[ad_1]
Second-ranked defending champion Rory McIlroy, with a chance to return to world number one, lurked one stroke behind American co-leaders Gary Woodland and Trey Mullinax after Thursday’s opening round of the CJ Cup.
Woodland, the 2019 US Open champion, and Mullinax, who notched his first PGA victory in July at the Barbasol Championship, each fired a six-under par 65 at Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina.
McIlroy, who can overtake top-ranked Masters champion Scottie Scheffler with a victory, shot a bogey-free 66.
“I drove the ball well. I took advantage of the par-5s,” McIlroy said. “If I can keep driving it like that over the next few days, I’ll be in a good spot.”
Woodland seeks his fifth PGA victory and first since claiming his only major title three years ago at Pebble Beach.
“I drove the golf ball well all day, saw some putts go in and that kind of freed up the ball-striking,” Woodland said.
Mullinax was 7-under through 12 but took his lone bogey at 14 to stumble back.
“Played really well tee to green, hit a lot of really good golf shots, putted really well on the front,” Mullinax said. “Ball-striking was really good. I was very pleased.”
Four-time major winner McIlroy shared third with South Korean Kim Joo-hyung, Americans Aaron Wise, Kurt Kitayama and Wyndham Clark and Australian Cam Davis.
McIlroy made three birdie putts from about three feet and his longest came from just outside 12 feet at the par-3 fifth. He added another from just outside six feet at the par-5 12th.
“It’s a golf course where you can hit driver a lot,” McIlroy said. “The fairways are quite generous, but if you go off the fairways, you can get in some trouble.”
In his first event of the new 2022-23 PGA Tour season after winning the FedEx Cup playoffs in August, the 33-year-old from Northern Ireland is chasing his 23rd career US PGA triumph and third of the year after taking the Canadian Open and Tour Championship.
– ‘Carrots’ motivate McIlroy –
McIlroy is also preparing for next month’s…
[ad_2]
Source : yahoo
