McIlroy quick off the mark in Scotland
Lightly-raced Rory McIlroy came storming out of the gates to grab a share of the lead in the Genesis Scottish Open and prove his super-light schedule is no impediment to playing great golf.
The world number two has played just four events since he won his second Masters title 12 weeks ago — three fewer than Scottie Scheffler.
But there were no signs of rust on his game at the Renaissance Club, where he cancelled out bogeys at his first and ninth holes with an eagle and five birdies to card a five-under 65 that gave him a share of the lead with Tom Kim, Bernd Wiesberger, Patrick Cantlay and Rasmus Højgaard.
“The benefits are seeing my family more,” McIlroy said of his light schedule. “Feeling like I have a bit more balance in my life.
“I feel like even though I have played pretty sparsely over the past few months, the starts of my tournaments have all been really good.
“So it's not like I'm coming in and starting slow, and the little bit of extra practice I think actually helps in some ways.
“I think one of the other benefits for me, like I'm nearly 20 years into this, and I need to do everything I can to keep my enthusiasm as high as possible, and playing a lighter schedule definitely does that.”
Scheffler opened with a two-over 68, one stroke more than Tom McKibbin, whose 67 was one of just three bogey-free rounds.
It was a tougher day for Shane Lowry, who turned a sub-par round into a one-over 71 with a poor finish.
Two-under with three holes to go, he failed to chip and putt for birdie at the seventh, his 16th, then three-putted the eighth from 50 feet before pencilling in a double bogey at the 210-yard ninth, where he finished right of the green and left himself a high tariff pitch he couldn’t get onto the putting surface.
The magical putting that helped Padraig Harrington win last week’s US Senior Open evaporated for the Dubliner this time around as he had two-three putts and failed to make a birdie in a four-over 74, taking 34 putts.
Little dropped for Leona Maguire at the Amundi Evian Championship until she birdied two of her last three holes to open with a level par 71.
The Co Cavan star bogeyed the 16th and 17th before making birdie at the 18th to turn in one over but after dropping another shot at the sixth, she made birdie fours at the seventh and ninth to share 58th place behind Aki Iwai.
The Japanese star shot a bogey-free, eight-under 63 to lead two strokes from France’s Perrine Delacour and by three from Maja Stark, Charley Hull, Jin Hee Im, Mao Saig and KPMG Women’s PGA winner Haeran Ryu.
Kildare’s Lauren Walsh also finished strongly, making birdies at the 16th and 18th to shoot 73 and share 87th place, while world number one Nelly Korda shot 74 and looks in danger of missing the cut.
On the HotelPlanner Tour, Gary Hurley's two-under 70 left him six shots behind Czech Filip Mruzek in the German Challenge in Bavaria.
The West Waterford man was tied for 31st as Ronan Mullarney shot 72, Mark Power 73, and Conor Purcell 75.
