Rory McIlroy at Frys.com Open 2015: Thursday Leaderboard Score and Reaction
Rory McIlroy started the 2015-16 PGA Tour season in fine fashion at the Frys.com Open on Thursday at Silverado Country Club in Napa, California.
The four-time major champion fired a four-under 68 and could have gone even lower with better putting on his first nine, but McIlroy's tremendous ball-striking propelled him up the leaderboard.
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Check out McIlroy's scorecard in his first round of the new season:
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 36 |
| Score | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 35 |
| Overall | E | E | E | +1 | +1 | E | E | E | -1 | -1 |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 36 |
| Score | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 33 |
| Overall | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -4 | -4 | -4 |
The 26-year-old superstar trails Brendan Steele by five strokes, as Steele posted a seven-under 29 on his first nine holes en route to a nine-under 63. Despite the rather steep deficit to begin, there is still plenty of time for McIlroy to make up ground.
Golf Channel's Justin Ray notes how McIlroy's first score bodes well:
McIlroy was sharp from tee to green right out of the gates. On the par-four 10th when he started his day, though, he missed a birdie attempt from inside 12 feet. The first green McIlroy missed cost him a dropped shot at the 13th, and he couldn't convert another birdie effort from just under 15 feet out at the next.
Fox Sports' Robert Lusetich reacted to the rather slow start from McIlroy:
One iron shot got McIlroy moving in the right direction at the par-three 15th, as he stuck it to approximately three feet from the cup and got back to level par.
Although he didn't take advantage of his length to birdie the subsequent par five, McIlroy did seize the opportunity at No. 9 to get another birdie on the board and make the turn in red figures. Yet another dazzling approach at No. 1 gave the Napa galleries something to cheer about:
Another birdie came at the par-five fifth on a nice, nine-foot putt McIlroy managed to roll in and move to three under. His improvement with the short club continued on a 12-footer at the par-fourth eighth to go one stroke lower.
On his final hole of the day, a 332-yard rocket off the tee put McIlroy in prime position to attack the No. 9 green in two. His second shot went only about 20 feet from the flag but ran through the green; the Northern Irishman's chip ran 10 feet past and he couldn't get down from there to finish on five under.
Sporting Life's Ben Coley hinted at the possibilities awaiting McIlroy if he can get rolling on the greens:
"I didn't really hole many putts," said McIlroy after Thursday's round, per the PGA Tour's official Twtitter account. "I holed a few, but if I can get the putter going over the next few days, hopefully I can get up the leaderboard a little bit."
The excellent back nine McIlroy put together ought to give him plenty of confidence heading into Friday's second round. He'll tee off at No. 1 tomorrow and see the same set of holes he just lit up to end his Thursday.
Ahead of making his maiden appearance at this tournament, McIlroy stated how pleased he was to participate, per ESPN.com's Bob Harig:
"Coming back at the PGA for me was a start of a new season anyway. This is sort of a continuation of that. Even though it's the new PGA Tour season, I feel like I'm in the middle of a nice little run to the end of the year.
For a lot of guys, even the guys who played a full PGA Tour schedule and then played Presidents Cup last week [in South Korea] and they're coming here, it's a lot of golf.
But I haven't played as much as those guys, so I'm happy to be playing and happy to play quite a bit until the end of the year.
"
That positive attitude showed on Thursday as McIlroy fought through some early adversity and posted an exceptional score, missing just one green in regulation in the process.
ESPN's Jason Sobel hinted why McIlroy is probably making a wise decision to get an early start to the 2015-16 campaign:
The Frys.com Open field isn't as star-studded as the biggest PGA Tour events, but there are a fair amount of big names in action hoping to generate some momentum at the dawn of the wraparound schedule.
Justin Rose is the highest-ranked player (No. 7) besides McIlroy (No. 3) teeing it up in Napa and got off to a fine start of his own playing alongside the Northern Irishman at five-under par. One of the players tied with McIlroy, Russell Henley, defeated him in a playoff last year at the Honda Classic, the event the 26-year-old first ascended to world No. 1.
McIlroy remains the favorite, especially after establishing himself in the thick of contention through the first round. But if he's meant to claim victory, a hot streak with the flat iron is what McIlroy needs to separate from the rest of the pack.
Note: Stats courtesy of PGATour.com unless otherwise indicated.
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