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PGA Championship: Rory McIlroy endures roller coaster opener at Quail Hollow

By Brandon Raper

CHARLOTTE, NC - AUGUST 10: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 12th tee during the first round of the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club on August 10, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - AUGUST 10: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 12th tee during the first round of the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club on August 10, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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Rory McIlroy opened his PGA Championship Thursday with a new caddie, a new club setup, and a roller coaster ride around Quail Hollow

For the last several weeks, Rory McIlroy has started to show us flashes of the form that made him the best player in the world. Then, seemingly out of the blue, he parted ways with J.P. Fitzgerald, the only caddie he’d had in his pro career. Many wondered what effect that would have, as longtime friend Harry Diamond has stepped in to cover at the PGA Championship, and we got our answer on Thursday.

If having Diamond on the bag took anything off of McIlroy’s play, you sure couldn’t tell. McIlroy carded a one-over 72 at Quail Hollow, completing his up-and-down day five shots off the pace set by Thorbjorn Olesen and Kevin Kisner.

McIlroy said before the tournament that he was doing his best not to let his caddie situation distract from his play, but he’s been approached by plenty of people looking to work with him.

"“I guess, yeah, I’ve been approached from a lot of different areas,” McIlroy said on Tuesday. “We’ve been inundated with people wanting to have a chance to carry the bag. But I can’t really think about that until next week, until I have a week off, and then I can reassess how these couple of weeks have went with Harry on the bag, and then we’ll see what I do for the Playoffs after that.”"

Obviously, that’s the “right” answer for him to give in this situation. But over the last five rounds, it’s hard to question his mindset. McIlroy was under par in all four rounds last week at Firestone, and other than a tough double bogey on the 14th, he looked comfortable throughout Thursday’s opener.

McIlroy didn’t dominate on Thursday, but he’s still in contention

The old adage “you can’t win a tournament on Thursday, but you can lose it” rings true at Quail Hollow. McIlroy won’t be happy about his missed opportunities, of course. But barring disaster on Friday, he’ll be able to adjust and work his way back up the leaderboard.

Putting aside the score, McIlroy needed just 18 putts to complete his round on Thursday. He hit

PGA Championship Rory McIlroy
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

just nine of 14 fairways, and ten greens in regulation. While weather and course conditions were about as favorable as possible, there may not be any player in the field better prepared for what’s to come than McIlroy.

McIlroy’s length off the tee will help as the course softens, and his high iron flight will allow him to continue attacking pins. If he can avoid another big number on Friday, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him working up into the top ten ahead of the cut.

The world’s fourth-ranked player, McIlroy has the history at Quail Hollow, and the major championship pedigree, to bounce back. There’s plenty of work left to be done over the next three days, but he’s got an advantage that few others have.

Rory McIlroy has everything to gain, and nothing to prove to anybody except himself. That makes him a very dangerous player, as long as he’s still within striking distance.

Next: PGA Championship: Jordan Spieth Frustrated, Finishes First Round Strong

What do you expect out of Rory the rest of the way? Can he come back for his fifth major title?

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