Rory McIlroy fires 67 at The Players, even as he struggles with his greatest weapon

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Rory McIlroy awoke Thursday morning and knew he had to change his strategy.

Last week at Bay Hill, and again in practice rounds here at TPC Sawgrass, McIlroy noticed that when he went full bore with the driver, his tee shots tailed left.

On most courses, OK, no problem. There’s some getting around that swing pattern.

But not here. Not when, on most holes, the left side is lined with so much water, sand, trees, trouble.

So McIlroy decided, before he teed off Thursday at The Players, to adopt a different strategy. He wasn’t necessarily shying away from his greatest weapon; he was just gearing down, trying to play a peeler fade that, when executed properly, will serve as his fairway finder. But even if not, it won’t put him in any danger.

It's a similar strategy he employed late in 2019, when he struggled off the tee (T-49 in fairways hit) but still managed to claim the title.

“That shot is never going to get you in trouble here,” McIlroy said. “It doesn’t get you in trouble most places, but especially here.”

Thursday’s opening round won’t go down as a McIlroy masterclass off the tee, but he managed his way around the course well enough for a 5-under 67 that left him just a shot off the early lead.

McIlroy found just four of 14 fairways (140^th in the field of 144), but it also didn’t cost him. He carded seven birdies on the day, including four straight around the turn and a masterful escape from the trees on 18 that led to another birdie.

Trying to hold up a 3-wood into the wind on the watery closing hole, McIlroy blew his tee shot into the right trees. Lucky to have a lie and a swing, he drilled a low cut under the branches that chased up the fairway and onto the front edge of the green, settling 7 feet away, under the cup.

“Sort of rode my luck out there a little bit,” he said.

But McIlroy also could, with the greens still receptive after heavy rain earlier this week. With abundant sunshine and stronger gusts expected the rest of the week, he knows he’ll have to tighten his driving accuracy over the next three days.

“I’m going to hit some balls here and figure it out,” he said, “and try to hit a few more fairways tomorrow.”

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