Canadian Open: Rory McIlroy left trailing after level-par opening round in first tournament since PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy was left with an early deficit at the Canadian Open after shooting a stuttering level-par opening round on Thursday.

Playing his first tournament since a disappointing showing at the PGA Championship last month, McIlroy recovered from a slow start with three successive birdies around the turn to move under par, but bogeyed his penultimate hole to post 70.

As early starter McIlroy finished his round, with half the field just starting out, the Masters champion was left trailing clubhouse leader Taylor Pendrith by five shots as the Canadian produced a superb 65.

McIlroy, playing the back nine first at TPC Toronto, started with two pars before a poor error from little more than a 100 yards out on the fairway at the 12th hole led to a bogey.

He would drop further off the pace at the tough 17th as a drive into the rough left him a 20-foot putt for par, which he failed to convert.

However, the Northern Irishman responded immediately by taking advantage of the course’s two par-five holes.

He got himself in strong positions off the tee to leave tap-in birdies at both, before making it three in a row by rolling in an 11-foot putt at the second.

The streak could, and perhaps should, have continued as McIlroy set up birdie chances at the next four holes, but failed to take any of them before finally holing a putt to stay one-under at the par-three seventh.

The respite was only temporary as a duffed chip from thick rough beside the eighth green meant McIlroy needed an impressive follow up chip to limit the damage to a bogey.

More to follow…

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