McIlroy 66 eclipsed by Every at Bay
Hill
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[March 06, 2020]
(Reuters) - Rory McIlroy was
under water early but sitting high and dry by the end of the opening
round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, one stroke behind leader
Matt Every in Orlando, Florida on Thursday.
World number one McIlroy, the 2018 champion, made an inauspicious
start when he plunked his approach shot into a lake at his second
hole at Bay Hill, but he roared back with five birdies and an eagle.
The Northern Irishman shot six-under-par 66 in pleasant morning
conditions at Bay Hill, a score that was surprisingly bettered by
American Matt Every in more demanding strong afternoon winds.
Every, a two-times Bay Hill winner who has not won anywhere else on
tour, showed his affinity for the course by making seven birdies.
McIlroy, who started at the 10th tee, was particularly pleased with
his driving.
"I only missed one or two fairways and if you can do that around
this place, especially with how juicy the rough is, you're going to
give yourself a lot of chances," McIlroy told reporters.
"I hit some really good shots coming in, drove it really well."
Perhaps none was better than his second at the par-five fourth,
where McIlroy struck a sublime fairway bunker shot some 260 yards
before draining the 25-foot eagle putt.
While McIlroy's score was almost expected, Every's was a
horses-for-courses performance.
He has had only one top-70 finish since his return in January from a
12-week suspension for a positive cannabis test. He said he used the
substance for medical reasons and was legally prescribed the drug in
Florida.
"Sometimes I'm really good, sometimes I'm really bad," he said.
"It's a weird game.
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Rory Mcilroy hits his tee shot on the 18th hole during the first
round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament
at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY
Sports
"I really just didn't want to shoot myself out of the tournament.
There's so much trouble out here and I'm not scared to make a double
(bogey) here and there."
Every sank two monster putts in quick succession, a 35-footer at his
10th hole followed by a 50-footer at the next.
"Complete luck," he said. "Sometimes they just go in."
Brooks Koepka, who McIlroy recently displaced at the top of the
rankings, bogeying his final two holes for an even-par 72.
He said he was struggling for confidence in his battle to find form
on his return from a knee injury, a startling admission from someone
normally so self-assured.
The event features a high quality field though notably missing
eight-times champion Tiger Woods, who is playing a very limited
schedule ahead of defending his Masters title next month.
Defending champion Francesco Molinari pulled out shortly before his
round citing a back injury.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by Ed
Osmond)
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