Rory McIlroy reacts to his putt narrowly missing for birdie on the final green
Rory McIlroy declared his new equipment set up an early season success after he opened his 2017 campaign with a five under 67 in the BWM SA Open.
The world No 2 ended his day tied for second with Thomas Aiken and Dean Burmester, one stroke behind clubhouse Trevor Fisher Jnr, who shot 66.
“It is going well,” he said of his new clubs. “i am in a fortunate position where I can choose what I want for the forseeable future I feel like what I have in the bag at the minute is working pretty well.
"It is nice to play my first competitive round and play like this. Once I get accustomed to them, I will get even more dialled it and maybe chop and change a little bit but right now they feel good.”
His presence drew thousands to Glendower Golf Club for his 7am tee time and he appeared to relish the atmosphere and the classic surroundings.
“I started off with a solid run of pars and then made a nice run of birdies there on the back nine,” said McIlroy who started on the 10th and then birdied four holes in a row from the 14th to turn in 32.
After mixing three birdies with two bogeys coming home, he was happy with his first official round of 2017.
“I gave myself plenty of chances, actually, and probably missed a few,” he said. "But I played well. It was a bit adventurous on the back nine and I scrambled a bit and did my best to try and salvage a few holes but it was a good solid round of golf, a good opening round.”
McIlroy went five under for the day with a birdie at his 11th hole, the second, but came up short of the green from the rough at the fourth and again after a mishit from the fairway at the fifth and failed to get up and down for pars.
This is how close @McIlroyRory was to tying the lead on his final hole. #BMWSAOpen http://pic.twitter.com/KkwY9vSlg2
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 12, 2017
But he then sandwiched a superb par save at the seventh between birdies at the sixth and eighth before coming close to making birdie for a share of the lead at the ninth.
“I probably should have made those up and downs but I came back with a couple of birdies,” he said. “Seven was a good par. Again, I was a bit a adventurous and wild off the tee but got up somewhere around the green.”
Darren Clarke was one over with three holes to go but birdied the seventh, eighth and ninth for a two under 70.
from News - Irish Golf Desk http://ift.tt/2jmPkuk
No comments:
Post a Comment