Second-ranked Rory McIlroy and British Open champion Brian Harman sank gorgeous Seventeenth-hole birdie chip photographs to share the lead after Thursday’s opening spherical of the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship, the penultimate FedEx Cup playoff occasion.
Reigning FedEx Cup champion McIlroy, a four-time main winner from Northern Eire, and US left-hander Harman, who captured the Claret Jug final month at Royal Liverpool, fired five-under par 65s at Olympia Fields in suburban Chicago.
That was ok for a one-shot lead over 5 People — Sahith Theegala, Chris Kirk, Rickie Fowler, world primary Scottie Scheffler and reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark — plus England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, final 12 months’s US Open winner.
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Rory races to the lead after Spherical 1 | 01:36
McIlroy, who gained his third Tour Championship final 12 months, made a difficult chip from the left tough that bounced via a bunker on the par-4 Seventeenth and arrange his unbelievable 40-foot birdie chip from behind the inexperienced.
“Received fortunate. Received via the bunker,” he mentioned. “Actually wasn’t anticipating to make three when the tee shot was within the air. It was a pleasant one to make. It was an ideal bonus.”
Solely minutes later, Harman holed a birdie chip from 32 ft at 17 to match McIlroy for the lead. That was after sinking a 42-foot birdie putt on the par-3 sixteenth.
“Drove it fairly good,” Harman mentioned. “After I missed, I acquired a bit of fortunate to get it again into play. Chipped in twice, made some putts, performed a fairly strong spherical.”
Jason Day safely negotiated the primary spherical with 4 birdies and three bogeys, leaving him in a tie for 18th, 4 photographs off the lead.
Issues weren’t as clean for the one different Australian within the subject, Cam Davis, who must no less than end solo sixth to make the Tour Championship.
He’ll want a miraculous second spherical having carded three-over on Thursday, leaving him T45.
He was set to signal for an even-par spherical however had a disastrous ultimate gap after lacking the green left.
It took him 4 photographs to hit the inexperienced, after which he three-putted, leaving him with a disastrous triple bogey.
Along with a $3.6 million prime prize, 50 gamers are chasing a spot within the prime 30 in season factors to qualify for subsequent week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta.
McIlroy, who gained final month’s Scottish Open, discovered solely three fairways however went bogey-free and made birdie putts from about 13 ft at seven and 9, simply inside 10 ft at 10 and, after blasting out of fairway and greenside bunkers, from simply past 4 ft on the par-5 fifteenth.
“Fortunately, the golf course is smooth,” McIlroy mentioned. “It wasn’t too good off the tee. There have been quite a lot of crosswinds.”
McIlroy’s new putter, to which he says he’s not married, is an effective date to date. “We’ve been on 5 dates,” McIlroy mentioned. “We’re nonetheless going OK. We’re most likely nonetheless on for a sixth.” Harman returned final week after having fun with his first main triumph.
“It’s good to get off to an excellent begin,” he mentioned. “It was exhausting to get again into the swing of issues however I really feel a bit of extra snug, a bit of extra prepared.”
– Theegala eagles 14th –
Fowler briefly shared the lead however plunked his tee shot right into a creek at 17 and made bogey to fall again.
Fitzpatrick was “actually happy” after fixing points along with his driver. “I’ve struggled the previous couple of months,” Fitzpatrick mentioned. “Simply feeling extra snug and that’s clearly so essential.”
‘Pi** off’ – Cam celebrates win in type | 00:36
Theegala had “considered one of my greatest ball-striking rounds” highlighted by a 167-yard eagle hole-out from the 14th fairway with a 9-iron.
“I simply had an ideal quantity,” he mentioned. “I knew it was good instantly. That was superior.” Fourth-ranked American Patrick Cantlay, the two-time defending champion, was in a pack on 68 that additionally included playoff factors chief Jon Rahm, the reigning Masters champion from Spain.
American Lucas Glover, the 2009 US Open champion who gained PGA titles the previous two weeks, opened on 70.
The BMW is the final qualifying occasion for this 12 months’s US Ryder Cup staff. Six People will seal their spots on factors on Sunday for the US squad that may defend the trophy in opposition to Europe subsequent month in Italy.