PGA Tour: Denny McCarthy two ahead at Travelers Championship after Rory McIlroy makes hole-in-one | Golf News

Denny McCarthy leads Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott after opening day of the Vacationers Championship, with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler in fourth spot; Rory McIlroy fires first hole-in-one of his PGA Tour profession on his strategy to opening-round 69; watch all through the week on Sky Sports activities Golf

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Rory McIlroy produces an unbelievable hole-in-one on the par-three eighth through the first spherical of the Vacationers Championship

Denny McCarthy holds a two-shot lead after a low-scoring opening spherical on the Vacationers Championship, as Rory McIlroy fired within the first hole-in-one of his PGA Tour profession.

McCarthy carded 10 birdies in a shocking bogey-free 60 on the par-70 structure at TPC River Highlands, the venue which noticed Jim Furyk’s historic ’58 spherical’ in 2016, to high the leaderboard forward of main winners Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley.

McIlroy is alongside Xander Schauffele and US Open champion Wyndham Clark on two beneath, with the previous world No 1 posting a hole-in-one on the par-three eighth, alongside 5 birdies and 5 bogeys throughout an eventful first spherical.

McCarthy opened with 4 straight birdies and two-putted from 60 ft to choose up one other on the fifteenth, having pushed the par-four inexperienced, then began his second 9 with a run of three consecutive birdies.

The American received up and down from off the sixth inexperienced so as to add a ninth birdie of the day and transfer into the solo lead, earlier than practically holing his strategy into the ultimate inexperienced to arrange a closing birdie.

Scott made 4 birdies in a five-hole stretch from the second and cancelled out a bogey on the seventh by selecting up a shot on the ninth, seeing him flip in 31, then charged up the leaderboard by firing 5 consecutive birdies from the eleventh.

The 2013 Masters champion noticed his hopes of a sub-60 spherical ended when he discovered the water together with his strategy into the par-five seventeenth, though the Australian birdied the final to hitch Bradley on eight beneath.

Keegan Bradley is 2 again after an opening-round 62 at in Connecticut

Bradley had threatened a historic spherical himself when – starting on the again 9 – he birdied his first 5 holes and added three extra in a five-hole stretch from the seventeenth, with the 2011 PGA champion cancelling out a bogey on the fifth by draining a 20-footer on the seventh.

Scottie Scheffler’s opening-round 63, which put him in fourth place, included 4 birdies within the final six holes, whereas Shane Lowry is inside 4 of the early lead after additionally making a blemish-free begin in his 64.

Shane Lowry is chasing a primary worldwide victory for the reason that BMW PGA Championship in September

McIlroy’s ace a part of blended begin

McIlroy rolled in a 10-foot birdie on the second however missed an opportunity from half the gap on the subsequent, with the world No 3 bogeying his subsequent two holes and slipping over par till his second of brilliance on the par-three eighth.

“5-iron to 215 yards, barely again into the wind off the precise,” McIlroy defined. “As hole-in-ones go, I’ve had them previously the place it has been an okay shot and also you get slightly fortunate.

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McIlroy reacts to his first spherical on the Vacationers Championship, which included his first hole-in-one on the PGA Tour

“That was one of the best shot of the day that I hit. Clearly a bonus for it to go within the gap, but it surely was actually cool. I performed fairly averagely up till that time and felt like that hole-in-one received me going slightly bit.”

McIlroy nearly holed his subsequent strategy from a bunker to arrange a tap-in birdie, the primary of back-to-back beneficial properties across the flip, solely to bogey the par-five thirteenth after discovering water off the tee.

He responded with successive birdies from the 14th, earlier than two bogeys in his final three holes noticed him card a 68 and fall eight strokes behind McCarthy on the high of the leaderboard.

Watch the Vacationers Championship all through the week stay on Sky Sports activities. Early protection continues on Friday from noon through the pink button on Sky Sports activities Golf, forward of full protection from 8pm on Sky Sports activities Golf.