Rory McIlroy made a steady return to PGA Tour competition at the Truist Championship, posting a one-under-par 70 in his opening round. The Northern Irishman's scorecard featured an extraordinary run of 17 consecutive pars before he finally secured a birdie on the 18th hole. This marked his first action on the Tour since successfully defending his Masters title.
McIlroy, a four-time winner of this event at Quail Hollow, found the birdie putts elusive for most of the day. He acknowledged missing several opportunities, including a right-to-left putt that slid past on the 12th and another miss on the 13th. Despite the frustration on the greens, the world-class golfer maintained his composure throughout the round.
"I wasn't frustrated, I was hitting good putts," McIlroy explained after his round. "Some days they just don't want to go in. I was just trying to stay patient because I felt like I was hitting good putts, I overread a couple on the front side." He added that he under-read a few putts as a reaction to the earlier over-reads, but felt he was starting the ball on his intended line.
The long-awaited birdie finally came on the 18th green when McIlroy drained a lengthy lag putt. He celebrated by raising his arms in the air, visibly relieved to break the par streak. "It was just nice to see one go in at the end, something to build off," he said. "I was thinking I can't remember the last time I played a round of golf and didn't have a birdie."
At the top of the leaderboard, American Matt McCarty fired an impressive eight-under-par 64 to take the early lead. A group of European players, including Kristoffer Reitan, Harry Hall, Nicolai Højgaard, and Sepp Straka, are all tied at five-under par, three shots behind the leader.
Tommy Fleetwood also enjoyed a strong start to the tournament, carding a four-under-par 67. The Englishman made an eagle on his first hole and added four birdies during his round. However, his day ended on a slightly disappointing note when he missed a par putt on the 18th hole, which would have placed him higher on the leaderboard.
Fleetwood shared his positive mindset after the round, noting that his putts looked like they were going in throughout the day. "Today was one of those days I just, not needed, but wanted," he said. "I had a bit of momentum. Even that putt I hit on the last hole, even though it lipped out, putts looked like they were going to go in today, and that brings confidence."
Other notable performances included Alex Fitzpatrick, who matched Fleetwood's four-under score in his second start since earning his PGA Tour card. Justin Rose finished at level par, carding four birdies and four bogeys while using a new set of McLaren clubs. Based on reporting from SkySports | News.