Rory McIlroy bounced back from a dismal outing in Memphis to fire an opening-round 64 at Bellerive Country Club, securing a share of the BMW Championship clubhouse lead alongside Gary Woodland, Wyndham Clark, JJ Spaun, and Chris Gotterup.
The transformation was stark. Just a week after carding a dreadful 66th-place finish at the St Jude Championship, a revitalized Rory McIlroy returned to form on the softened fairways of Bellerive Country Club in St Louis. He posted a bogey-free round of six under par, catapulting himself right back to the top of the leaderboard and leaving the frustration of Memphis firmly behind. The real Rory McIlroy returned to what he does, finding fairways with bombed drives and hitting greens and sinking putts, while the impostor of a week ago had vanished with his pride having been hurt by his display in Memphis.
Remedial Work and Wide Fairways Spark McIlroy Revival
McIlroy’s turnaround started at home in Florida, where he tackled his swing troubles alongside coach Michael Bannon. With caddie Harry Diamond also assisting, the world number two found the precise rhythm he needed to tame the long Missouri layout and replace the rustiness of a week ago with a sharpness and a fresh intent.
“I went home and I worked on a few things and at least got myself back in a frame of mind where like I felt like I’m at least back on the right path of what I’m doing with my game and with my swing.”
That homework paid immediate dividends on the course. Benefiting from recent weather that softened the venue and widened the playing corridors, McIlroy bombed drives down the short grass and put together a bogey-free scorecard featuring six birdies. He started his charge with a right-to-left breaking 10-footer on the fourth hole, added a 12-footer on the eighth, and then caught fire on the homeward run with birdies on the 13th, 15th, 17th, and 18th to close. He barely put a foot wrong on his way to the clubhouse.
“This golf course sets up a lot better for me than Memphis did last week. You can miss it a little bit off the tee, and the playing corridors are a lot wider, so you can get away with it, which I needed to get away with it a couple of times today.”
Crowded Leaderboard at Bellerive as Scheffler Struggles
McIlroy’s six-under-par total was enough to share the clubhouse lead after the opening round, but he had plenty of company at the summit. American players Gary Woodland, Wyndham Clark, JJ Spaun, and Chris Gotterup matched the Northern Irishman’s six-under effort to form a leading group at that juncture, while Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune came in at five under. Meanwhile, a chasing group tied for seventh on four under par included Englishman Alex Fitzpatrick, American Michael Thorbjornsen, and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg. Other selected scores featured England’s Matt Fitzpatrick at three under, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre closing on two under after having withdrawn from the St Jude Championship before the second round following an opening 12-over 82, Aaron Rai at two under, and Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose both at one under.
Photo: BBCPGA Tour Highlights: Rory McIlroy in top form in Round 1 of BMW Championship | Golf on NBC Sports
While McIlroy thrived, the opening round proved punishing for world number one and defending champion Scottie Scheffler. Fresh off a runaway victory in Memphis on Sunday to cement his position atop the FedEx Cup standings, Scheffler struggled in the BMW with a run of four bogeys through the opening seven holes, including a hat-trick of bogeys from the third, leading to an outward nine of 38 that had him holding up the field and far down the leaderboard.
Looking Ahead to the Tour Championship in Atlanta
Despite the strong start, McIlroy emphasized that his swing remains certainly a work in progress as he continues his middle rehearsals on the takeaway and other technical adjustments.
Regardless of whether he wins the BMW or not, McIlroy will head into next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta for a 30-player tournament that has a level playing field.
Rory McIlroy HIGHLIGHTS 🎥 Final Round of the BMW Championship | Golf on ESPN
