Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre and Shane Lowry all card opening-round 67s at Wentworth to sit two strokes behind leader Matthew Baldwin on seven under; defending champion Ryan Fox starts with a one-under 71; watch the BMW PGA Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports Golf
Thursday 19 September 2024 20:16, UK
Rory McIlroy overcame the shock of breaking a club mid-shot to card an opening 67 in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, trailing day one leader Matthew Baldwin by two strokes.
On the par-five 12th, the head of McIlroy's 9-iron detached from the shaft and flew down the fairway as he struck his second shot. But, despite the mishap, the Northern Irishman would card the sixth of his seven birdies moments later.
In an incident-packed first round, McIlroy had a run of four birdies in a row from holes three through six, putted left-handed at eight, saw his tee shot at 17 bounce out of the trees and then hit his approach at 18 out of bounds.
His wayward second at 18 cost the 2014 champion his second bogey of the day and, at five under par, leaves him two behind bogey-free Baldwin at the top of the leaderboard.
McIlroy is in a large grouping tied for fourth that includes Robert MacIntyre and Shane Lowry, who also carded opening 67s.
Justin Rose is two shots further off the pace at three under, as is fellow home hope Tommy Fleetwood after a closing run of three birdies in his final four holes. Defending champion Ryan Fox started with a one-under 71.
"I don't think it's ever happened to me before," McIlroy said of the bizarre incident on the 12th hole which saw the head of his club come loose from the shaft.
"It was a bit of a weird feeling. I hit the ball and obviously you're expecting the weight of the club to just pull through and there was nothing there.
"Thankfully the ball went where I wanted it to. It could have been a lot worse but, thankfully, I got it repaired and got it back on the 16th."
McIlroy was playing four days after a runner-up finish at the Irish Open to Rasmus Hojgaard, who closed with three straight birdies to deny the local hero a first professional win on home soil.
"The nice thing about disappointments is that you have something in this next week to keep busy and keep your mind focused on something else," the 35-year-old said.
"It was a bit of rollercoaster round but most of the incidents worked out in my favour so I'm happy about that.
"I would have taken five under at the start of the day... overall, it was a good round of golf, it could have been a little bit better but a solid start."
McIlroy's closing bogey at 18 dropped him out of a share of the then-lead with Niklas Norgaard of Denmark, who is tied for second with Belgium's Thomas Detry on six under.
Norgaard, who claimed his first DP World Tour title with victory in the British Masters at The Belfry earlier this month, birdied four of his last eight holes for an opening 66.
Detry also enjoyed a hot streak down the stretch, birdieing each of the last three holes.
Watch the BMW PGA Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Friday with Featured Groups from 8.30am ahead of full coverage from midday on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the DP World Tour and more with NOW.
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