Matt McCarty is on fire. Rory McIlroy is playing catch-up.
After a stunning first round at the Truist Championship, McCarty sits alone at the top of the leaderboard at Quail Hollow Club.
Here is everything you need to know.
How Did Round One Play Out?
McCarty was simply unstoppable on Thursday. The American fired a bogey-free 8-under 63, carding nine birdies to take a one-shot lead over Sungjae Im.
He drained a 59-foot birdie putt on 16, then followed it up with a 52-footer on 17 to conquer Quail Hollow’s brutal closing stretch known as the Green Mile.
“I wasn’t hitting it that great early today but you make a bunch of 50-plus footers and it kind of gets your day going,” McCarty said. “Hit it a lot better on the back nine and nice to get a few coming home for sure.”
Im was on his final hole when rain suspended play. He and 19 others return Friday at 10:30 a.m. ET to complete their rounds.
Where Does the Rest of the Field Stand?
Here is the current picture behind McCarty:
- Solo second: Sungjae Im at 7-under (round incomplete)
- Five players at 5-under: Defending champion Sepp Straka, Kristoffer Reitan, Nicolai Hojgaard, Harry Hall, Nick Taylor
- 4-under: Cameron Young, Tommy Fleetwood (Young’s round also incomplete)
Cameron Young turned 29 on Thursday and keeps finding ways to win. After going 93 tournaments without a victory, he has claimed three wins in his last 14 events, including last week at Doral.
How Did Rory McIlroy Perform at the Truist Championship?
The world number two made 17 straight pars to open his round at a course where he has dominated for years, winning four times and setting multiple tournament scoring records.
He finally broke through on the ninth hole, celebrating his first birdie with a sarcastic double-armed fist pump.
“I was thinking I can’t remember the last time I played a round of golf and didn’t have a birdie,” McIlroy said. “I thought my chance had passed me by, but nice to see one putt go in there.”
McIlroy closed with a 1-under 70, seven shots off the pace. Playing for the first time since winning his second consecutive Masters more than three weeks ago, the rust was visible.
“The fairways are pretty wet and the golf course is playing very, very long which should play into my hands,” he said. “I got three more days to try to catch up to everyone.”
What About the Featured Group?
It was a tough day all around for McIlroy’s playing partners.
Justin Rose shot 71 and grew visibly frustrated, dropping his club after a poor approach shot. Matt Fitzpatrick had it worse, carding a 3-over 74 after his fairway wood found the water on the par-5 seventh.
Here’s the thing though, Fitzpatrick’s brother Alex quietly fired a 67, making it a tale of two siblings on the day.
The round was delayed several hours after a storm dumped more than two inches of rain on the course overnight and into Thursday morning.
