Rory McIlroy made a good begin to his first match since successful the Ryder Cup in Europe with a three-under 69 on the DP World India Championship, whereas Shane Lowry took the lead within the opening spherical after taking pictures an excellent 64.
McIlroy, after opting to depart the motive force out of the bag, recorded six birdies and three bogeys at Delhi Golf Membership on Thursday and located himself 5 strokes behind Ryder Cup teammate Lowry.
Lowry – whose shot at Bethpage Black final month ensured the Ryder Cup would stay in European palms – made eight birdies, together with 5 in a row between 11 and 15, on a spotless day and has a one-shot lead over Japan’s Keita Nakajima.
Tommy Fleetwood shot eagle on the 14th gap throughout his four-under 68 in India
One other European Ryder Cup hero, Tommy Fleetwood, signed with a four-under 68 – his spotlight was a bunker for the eagle at 14 – with captain Luke Donald equaling Fleetwood’s rating on the day to affix his English compatriot in sharing seventh place.
Lowry, Fleetwood and Donald performed aspect by aspect and all made 18 birdies – after a canine escaped onto the green and delayed their last pictures.
Fleetwood, Lowry and Luke Donald transformed birdie putts on the 18th inexperienced – after play was stopped by a canine!
‘Conservative’ McIlroy: The journey was more durable than anticipated
McIlroy, in 18th after the primary spherical, performed the again 9 first and hit a shot instantly with a chip-in from the financial institution at 10, earlier than successive spots adopted forward of birdies at 14 and 18.
McIlroy then made consecutive birdies at two and three earlier than one other acquire at seven, whereas he bogeyed the eighth from 522 yards earlier than closing with a par.
McIlroy is enjoying alongside Viktor Hovland and Ben Griffin
Talking later about opting to go with out his driver, the world quantity two mentioned: “I used to be serious about it final night time earlier than I went to mattress. I simply do not see any gap on the market that I’ve to hit from greater than, say, 260, 270 yards from the tee.”
On his spherical, McIlroy added, “You are actually attempting to be as conservative as doable off the tee. You are attempting to get birdies on the par fives and possibly a couple of extra, but it surely’s a difficult golf course. It undoubtedly performed a little bit tougher than I anticipated.”
“I believed among the gap places early on had been actually tough. You play a observe or professional spherical and the pins are all in the midst of the inexperienced. You then get to match day they usually begin placing them away a little bit bit.”
McIlroy recorded six birdies and three bogeys on Thursday
McIlroy is enjoying alongside Ryder Cup counterpart Viktor Hovland and Staff USA’s Ben Griffin within the first two rounds in India.
Hovland, who needed to withdraw from Sunday’s singles at Bethpage as a consequence of a neck damage, recorded a one-under 71, with Griffin recording a four-under 68 to sit down alongside Fleetwood and Donald within the high 10.
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