The Ace lost par to Rory McIlroy during the first round of the Adventurers Championship. Credit: Getty Images/Rob Carr Rory McIlroy celebrated his first PGA Tour goal-in-one in style in Connecticut on Thursday, but deep down he must have wondered why he didn't get such a break at the US Open last week, where he was denied a fifth major by just one shot.
Thanks to McIlroy, world No. 3, for also bouncing back at the Traveler Championship, a four-hour flight east of the country club Los Angeles, the site of an amazing breakthrough. out 125-1 underdog Wyndham Clark on Sunday.
Since his last agonizing close encounter in the really big events, McIlroy has been adamant that in his quest for his first major tournament in nine years, he will not lose focus and keep his edge for the Open Championship next month.
So, he showed his tough form in the first round of TPC River Highlands.
McIlroy was one over away when he stepped on a tee on the 214-yard eighth hole, the fifth-hardest on the Hartford layout, and with morning player Keegan Bradley in the clubhouse eight short, and fellow Irishman Shane Lowry signed with the team up to 64 years old — McIlroy had enough reason to oppose.
But with a swing of the club, McIlroy's ball made two hops before rolling into the cup at almost dead speed. McIlroy raised his hands before high fives for teammates Tom Kim and Victor Hovland and caddy Harry Diamond. It was only his second success as a pro, having first experienced stardom at the DP World Tour in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
McIlroy continued to gain momentum, almost winning an eagle on par-4 on the ninth when his 140-yard fairway bunker approach brushed the cup before finishing within 18 inches. McIlroy converted a 16-footer on the 10th, making himself four under three holes, and although he played his last eight holes with one over on 68, the ace provided the 34-year-old only the lift he did after a weekend disappointment.< /p>
It was McIlroy's 33rd major win since the last of his four wins at the 2014 US PGA, and there was predictable speculation that the scar tissue would affect his Hoylake challenge, where he won the Claret just two weeks before the US PGA nine years earlier. However, McIlroy claims he's «closer than ever» and this magical moment can only do wonders for his confidence.
«I've had them in the past when it looked like a good hit and you got a little lucky, but it was the best hit of the day I did,» he said. “Obviously it’s a bonus for getting him in the hole, but it was really cool. Up to this point I had been playing rather mediocrely, but this hole in one made me move on.”
McIlroy was not going to mourn his time. He looks forward, not backward. «I think that's something I'm pretty good at,» he said. “You have good breaks and bad breaks, and if you have a good attitude towards both of them, I think that in the end everything will even out.
“On the European Tour in 2015 I had one hit, but those are the only two times I competed as a pro. I had a lot of training and random rounds. Today I threw the ball into the crowd. I'm not sentimental. I'd rather have trophies than golf balls.»
Leon Maguire had a good start in the Women's LPGA
Meanwhile, at the LPGA Women's Tournament, the second major women's season, McIlroy's compatriot Leona Maguire entered the fray with 69 points in the first round.
The 28-year-old athlete left her in the lead with two fewer efforts, along with Norwegian Celein Borge and Japanese Ayaka Furue. After winning her second LPGA Tour crown in Michigan on Sunday, Maguire arrived at Baltusrol, New Jersey's famed venue, as one of the favorites. And the Koh Cavan golfer lived up to that tag to some extent by releasing a four birdie and two bogey round. > Leona Maguire during her first round in Baltusrol. Photo: USA Today/John Jones
«I hit every fairway and every green, which is about as carefree as it gets in a major championship,» she said. «I'm very happy.»
One defender was the wonderful Rose Zhang, a 20-year-old who won her pro debut at the Tour three weeks ago and was well positioned for her first win. major like a pro.
“I felt pretty calm,” said the American. «I've definitely been searching for my game a bit, but that's just who I am.»
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