Rory McIlroy opened the Truist Championship with 17 straight pars before a clutch birdie at Quail Hollow helped him post a 1-under 70.
Rory McIlroy’s return to the PGA TOUR after another Masters triumph wasn’t exactly electric, but it still came with a little late drama at the Truist Championship.
McIlroy opened Thursday at Quail Hollow Club with 17 straight pars, the longest par streak to begin a round in his PGA TOUR career.
For most of the day, it looked like the four-time major champion might finish a competitive round without a birdie for just the eighth time on TOUR.
Then came the ninth hole, his final hole of the day.
After missing the fairway on the 539-yard par 4, McIlroy faced a difficult approach from the left rough with trees in front of him.
He pulled off the shot anyway, launching a 9-iron from 194 yards that cleared the trouble and settled about 15 feet from the cup.
McIlroy rolled in the birdie putt and raised his arms with a grin, turning a quiet, frustrating day into a 1-under 70.
“I can’t remember the last time I played a round of golf and didn’t have a birdie,” McIlroy said, describing what crossed his mind as he walked up the final hole.
The round left McIlroy seven shots behind leader Matt McCarty, who capitalized on softer conditions after overnight rain delayed the opening round until the afternoon.
McIlroy’s score didn’t scream momentum, but the ball-striking numbers were encouraging. He gained ground on the field off the tee and with his irons, even while losing strokes around the green and putting.
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“I wasn’t frustrated, I was hitting good putts,” McIlroy said. “Some days they just don’t want to go in.”
For McIlroy, this wasn’t a statement round. It was a grinder. And at Quail Hollow, where one swing can flip the mood fast, that closing birdie may matter more than it looked.
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