Rory McIlroy revealed it took him just two US PGA Championship holes to convince himself that no negative reaction had been caused by his recent and enforced injury absence.
The world No1 played his first competitive round in 53 days on Thursday, having missed the Scottish Open, Open Championship and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational because of a ruptured ankle ligament as caused during a football game. He opened his US PGA defence with a 71, one under par, in tough conditions; McIlroy is five adrift of the early leader, Dustin Johnson, and admitted to a “nervous” feeling before teeing off at Whistling Straits.
“I think the purest shot I hit all day was a three wood into the 2nd,” McIlroy explained. “It was 286 yards to the pin. I hit it to 15 feet. That was one of the best three woods I’ve ever hit.
“The only thing I was a little bit worried about going into today is whether I could bring this good golf that I know that I have been playing into a competitive round. Thankfully, after that on the 2nd I felt like I did that.
“Just to be fully committed to a shot like that, second hole into a tournament; I know when I start a season off the first couple of rounds are sometimes a little bit tentative, just trying to get your way around. But that was full bore as good as I can do, especially with a wind like that. So it was a nice feeling.”
McIlroy reaffirmed the sense that his previously injured left ankle is no longer a problem. “As you can see out there, the way I’m hitting the ball and the way I’m getting around the golf course, I have full confidence in it,” said the Northern Irishman. “It doesn’t bother me one bit.
“The ankle felt great, like it has done all week.”
An otherwise positive day for McIlroy was marred only by a bogey on the 18th hole, after he pushed a three-iron into greenside rough. “Anything under par this afternoon was a good score,” he insisted. “It was a good, solid round. I feel good.
“I’m in the tournament. It was very important for me not to go out there and shoot myself out of it right away. So to be there only five off the lead, playing in the tougher conditions; I wish I could have been one or two shots better but hopefully I will go out there on the back nine tomorrow where there are some chances and get off to a good start.”
McIlroy matched the first round score of his playing partner Jordan Spieth. The Masters and US Open champion backed up McIlroy’s sentiment of being back to full fitness.
“I didn’t see any difference in his game,” said Spieth. “He seems 100% ready.
“He had a couple of breaks today, they ended up in spots where he had to punch out sideways. Sometimes it’s spotty and you can miss the green from there, so that cost him a couple of shots. Everything seemed to be on point and I expect him to move up the board.”
