Rory McIlroy saves Scottish Open round with late birdie barrage
By the time Rory McIlroy reached the sixth tee box, he could already sense he wasn't far from the danger zone at the Scottish Open on Thursday.
After a 332-yard drive, McIlroy reached the green in two and had a putt for birdie on the par-4 first. He took five there after a three-putt for bogey, had another bogey at No. 5 and found a fairway bunker on the par-4 15th for a trio of boxes on the scorecard that tallied to a score of one-over with three holes to play.
'I definitely finished the round better than I started it,' said McIlroy, who closed the first round with three consecutive birdies and is 2-under going to Friday. 'Felt like it was a bit of a slow start. I think when you come back over here, links greens, they're a lot slower than what we're used to.'
A three-time winner on the PGA Tour this season, the 2023 Scottish Open champion finished fourth last July when he kicked off the tournament with a first-round 65. He shot 64 in 2023 to finish tied for third after the first round.
McIlroy took the past two weeks off from tournament golf since missing the cut at 9-over at the RBC Canadian Open. He said earlier this week it was a great time for reflection and felt energy and reconnection from listening to the way others felt watching him win the Masters in April.
But the question of motivation came up Thursday, particularly with the Open Championship at his home course Royal Portrush next week, but McIlroy said he's no longer in vacation mode.
'I'm ready to play. The change of scenery has been nice,' he said. 'It's been nice to get back over here. That renewed my excitement and enthusiasm for the rest of the season.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Canada News.Net
3 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
ATP roundup: Cameron Norrie knocks out Lorenzo Musetti in D.C.
(Photo credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images) Cameron Norrie of Great Britain charged back for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 upset of Italian No. 2 seed Lorenzo Musetti in the Round of 32 of the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open on Tuesday in Washington. Norrie, a five-time ATP titlist and former Wimbledon semifinalist, has slipped to No. 41 in the world rankings, but that didn't matter Tuesday, as he saved 9 of 11 break points while converting 4 of 7 chances to break Musetti's serve. Next, Norrie will face No. 14 seed Brandon Nakashima, who beat Ethan Quinn 6-3, 6-4. No. 15 seed Gabriel Diallo of Canada also won 6-3, 6-4 in the Round of 32 against Hungary's Fabian Marozsan. Round of 64 action wrapped up with victories by Aleksandar Kovacevic, Zachary Svajda, Jaume Munar of Spain and China's Yibing Wu and Yunchaokete Bu. Three Round of 32 matches remained Tuesday evening, including one pitting No. 4 seed Ben Shelton against Mackenzie McDonald. Generali Open Austria's Filip Misolic had a 34-19 edge in winners and overcame 43 unforced errors in a 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 upset of Argentine No. 5 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the Round of 32 in Kitzbuhel, Austria. Misolic will hope to continue his home-soil run when he faces Botic van de Zandschulp in the next round. The Dutchman outlasted Chile's Nicolas Jarry 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. France's Arthur Cazaux also prevailed in three sets, hitting 10 aces and beating Ignacio Buse of Peru 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. Other winners included Brazil's Thiago Seyboth Wild, German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann and Argentina's Thiago Agustin Tirante. Plava Laguna Croatia Open Third-seeded Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina needed two hours and 33 minutes to push past Italy's Francesco Passaro 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 in the Round of 16 in Umag, Croatia. Carabelli won 13 of 15 net points and advanced to meet Spanish qualifier Pablo Llamas Ruiz, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over France's Terence Atmane. In a pair of Round of 32 matches, Croatia's Dino Prizmic beat Denmark's Elmer Moller 6-4, 6-2, and the Netherlands' Jesper de Jong prevailed 6-3, 6-3 over Croatian Mili Poljicak.
Canada News.Net
3 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Carlos Alcaraz latest to withdraw from Toronto tourney
(Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images) World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain was the latest star player to bow out of the upcoming National Bank Open on Tuesday, citing the need for physical and mental recovery. Alcaraz follows World No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy, Serbian star Novak Djokovic, Great Britain's Jack Draper and Australia's Jordan Thompson, whose withdrawals were announced Sunday. 'After many consecutive weeks of competition without rest, I will not be able to play in Toronto this year,' Alcaraz wrote on X. 'I have small muscles issues and I need to recover physically and mentally for what comes next. To the tournament and to my fans in Canada I am very sorry, I will see you next year!' The ATP Masters 1000 event is slated to be played July 27 through Aug. 7 in Toronto, and many elite players are skipping the tournament in order to prepare for the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 25. Alcaraz, 22, won the French Open in June before losing to Sinner in the final at Wimbledon, where he was aiming for a three-peat. Sinner was the champion the last time the tournament men's singles draw was held in Toronto in 2023. Alexei Popyrin of Australia won the title last year in Montreal. World No. 3 Alexander Zverev of Germany is the top seed for the tournament, while No. 4 Taylor Fritz of the U.S. drew the No. 2 seed. On the women's side, Coco Gauff was named the No. 1 seed for the tournament being played in Montreal this year. Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek of Poland is No. 2. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus recently pulled out to get extra rest for the U.S. Open.
Toronto Star
6 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Ian Baker-Finch will retire from golf coverage on CBS
NEW YORK (AP) — Ian Baker-Finch is retiring after CBS ends its PGA Tour golf coverage next week after nearly 19 years of his friendly Australian voice contributing to the network's broadcast. Baker-Finch, best known for his British Open victory in 1991 among his 16 victories worldwide, joined CBS in 2007. He had worked the previous decade in golf announcing with ESPN and TNT.
