Ryder Cup: 5 Key Takeaways From Europe’s Day 1 Play
By Adam McGee
McIlroy Holing Out Well
Facing Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler in the morning, then Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar later in the afternoon, Rory McIlroy was always going to need to have all aspects of his game firing if he was to have any real success on Friday. In spite of his two recent wins, the Northern Irishman’s recent putting woes still seemed like a potential thorn in his side.
As it turned out, although McIlroy’s iron play wasn’t always as dialed in on Friday as it usually is, the short putts that plagued him for significant parts of this season caused no real problems in either session of play.
McIlroy started the morning foursomes by holing out in convincing fashion on multiple holes early on and that set the tone for the day to come. McIlroy certainly isn’t the consistent putter that many of his American rivals can claim to be, but with confidence in the flat stick, he could be a terror for his US opponents over the next two days.