Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits out of the seventh fairway during the second round of the Tour Championship golf tournament. (AP)
World No 3 Rory McIlroy playing in stifling heat at Yas Links at Abu Dhabi returned to competitive action after a month away from golf. He spent most of this time shut away in a studio hitting balls against a screen in search of a more robust swing that can hold up in pressure-filled moments, according to Associated Press.
His return was marked by a 5-under 67 with a new swing in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday, which left him 4 shots adrift of the clubhouse lead of Thorbjorn Olesen and Johannes Veerman and five shots off the lead held by Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood in the first event of the European tour playoffs.
McIlroy is seeking a victory that would clinch a sixth yearlong Race to Dubai title, and had the sole bogey, while he made six birdies, including a tap-in at the final stop.
“It felt OK,” McIlroy was quoted as saying, not feeling too great, but hopeful of the new swing doing it’s thing. “I’ve gotten comfortable doing this little rehearsal before I take the club back. It felt fine. I probably wasn’t as imaginative out there. I was hitting very straight shots. I hit a couple where I didn’t see the picture of what I was trying to do with the ball flight because I was thinking a little too much about what I was doing with the swing,” he added.
But the lack of wind and the generous size of the fairways at Yas Links made his task easier and allowed him to focus on his modified swing. “I am quite fortunate that it’s a nice week to come back,” AP quoted him.
McIlroy, who was in a tie for 18th, has a huge lead in the Race to Dubai standings and can win what was formerly the Order of Merit title with an event to spare with a victory in Abu Dhabi. That would take some suspense out of the season-ending World Tour Championship in Dubai next week, according to AP. He is a five-time season topper in Europe and can tie the late Seve Ballesteros with a sixth. Colin Montgomerie has a record eight.
“Going for my third in a row, trying to go for six overall, it’s a pretty meaningful thing to do,” said McIlroy. “Trying to get to Colin Montgomerie’s number of eight, or maybe surpass, is definitely a goal in the future. But I think right now I just have to focus on trying to get that sixth one and go from there.”
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