Unwell Rory McIlroy “fighting something” at PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy battled both illness and his game to stay in contention during a brutal first day at the PGA Championship.

McIlroy found just two fairways all day and was fighting more than just his dreaded two-way miss, but still recovered from a three-over-par front nine to remain in the mix after round one.

Few have tipped a noticeably subdued McIlroy to bounce back from his Masters disappointment last month, but he showed admirable resolve with three birdies on his back nine to shoot a respectable one-over-par 71 at Oak Hill’s demanding East Course on Thursday.

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And his fightback was all the more impressive given he was somewhat under the weather in Rochester.

“I’m fighting something,” McIlroy said. “I thought I got a great night’s sleep last night and I looked at my Whoop (fitness monitor) and I was 22 per cent recovery, and my skin temperature was 3.5 degrees higher than what it’s been.

“But I actually feel better today than I felt yesterday, so plenty of water and a bit of rest, I’ll be fine.”

The turning point in McIlroy’s round came at the second, his 11th, when he was staring bogey in the face after short-siding himself off the green.

But he drained an unlikely 35ft putt up a huge slope to kickstart his tournament and avoid dropping to a bleak four-over-par.

“It was massive,” McIlroy said. “I was sort of just hoping to get down in two and make bogey and go to the third hole at four over par.

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“When you walk off the green three over and then you hit a tee shot like that, all of a sudden the pendulum swings or momentum goes the other way and you feel like you’re right back in the tournament.

“Depending on what happens over the next three days and what I go on to do, I may look back at that shot as being the sort of turning point of the week.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.