Rory McIlroy thrashes a first round 7-under-par 65 to set the pace in the Arnold Palmer Invitational
The Northern Irishman made the perfect start in his quest to win at Bay Hill for a second time.
Rory McIlroy is sufficiently good at golf - massive huge understatement alert - to own a very fine record at many courses.
Yet even by his lofty standards his log-book in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill is, well, a bit good: seven starts, all of them top 30s, a neat half dozen T11th or better, never outside the top 10 in his last five visits, winner in 2018.
Good vibes at Arnie's Place. ⛱
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 3, 2022
The 2018 champ @McIlroyRory comes out firing and leads by 3. pic.twitter.com/SKbXpGarW8
If all that is the good news, the bad news is revealed in what happened in the last two years: following those fast starts he never once broke 70 thereafter and in both final rounds he carded 76.
Solo leader. @McIlroyRory is on cruise control. pic.twitter.com/MwrnxSWDjs
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 3, 2022
Rory and Adam bromance
Rory McIlroy ranks at @APinv since his debut in 2015
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) March 3, 2022
Scoring average: 1st
Strokes gained total: 1st
Strokes gained tee-to-green: 1st
Rounds in the 60s: 1st
Par 5 scoring: 1st
G-Mac going well
Northern Ireland at the top. @McIlroyRory and @Graeme_McDowell go way back. 📸 pic.twitter.com/dg0J58XJhk
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 3, 2022