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TULSA, Okla. — On Wednesday afternoon, after his final practice round of the week, Rory McIlroy asked somebody near the clubhouse if they had ever heard of The Gathering Place, a massive multi-million dollar Tulsa park where parents often take their adventure-seeking kids. On Thursday morning, after his first round of the 2022 PGA Championship, McIlroy made Southern Hills his own personal playground.
McIlroy shot a 5-under 65 to take the clubhouse lead in the second major championship of the year, and he held it by day’s end. Combined with his 64 in the final round of the Masters, he’s now taken 129 strokes in the last two major rounds, an impossible number given the difficulty of both courses. His 64 at Augusta National in April was the best round of the day by three, and this 65 on Thursday was the best of the day by one over Will Zalatoris and Tom Hoge.
There has been much consternation — both internally and externally — over how McIlroy has started major championships in recent years. Since his last major win at the 2014 PGA Championship, he has constantly found himself playing from behind and needing miracle rounds in the low 60s on the weekend to have a chance of winning any of the four most important events.
Since the start of 2015, McIlroy has a 103-stroke differential between his first round and the final three rounds at majors. That’s a problem because playing catch up against the Dustin Johnsons, Jordan Spieths and Collin Morikawas in the world demands perfection, and major championship golf is almost always combatting perfection.
Early on Thursday, as McIlroy teed off with the all-ratings group of Spieth and Tiger Woods, it looked as if this stat would continue. Woods birdied the first hole while McIlroy and Spieth parred, and there was a sense that Woods, who has played four rounds in the last 18 months, would show his partners what major championship play is…
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Source : cbssports
