BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL: RORY McILROY bounced back from a slow start to ease his way into the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational with a two-under par 68 before insisting he is 95 per cent certain he will rejoin the PGA Tour next year.
Less than 24 hours after dropping the bombshell that he was seriously contemplating moving to Florida and taking up his US tour card again after a 12-month hiatus, the 22-year old was moving backwards in steamy Akron early on before showing the kind of form that has made him a transatlantic idol.
There was only modest Rory Mania on show from the gallery of 500 that dwarfed that of world number one Luke Donald on a muggy Midwest morning.
The world number five’s putting let him down in the Irish Open last week and the move to slicker US greens certainly didn’t appear to help his stroke as he went to turn in one over par.
The body language was poor as he misread a 25-footer at his opening hole, missed a 12-footer for birdie at the next and then three-putted the par three 12th from 18 feet, blasting his birdie chance 10 feet past.
He slipped to two over when he missed the 13th fairway and couldn’t get up and down from 35 yards. But as the gallery grew, McIlroy began to open his shoulders and put on a show.
At the long 16th, he hit a laser-like five iron under the trees to get back into position but again missed the birdie putt.
But when he birdied the 17th from 12 feet he found another gear. In the blink of an eye he eagled the par-five second with a 234-yard five wood to four feet and then hit a wedge over trees to two feet at the third to get to two under.
His possible return to the US Tour in a Ryder Cup year came as a surprise to the European Tour and while his management company knew he was looking at US property – he’s browsing through apartment listings in West Palm Beach – even they were surprised that he decided to make his intentions public on Wednesday.
McIlroy’s agent Andrew “Chubby” Chandler will sit down with his top client on Monday morning in Atlanta to discuss the wisdom of a move that sources close to the player believe is a “fait accompli”.
The player himself confirmed as much after his solid opening effort, explaining: “I’m seriously considering it. Ninety-five per cent of me wants to come over here, and I’m just making sure everything is in place by next year to make sure that coming over here and playing is as easy as possible logistically, get a place over here and maybe spend three or four months at the start of the year here.”
He hinted that his break-up with long-time girlfriend Holly Sweeney and the huge pressures on his private life at home have made living full-time in Northern Ireland a less appetising prospect.
“I think it all comes into it, definitely,” he said. “But the main reason is because I think it’ll be best for my career and for my golf. You know, there might be other things that have led to this decision, but ultimately it’s about the golf.
“I’ll still play the events that I want to play over there and also fill my schedule and make sure that I still play plenty of times on both sides of the pond.”
