Rory McIlroy recorded a six-under-par opening round at the BMW Championship in St Louis, securing a share of the early clubhouse lead. This display follows an eight-over finish at last week’s St Jude Championship.
The world number two, who is a back-to-back Masters champion, made birdies at the fourth and eighth holes to turn at two under. He continued his momentum with a birdie on the par-three 13th and another on the 15th, finishing with successive birdies for a round of 64.
McIlroy stated on the Golf Channel that "good work" with swing coach Michael Bannon and caddie Harry Diamond after returning from Memphis helped him. He also noted that the Bellerive course setup, with wider playing corridors, suits his game better than Memphis.
American golfers Gary Woodland and Wyndham Clark also finished at six under. Japan's Ryo Hisatsune is at five under, while England's Alex Fitzpatrick and Sweden's Ludvig Aberg are tied for sixth at four under.