Rory McIlroy survived a tumultuous opening day in Los Angeles to sit right near the top of the leaderboard at the Genesis Invitational – one shot shy of England’s Aaron Rai, who finished two holes shy of a full round.
The Northern Irishman endured rain, wind and a three-hour suspension of play to card an opening round score of five-under 66.
The highlight of his day was a stellar par-save on the sixth hole in which he chipped over the on-green bunker.
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Rory McIlroy was delighted with his performance on day one of the Genesis Invitational despite having to overcome issues with a weather delay
McIlroy dropped just one shot on Thursday to join American Jacob Bridgeman on five under.
The duo were being challenged by Rai before play was suspended, with the Englishman set to resume his round on six-under par through 16 holes.
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox is also in the hunt on four under, while England’s Marco Penge is among a crowd of seven players sitting a shot further back.
Speaking to Sky Sports, McIlroy said: “It was very blustery, obviously we had that delay, and the course after that was very, very wet, so it was having to control your trajectory and spin.
“The wind definitely got up those last few holes, which made it a little tricky as well.
“I was really happy with how I controlled my ball flight out there, and there was just some holes on that back nine that you knew if you made a par, that was a good score and you could move on.
“Overall, I’m very happy with today’s work and I’m in a great spot to build from, from here.
“To receive a trophy from Tiger Woods on the 18th green on Sunday would be very cool. It’s not something I’ve had the privilege to do yet. Hopefully if I keep playing well I’ll have a chance to do that on Sunday.”
Watch continued coverage of The Genesis Invitational on Friday live on Sky Sports Golf from 3.15pm and Sky Sports Main Event from 10.30pm.
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