RORY McILROY might be something of a golfing magician, but he got a lesson in how to turn base metal into gold as Phil Mickelson turned alchemist in the first round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational to open with a four-under-par 66.
McIlroy’s two-under 68 was a tale of two halves as he birdied the first, bogeyed two of the next three and then surged back by starting his back nine with a hat-trick of birdies to two under, before saving par at the last almost by holing a 116-yard wedge.
But his powers of recovery paled in comparison to Mickelson’s, who was two over par for his round after back-to-back bogeys at the 14th and 15th before he turned on the style by playing his last 12 holes in six under par, with the highlight a spectacular greenside flop shot that one-hopped into the hole for a birdie at the sixth.
“We fed off each other on the back nine,” said McIlroy, who came home in 32 to Mickelson’s five-under 30. “He played a couple of great shots and chipped in on the sixth hole, which was one of the best shots I’ve seen all year.
“He struggled early on but had a great finish. He’s a great player and that’s what great players do. They hang in there and make a score out of something that wasn’t necessarily there.”
Told of McIlroy’s admiration for his shot at the sixth, Mickelson smiled and said: “Well, it was a good one. There were some at Augusta that I kind of remember a little more fondly than Thursday here at Akron, but that was a good one.”
The world number two will end Tiger Woods’ five-year reign as the game’s top-ranked player if he records a win this week, but after struggling with his driver in the British Open at St Andrews, he revealed that he had his Callaway weapon cut down an inch to 44 inches, added a heavier shaft and felt he had more control of the ball on the tight fairways of Firestone Country Club.
The key to McIlroy’s round was a sand save on the par-five 16th, his seventh, where he airmailed the green with his third but holed an eight-footer for par to remain one over par.
Having birdied the first from six feet, he was disappointed to bogey the 11th and 13th after visits to the trees and another dropped shot at the 16th might have been disastrous.
“That gave me a little bit of a boost to go on,” McIlroy said.
(USA unless stated, Irish in bold)
From First Hole
1.30pm – M Fraser (Aus), Y Ikeda (Jpn).
1.40pm – T Matteson, K Miyamoto (Jpn).
1.50pm – J Day (Aus), J Leonard.
2pm – B Van Pelt, M Laird (Sco).
2.10pm – A Quiros (Spn), B Crane.
2.20pm – N Watney, M Weir (Can).
2.30pm – H Mahan, A Cabrera (Arg).
2.40pm – M Kaymer (Ger), T Clark (SA).
2.50pm – P Casey (Eng), J Rose (Eng).
3pm – R Goosen (SA), Z Johnson.
5.30pm – JB Holmes, D Horsey (Eng).
5.40pm – G Bourdy (Fra), C Campbell.
5.50pm – R Davies (Wal), J Bohn.
6pm – KJ Choi (Kor), B Weekley.
6.10pm – R Karlsson (Swe), K Perry
6.20pm – M Kuchar, G Ogilvy (Aus)
6.30pm – C Schwartzel (SA), S Verplank
6.40pm – S Stricker, E Els (SA).
6.50pm – P Mickelson, Rory McIlroy.
7pm – L Oosthuizen (SA), A Kim.
From 10th Hole
1.30pm – S Appleby (Aus), J Kingston (SA).
1.40pm – R McGowan (Eng), B Curtis.
1.50pm – H Slocum, P Hanson (Swe).
2pm – J Overton, R Ishikawa (Jpn).
2.10pm – R Fowler, A Scott (Aus).
2.20pm – C Villegas (Col), L Glover.
2.30pm – D Johnson, MA Jimenez (Spn).
2.40pm – L Donald (Eng), J Furyk.
2.50pm – T Woods, L Westwood (Eng).
3pm – Pádraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell.
5.30pm – M Jonzon (Swe), S Khan (Eng).
5.40pm – S Hansen (Den), O Wilson (Eng).
5.50pm – H Otto (SA), R Palmer.
6pm – S Garcia (Spn), B Haas.
6.10pm – F Molinari (Ita), R Moore.
6.20pm – YE Yang (Kor), S Cink.
6.30pm – B Watson, V Singh (Fij).
6.40pm – I Poulter (Eng), R Fisher (Eng).
6.50pm – R Allenby (Aus), H Stenson (Swe).
7pm – E Molinari (Ita), S O’Hair.
7.10pm – S Dyson (Eng), A Noren (Swe)
