Houston Open First Round Leaderboard:
5: A Tosti (Argentina), R Gerard (USA), K Mitchell (USA), T Pendrith (Canada)
4: T Mullinax (USA), M Meissner (USA), MW Lee (Australia), S Ryder (USA), V Perez (France), R Hojgaard (Denmark), E Cole (USA), J Suber (USA)
Selected Others:
3: S Scheffler (USA)
2: H Hall (England)
1: D Willett (England), R Fowler (USA), E R McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland blamed his “pedestrian” start after finishing five shots behind the leaders following the first round of the Houston Open in Texas.
The world’s second-ranked player shot a 70, with two birdies and two bogeys at Memorial Park, leaving him five strokes behind early leaders Keith Mitchell, Taylor Pendrith, Alejandro Tosti, and Ryan Gerard.
McIlroy, who is aiming for a career Grand Slam with a win at the Masters next month, is playing in Houston for the first time since 2014 as part of his preparation for Augusta.
He said, “A little pedestrian, I guess, is a good way to describe it.” He added, “I made a few key par saves early on and had a number of chances on the back nine, but I couldn’t convert them.”
The weather, with rain and wind, made the course conditions tough, and darkness caused play to be suspended at 7:28 pm local time, with some players unable to finish their rounds.
Scottie Scheffler, aiming to defend his Masters title, is three shots behind the leaders at two under par. He had a bogey-free round with three birdies, despite tough conditions. “I felt like I played better on the back nine,” Scheffler said. “The first nine was a bit of a struggle, but I posted a score.”
England’s Harry Hall shot a two-under 68, three shots off the lead, while Danny Willett was four shots behind.
