McIlroy Joins Five-Way Lead at BMW Championship After Six-Under Start

Rory McIlroy moved into a five-way share of the lead in the opening round of the BMW Championship after finishing six under par at Bellerive Country Club. BBC Sport reported that the world number two was level with Americans Gary Woodland, Wyndham Clark, JJ Spaun and Chris Gotterup at the top of the leaderboard.

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McIlroy reached the turn at two under before accelerating late in his round. He birdied the 13th hole and then made three more birdies across the final four holes, a closing stretch that carried him into the leading group. Japan's Ryo Hisatsune finished one stroke behind the leaders at five under.

The round marked an improvement for McIlroy after he finished 66th at the St Jude Championship in Memphis the previous weekend. He had returned there for his first competitive appearance since tying for 40th at The Open, but said work with swing coach Michael Bannon and caddie Harry Diamond helped move his game in the right direction before the BMW Championship.

McIlroy told the Golf Channel that Bellerive's wider playing corridors suited his game better than the Memphis course. He acknowledged that he needed some forgiveness after missing fairways on occasions, but said he felt more comfortable with the set-up. His scoring over the closing holes provided the clearest evidence of that renewed confidence.

Behind Hisatsune, England's Alex Fitzpatrick, Sweden's Ludvig Aberg and American Michael Thorbjornsen were among the players tied on four under. Matt Fitzpatrick was three under, while Scotland's Robert MacIntyre and England's Aaron Rai finished at two under. Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose were both one under.

Defending champion and world number one Scottie Scheffler endured a difficult opening stretch after winning the St Jude Championship on Sunday. BBC Sport reported that Scheffler made four bogeys across his first seven holes and was well down the field at that stage. With McIlroy sharing the lead rather than holding it alone, the first-round picture remained tightly grouped among the five players at six under.