Rory McIlroy rediscovered his form to take a share of the lead after the first round of the BMW Championship. The world number two finished at six under par at Bellerive Country Club, a significant improvement after placing 66th at the St. Jude Championship the prior weekend.
McIlroy, who reached the turn at two under par, made key birdies on the 13th hole and three of the final four holes. He is currently tied with an American quartet: Wyndham Clark, Chris Gotterup, J.J. Spaun, and Gary Woodland. The group is one shot ahead of Japan's Ryo Hisatsune, who is at five under.
McIlroy credited focused work with his swing coach, Michael Bannon, and caddie Harry Diamond for helping him regain his touch. "I felt at least like I got myself back going in the right direction, and what I wanted to do with my swing, but still you never know when you turn up here," McIlroy told the Golf Channel. He also noted that the Bellerive course setup is more amenable to his game than the course in Memphis. "This golf course sets up a lot better for me than Memphis did last week. You can miss it a little bit off the tee, and the playing corridors are a lot wider, so you can get away with it, which I needed to get away with it a couple of times today," he added. "But this set-up suits my game a little bit better, and I definitely feel a little bit more comfortable on this golf course than I did last week."
Other notable players in the field include England's Alex Fitzpatrick, American Michael Thorbjornsen, and Sweden's Ludvig Aberg, all of whom are tied for seventh place at four under par. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre is at two under par, having withdrawn from the St. Jude Championship before the second round due to an opening score of 12 over par.
World number one and defending champion Scottie Scheffler struggled during the opening seven holes, recording four bogeys and finding himself far down the leaderboard. Scheffler had won the previous week in Memphis.