The Houston Open is certainly an important tournament for Rory McIlroy, who is motivated in the right way to prepare for the Masters. After two victories on the PGA Tour this year, the 35-year-old golfer wanted to take a big step on this one as well, but judging by the first day, Rory seems far from success in this tournament.
Namely, the Northern Irishman finished five strokes behind the leader. Rory shot a first round 70, with two birdies and two bogeys.
At the head is Keith Mitchell, Taylor Pendrith, Ryan Gerard and Alejandro Tosti.
In an interview with the media, the experienced golfer shared his impressions after the first round.
“A little pedestrian I guess is a good way to describe it,” McIlroy said, as quoted by BBC.
“Made a few par saves early on that I needed to and then had quite a few chances on the second nine there that I didn’t convert.
Yeah, sort of tale of two halves. I felt like I was scrambling for the most part on the first nine and then I feel like I left a couple out there on the last nine.”
Scottie Scheffler reacts
Scottie Scheffler, the world number 1, was a quite better, although his score was not what was expected. The 28-year-old played a bogey-free round, making three birdies along the way.
While many expected Scheffler to enter the season in a dominant style, things seem far from that.
Scottie reflected on the conditions, stressing that he felt he was playing better at one point.
“I felt like I started to play a little bit better on the back nine,” Scheffler said.
“The first nine I was kind of getting it around a little bit but still post a score today.
Conditions were pretty tough out there today with the rain and the wind so overall nice to keep a clean card.”
Knowing the two of them, there is no doubt that they can improve things in the next round and emerge as favorites at the very top. Their mindset and qualities should never be underestimated, but we will see if their opponents can spoil their plans in the coming period.
