When Rory McIlroy labels a shot his best of a year that has delivered four victories it would be wise to seek replays. McIlroy certainly will.
His magnificent three wood to the 18th, launched to four feet from 291 yards, lit up the first round of the World Tour Championship. McIlroy tapped in for an eagle three and a round of 64 to leave him one shot adrift of the leader, Mike Lorenzo-Vera on nine under.
“As soon as I hit it I knew it was perfect,” McIlroy said. “It was right out of the middle. I’m looking forward to seeing it back on the TV. It was great to finish like that and it was a great round. I’m feeling comfortable with my game. I have done for the last while … I felt like today was just more of the same of how I’ve been feeling.”
World class @McIlroyRory!#DPWTC #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/N0RL22CsCY
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 21, 2019
McIlroy returned from victory at the World Golf Championship in China this month to discover his wife, Erica, had arranged for a trophy room to be installed at their home. Come Sunday, he aims to have a reason for further decoration.
“We had just moved into our new house a couple of months ago but we still had not moved everything in,” the 30-year-old said. “I was on a high from the win in China anyway, but it’s a nice reminder sometimes. All that stuff had been in storage for a year and a half, so it was the first time in a while I had seen the Claret Jug and US Open trophy.
“It’s cool but it’s also a great motivator to think: ‘I’m still pretty early in my career and I’ve done quite a lot, but I still want to do so much more.’ People walk into my house, it’s not as if trophies are front and centre. But I like to have them out so in a reflective moment I can go and have a look at all I’ve achieved on the golf course the last few years.”
Early initiative in the season-long Race to Dubai prize, to be claimed at the end of this tournament, belongs to Bernd Wiesberger. The Austrian signed for a two-under 70, which still has him leading the order of merit in the projected rankings. Jon Rahm shot a 66, one stroke better than Tommy Fleetwood.
On the opening hole, Fleetwood watched his approach shot find the bottom of the cup for an eagle two. The other player in the hunt for the Race to Dubai, Matt Fitzpatrick, has serious ground to make up after a 71.
Lorenzo-Vera’s score was remarkable given his post-round testimony. “I’m not feeling well at all,” said the Frenchman. “I have no energy. I had a big lung infection in South Africa and a big treatment and I really feel bad on top of that.”
Having McIlroy for second-round company is unlikely to lift his spirits.
