McIlroy Leads at 6 Under Par "Did You See That Shot Eagle?"... What About 'Number 2' Morikawa?

Published 03 Dec.2021 09:31(KST)

'Woods Host' Hero World Challenge Day 1: Burger and Ancer Tied for Lead, Thomas and Kepka Joint 4th in Pursuit

Rory McIlroy is attempting a bunker shot on the 5th hole on the first day of the Hero World Challenge. Bahamas=Getty Images/Multibits

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] ‘CJ Cup Champ’ Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) makes an early surge.

On the 3rd (Korean time) at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas (par 72, 7,309 yards), the PGA Tour’s premium event Hero World Challenge (total prize money $3.5 million) saw McIlroy shoot 6-under par on the first day, instantly taking the top spot on the leaderboard. This tournament is especially notable as it is hosted by the ‘Golf Emperor’ Tiger Woods (USA). Although it is not an official event, the winner’s prize is a whopping $1 million (1.19 billion KRW), and world ranking points are at stake.

McIlroy combined 1 eagle, 6 birdies, and 1 double bogey. He started well with a birdie on the 2nd hole (par 3), gained momentum with consecutive birdies on the 4th and 5th holes, and recovered from a double bogey on the 9th hole (par 5) with back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th holes. At the 14th hole, he made a ‘shot eagle.’ On the short 290-yard par 4 hole, his tee shot reached just in front of the green, and his approach shot went straight into the hole. He added an easy birdie on the 15th hole (par 5) to take the lead.

It is interesting that McIlroy, who led by one stroke going into the final day of the DP World Tour Championship, the European Tour’s 2021 season finale held last month on the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, UAE, faltered with a 2-over par final round and lost the trophy to Collin Morikawa (USA). This adds motivation for revenge. Morikawa, who carded 6 birdies (2 bogeys) to finish 4-under par tied for 7th, has heated up the atmosphere.

'Number 2' Collin Morikawa is taking a shot on the 16th hole on the first day of the Hero World Challenge. Bahamas=Getty Images/Multibits

Morikawa, in particular, can overtake Jon Rahm (Spain) to become world number one with a win at this tournament. On the 2nd, he announced his engagement to Katherine Zhu, whom he has dated since college, via social media, creating off-course buzz. Daniel Berger (USA) and Abraham Ancer (Mexico) joined the co-lead, while Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, and Webb Simpson (all USA) are tied for 4th, and Viktor Hovland (Norway) follows in a tie for 7th.

‘The Hulk’ Bryson DeChambeau (USA) is tied for 11th at 3-under par. Attention should be paid as he will face off once again against his well-known ‘rival’ Koepka just one week after their clash at the ‘Capital One’s The Match V’ held on the 27th last month at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada. 2015 champion Jordan Spieth (USA) is tied for 14th at 1-under par, and 2019 winner Henrik Stenson (Sweden) exchanged 2 birdies for 2 bogeys, remaining at even par in 19th place.