Travelers Championship 2020: Rory McIlroy Trails Hughes by 3 Shots After Round 1

Mackenzie Hughes holds a three-stroke lead over the field after shooting a scorching 10-under 60 in the first round of the 2020 Travelers Championship.

Hughes went bogey-free on the round and recorded 10 birdies, including a streak of five straight to go into the clubhouse with a sizable lead over a leaderboard that includes Rory McIlroy (-7) and Phil Mickelson (-6). 

"I've probably had more like meaningful rounds of say 65 or 66, but as far as going low and how I felt about the game, it's definitely probably top five," Hughes told reporters.   

Hughes' lone win on the PGA Tour came at the 2016 RSM Classic, which he opened with a then-career-best 61. He said this week's course, TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, is "yielding some scores," so he expects that he'll need to continue going low to stay in contention through the weekend.

Of the 156 golfers in the field, 105 finished Round 1 under par. 

McIlroy, coming off a pair of disappointing outings since the PGA's return, tied his low round of the season with a 63. He missed only two greens in regulation but left some putts on the course in what could have been a round worthy of challenging Hughes, who gained more than five strokes on the green.

After the round, he explained how he felt about his performance:

"It's just been nice to get back into some competitive golf again. You know, it doesn't feel the same because you're not having thousands of people reacting to your birdies and getting that going. I felt the weekends have been a little flat for me just because that's when you're in contention and that's where you sort of start to feel it. Thursdays and Fridays don't feel that different to be honest, but into the weekends they do."

Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland are tied with McIlroy at seven under.

Mickelson is one of six golfers at six under, a group that also includes Sergio Garcia. Lefty turned in a bogey-free, six-birdie round in his first competitive tournament since turning 50 on June 16.

Chez Reavie got off to a rough start defending his trophy, finishing at even par and outside the cut line.