Pro Golf Now
Fansided

PGA Tour: Rory McIlroy takes advantage of scoring conditions

By Tim Letcher

CROMWELL, CONNECTICUT - JUNE 25: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the seventh tee during the first round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 25, 2020 in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
CROMWELL, CONNECTICUT - JUNE 25: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the seventh tee during the first round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 25, 2020 in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Rory McIlroy got off to a great start at the Travelers Championship on Thursday. Can he convert that into another PGA Tour victory?

The restart of the PGA Tour has not been good to Rory McIlroy so far. Sure, the world’s number one player has made the cut in both events since the tour resumed but his results have not been what most would expect from him. That changed on Thursday at the Travelers Championship.

McIlroy started slowly in his round on Thursday. Playing the back nine first, he recorded three straight pars before he broke loose. And he did that in a big way, with an eagle on the par-5 13th hole. He followed that with birdies on 14 and 15 to get to 4-under par on his round.

More from Pro Golf Now

His only blemish of the day came on the par-3 16th hole when he had a bogey. He finished his first nine holes with pars on 17 and 18 to shoot a 3-under par 32.

On the front side, McIlroy’s second nine of the day, he parred the first hole before a birdie on number two moved him back to 4-under par. After a par on number three, McIlroy notched a birdie on four to get to 5-under par.

McIlroy would par number five before another birdie, this one on the sixth hole, to get to 6-under par. He would par both the seventh and eighth holes before finishing with a birdie on number nine, giving him a 31 on the front side and a 7-under par 63 for the round.

After 18 holes, McIlroy is three shots behind leader MacKenzie Hughes, who shot a blistering 60 in Thursday’s first round. This puts the world number one in prime position to compete this weekend.

This is the third straight week that McIlroy has been in action since the tour restart

He was in the mix at the Charles Schwab Challenge before a final round 4-over par 74 took him out of contention. Last week at the RBC Heritage, McIlroy had good rounds on Friday and Saturday, but his bookend rounds of 72 on Thursday and 70 on Sunday left him in a tie for 41st.

Next. Best Golfers in Each State: Ohio Golf and Jack Nicklaus. dark

McIlroy is still in fourth place in the FedEx Cup standings, riding his momentum from the early season to that standing. He won at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in November and tied for third at the Zozo Championship in October and at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. He also had fifth-place finishes at the Genesis Inviational, the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship and at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

McIlroy took a liking to TPC River Highlands on Thursday and as long as that continues, he will be in the mix all weekend. That’s more of what he, and fans, expect from the world’s best player.

Home/Golf News