Rory McIlroy began his final PGA Tour event before The Masters with a modest opening round of 70 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. The FedExCup leader, who has already claimed wins at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players this season, chose Houston for his first appearance since 2014 as he prepares to pursue a career Grand Slam next month at Augusta National.
McIlroy, starting the day on the back nine, recorded two birdies and two bogeys on the par-70 Memorial Park Golf Course, struggling on the greens with only 49 feet of putts made, leaving him five strokes behind the early leaders.
The world No. 2 detailed his challenges during the round, saying, “A little pedestrian, I guess is a good way to describe it. We had to deal with those conditions early on, rainy and not too pleasant to play in.” He noted that he made some crucial par saves early on but failed to convert several opportunities on the back nine.
Taylor Pendrith, Keith Mitchell, Ryan Gerard, and Alejandro Tosti currently share the lead at five under par, with European Ryder Cup hopefuls Victor Perez and Rasmus Hojgaard just a shot back. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler sits another stroke behind after finishing without a bogey, while defending champion Stephan Jaeger joins McIlroy at level par.
The first round was halted due to darkness, with Taylor Dickson two off the lead with three holes left to play. As the tournament progresses, fans are eagerly anticipating the outcomes as competitors vie for the title.
