Top-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland can complete the World Golf Championships Grand Slam with a victory this week and he’s off to a great start.
McIlroy shot 6-under-par 65 to take a two-stroke lead over fourth-ranked Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson after the first round of the WGC-Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City.
“I’ve always played well at altitude, for whatever reason, and I like this golf course,” said McIroy, who has finished in the top five in his last five tournaments, including a victory in the WGC-HSBC Champions in China. “I held the 36-hole lead here two years ago, finished second last year and I hope this year I can go one better.
“I drove the ball well today and took advantage of the par-5s, made only one bogey and I putted a little better than I did last week at Riviera. I switched putters, went back to the one I used last year and it was nice to see the ball go in the hole early on. I made a lot of putts and I’m going to keep this putter in the bag.”
McIlroy started on the back nine and kick-started his round with a 17-foot eagle putt at No. 11 and then closed the round with three birdies on his last five holes.
Thomas, who missed the cut in two of his last three starts sandwiched around a victory in the Sony Tournament of Champions, closed in on McIlroy with birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, but missed a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to finish at 67.
“It’s a different course and today it played tougher because I’ve never played it with any wind,” said Thomas, who holds the course record of 62 at Chapultepec. “The ball wasn’t going anywhere into the wind, but really taking off with it.
“You can go really low here, but you can get going over par in a hurry, too. You have to manage your game around the course and really have a good idea of how far the ball is going to go.”
Two-time WGC winner Watson bounced back from a missed cut last week in the Genesis Invitational by one-putting 13 greens including the last seven at Chapultepec, capped by his five-foot birdie putt on the last hole for another 67.
“I’ve been hitting the ball well all year and the difference today was that I made some putts after not making very many last week,” said Watson, who has 14 top-10 finishes in the WGC events. “I actually missed a lot of greens today, but most of the time the ball was barely off, so I could put it.
“The difficult thing around here is the altitude, especially if the wind blows even a little bit. You’re always second-guessing because of the elevation. You have to make putts and par is always a good score on this course.”
Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa sank a 16-foot birdie putt at No. 18 to complete a 68 and is tied for fourth with Billy Horschel, who collected six birdies, Bryson DeChambeau of Clovis, who had five birdies, and Corey Conners of Canada, who made two birdies on each nine.
Two-time WGC winner Hideki Matsuyama of Japan hit a brilliant shot to within two feet for a birdie on the last home to shoot 69 and is tied for eighth with Lee Westwood of England, Sungjae Im of South Korea, Paul Casey of England, Patrick Reed and Tyrrell Hatton of England.
Third-ranked Jon Rahm of Spain shot 72 and is in a tie for 29th that includes eighth-ranked Webb Simpson and 10th-ranked Xander Schauffele of La Jolla and San Diego State, while seventh-ranked Adam Scott of Australia is tied for 49th at 74 after winning last week at Riviera.
Fifth-ranked Dustin Johnson, who has won this tournament two of the last three years among his six World Golf Championship titles and is the only player to have completed the WGC Grand Slam, made only one birdie while struggling to a 76 and is tied for 62nd.
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