Rory McIlroy insisted he has nothing to prove to LIV Golf or anyone else after burning the early lead with an eight-under 62 in the $8.3million (£6.7million) Travelers Championship.
Londonderry’s Ruaidhri McGee shot a nine-under 61 on just his second start in two years and led with three on the Challenge Tour, McIlroy continued his hot run at TPC River Highlands.
Playing his fourth event in a row before taking two weeks off to prepare for The Open, the world’s number two scored three-under before covering the first nine in a blistering five-under-30 lead by a shot. by Xander Schauffele and Scot Martin Laird.
“It’s like the anti-US Open here,” McIlroy joked. “It’s like the US Open rehab is coming here. You say, ‘Oh, I can really do some birdies. This is nice’.”
Continuing the form that saw him win the Canadian Open and tie for fifth place at Brookline in his last two starts, McIlroy insisted his performance had nothing to do with his attempt to portray the PGA Tour in a good light. .
“I don’t think so,” McIlroy said. “I just think the most protective players on the PGA Tour right now are the best players in the world. I’m not going out to prove anything to anyone.”
That said, he supports Commissioner Jay Monahan and his plans to revive the PGA Tour by dramatically increasing the eight-event wallet and creating an international three-event series for the game’s best players in the fall.
“I’m sure there will be some guys who thought about it and maybe reconsider their decision,” McIlroy said of Monahan’s plans.
It was also a great day for McGee (31), who last week shot a 62 in his first tour start in two years in the Czech Republic and yesterday made two eagles in his first eight holes en route to a nine-under 61 and a three-shot lead over the Blot Open the Brittany in Brittany.
“I’m really happy with my round today,” said McGee, who took a break from the race and moved to Florida during the pandemic.
“I haven’t played competitively for a few years now and this is only my second Challenge Tour event of the season.
“I probably played more golf in Florida than at home. I played every day and sometimes I got into 36 holes which helped. †
Tramore’s Robin Dawson tied for 14th after a 67 and Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy 51st, but Paul McBride and Gavin Moynihan took 74th after 71s, Tom McKibbin shot 72 and Rowan Lester and John Murphy struggled to 77s.
There was also a low score at the BMW International Open of the DP World Tour in Munich, where China’s Li Haotong (26) set a course record 10 under 62 and took a one-stroke lead at Golfclub München Eichenried.
Niall Kearney shot 72 to share 89th and 75s left Jonathan Caldwell and Cormac Sharvin 136th.
It’s a major week on the LPGA Tour and Jordanstown’s Stephanie Meadow finished 41st after opening with a one-over 73 in the KPMG Women’s PGA at a long and demanding Congressional Country Club in Maryland, where Cavan’s Leona Maguire was a late afternoon starter on the first day.
Meadow was still nine shots behind runaway leader In Gee Chun of Korea, who made nine birdies and a bogey in an incredible eight under 63 to lead by seven strokes over compatriot A Lim Kim.
In the rain-ravaged US Senior Open in Pennsylvania, Pádraig Harrington struggled on the greens early on, but opened with a par of 71 at Saucon Valley Country Club to find himself just two shots behind clubhouse leader Paul Goydos when playing partner Darren Clarke bogeyed from two of his last three holes to shoot 74.
Meanwhile, AIG Irish Women’s Close champion Beth Coulter dropped out of the Women’s Amateur Championship when she fell 2&1 to England’s Jessica Baker in the last 32 in Hunstanton.