'Triple Crown' McIlroy "Title Defense After 3 Years"..."Good Start with 4 Under Par~"

On the First Day of the RBC Canadian Open Opening on the 10th, Clark Surprises with a 7-Under Par Leading Tie for 5th, World No.1 Schauffele Ties for 25th at 1-Under Par

Rory McIlroy is teeing off at the 6th hole on the first day of the RBC Canadian Open. Toronto, Canada = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] 'Triple crown.'

World No. 8 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) achieved the remarkable feat of collecting all three national titles by winning the US Open in 2011, The Open Championship in the UK in 2014, and the Canadian Open in 2019. This makes the RBC Canadian Open (total prize money $8.7 million), which opened on the 10th (Korean time) at St. George's Golf and Country Club (par 70, 7,014 yards) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, very special. He is defending his title for the first time in three years due to the impact of COVID-19.

This year, the spotlight is even heavier as star Dustin Johnson is participating in the LIV Golf Invitational Series opening event held at Centurion Golf Club (par 70, 7,032 yards) in London, England, during the same period. RBC (Royal Bank of Canada), the title sponsor of the Canadian Open, has long supported Johnson, and the fact that Johnson's father-in-law is Wayne Gretzky, the 'ice hockey legend' from Canada, has made him a symbolic figure for a long time.

This is why McIlroy has emerged as a 'box office card.' Moreover, McIlroy has expressed opposition to players joining LIV Golf, saying, "Although there are different values and goals, decisions made solely for money mostly lead to poor outcomes," and "The PGA Tour boasts its own history, including majors." He is placing his hopes on his rising form, including his victory at the CJ Cup last October, which is part of the 2022 season, and his runner-up finish at the Masters last April, as well as five top-10 finishes in nine tournaments.

In fact, he started well, tied for 5th at 4-under with six birdies and two bogeys. He gained momentum with a birdie on the 11th hole (par 5), and recovered from a bogey on the 12th hole (par 4) with consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th holes. In the back nine, he made a second consecutive birdie on holes 2 and 3, and exchanged a bogey on the 4th hole (par 4) with a birdie on the 8th hole (par 3). Although his greens in regulation rate was only 61.11%, his average of 1.55 putts per hole with 'stingy putting' was powerful. McIlroy himself said, "I'm happy with my green play," showing his fighting spirit.

Wyndham Clark is reading the putting line on the 8th hole during the first day of the RBC Canadian Open. Toronto, Canada - Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

The leaders are Wyndham Clark (USA) with a surprising 7-under par lead, Matthew Fitzpatrick (England) one stroke behind in 2nd place (6-under par 64), and Harold Varner III tied for 3rd place two strokes back (5-under par 65). Sam Burns is a player to watch. On the 30th of last month, he won his third title after a playoff battle against world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (both USA) at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Scheffler is preparing for a rematch from a tie for 25th at 1-under par. From Korea, Noh Seung-yul (31) is tied for 25th, Bae Sang-moon (36) is tied for 79th at 2-over par, and Kang Sung-hoon (35) is tied for 124th at 5-over par.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.