA tour win in the BMW Championship.

McIlroy opened up the first day of the tournament by shooting a 64 (-8), which is currently tied for first place. It should be noted that many golfers are still playing, so these standings are not final for Day 1.

Beginning the tournament on the back nine, the 23-year-old McIlroy began his round with a birdie, followed by two pars and a bogie, but regained momentum by birdieing the next hole and eagling the next.

After two pars and another birdie, McIlroy posted a 32 (-4) on the his first nine holes of the tournament, setting himself up nicely for a top finish on the day.

Looking to build off of what he did on the back nine, McIlroy played mistake-free golf on the front, displaying great ball-striking skills and impressive green awareness on putts.

The 2011 U.S. Open winner finished his final nine holes of the day by posting four birdies and five pars—including a birdie on the ninth to end his impressive day—to put himself in prime position to extend his lead on Friday.

Also tied with McIlroy at -8 are Webb Simpson, Bo Van Pelt and Graham DeLaet, while Tiger Woods finds himself all alone in second place at -7.

McIlroy appears to have brought his momentum from last weekend's tournament to the Crooked Stick Golf Club, where he finds himself with a share of the lead after Round 1.

His straight drives into the fairways and tough reads on the greens are what has separated him from the competition last weekend and on Thursday, and it's going to take a strong effort by his competitors to knock him off of his game in the BMW Championship. 

Here's a look at the Top 10 Leaderboard updated through 5 p.m. ET:

Place	Player	Score
T-1	Bo Van Pelt	-8
T-1	Webb Simpson	-8
T-1	Rory McIlroy	-8
T-1	Graham Delaet	-8
5	Tiger Woods	-7
T-6	Jimmy Walker	-5
T-6	Zach Johnson	-5
T-6	Ryan Palmer	-5
T-6	Graeme McDowell	-5
T-6	Ryan Moore	-5

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