OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. — Rory McIlroy didn’t mind being in the rough at rain-soaked Olympia Fields, except for having trees and a bunker between him and the 17th green. And even that didn’t matter Thursday in the BMW Championship.
McIlroy found the short grass only six times with 18 tee shots – three of them on par 3s – and no one would have guessed that looking at his card. He played bogey-free for a 5-under 65, giving him a share of the lead with British Open champion Brian Harman in the second FedEx Cup playoff event.
“Only hitting three fairways today and coming up with 65 is a bit of a bonus,” McIlroy said.
The greens were so soft from a two-hour rain delay in the morning that McIlroy realized trying to get at pins was easier coming from the rough, because the ball wouldn’t have as much spin.
“I’m not saying I was trying to aim for the rough,” he said with a smile.
And certainly the spot he found himself in at the par-4 17th wasn’t ideal. He only had 116 yards left on the 456-yard hole, but he had a stand of trees blocking his path to the green, a big bunker in front of the putting surface.
He punched 7-iron through a gap in the branches, just over the bunker, just over the green and then chipped in for birdie. It was that kind of day.
“There was a couple of branches above the window I was looking at, and I was like, `If it hits those, it’s just going to drop down near that front left bunker and I’ll have a decent angle down the green and have a 10-footer or less to save par,” he said. “It was a bit of a hit-and-a-hope. Just trying to thread that needle. It was either chip it out or take it on. And it’s only Thursday.
“I thought, ‘What the heck? I’ll take it on and see what happens.’”
Harman, who returned from his British Open title last week at the FedEx Cup playoff opener with some rust, delivered his excitement toward the end of the round. He holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th, and then chipped in for birdie on the 17th.
They were one shot clear of a group of six at 66 that included Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Rickie Fowler.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Daniel Brown of England shot 7-under 64 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the ISPS Handa World Invitational at Ballymena, Northern Ireland.
In the co-sanctioned LPGA Tour event taking place concurrently, there was a four-way share of the lead between Gabrielle Cowley of England, Ellinor Sudow of Sweden, Kim Metraux of Switzerland and Karis Davidson of Australia, who all shot 4-under 69.
The parkland Galgorm Castle Golf Club and the links at Castlerock Golf Club are staging the tournament. Every men’s and women’s player plays one round at each venue over the first two days, before all the action takes place at Galgorm once the cut falls after 36 holes.
The best scores came at Castlerock, where Brown — an Englishman ranked No. 374 — played and made six birdies as well as an eagle at the par-5 15th. Alex Fitzpatrick and Callan Barrow of England, Manu Gandas of India and Gregorio De Leo of Italy were tied on 5 under, with only De Leo of them playing Galgorm.
The joint leaders on the LPGA Tour event all played Castlerock, too. Of the top 12, only American golfer Marissa Steen (70) played Galgorm.
Sweden’s Maja Stark won the women’s title last year but is not in the field this week.
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