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Rory McIlroy makes his feelings perfectly clear on Maryland

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Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy makes his feelings perfectly clear on Maryland fans at BMW Championship

Rory McIlroy has made a steady start to his return to PGA Tour action after controversially skipping last week’s playoff opener, and he enjoyed reconnecting with golf fans in Maryland.

The five-time major champion occupies 11th place in the BMW Championship through 36 holes at Caves Valley Golf Club near Baltimore, just a short distance from Congressional Country Club, the site of McIlroy’s first major championship victory.

Rory McIlroy

JUST IN: LIV Golf star does something Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy

The Northern Irishman romped U.S. Open glory at Congressional in 2011, winning by eight shots to announce himself as a bona fide superstar. At nearby Caves Valley, he bounced back from an “awful” even-par first round to post a four-under-par 66 on Friday.

The Masters champion singled out the spectators at Caves Valley, who have braved scorching temperatures to show their support for their favorite stars.

“I won my first major here just down the road at Congressional. We’ve come back here quite a bit, and it’s been great,” McIlroy told reporters after his round, which was highlighted by a sensational eagle at the par-five 16th.

“The crowds out here, even though it is so hot, they’re still pretty enthusiastic and great to play in front of. I’m looking forward to that over the weekend as well.”

Despite going around in four fewer shots in his second round, McIlroy was still not satisfied with his play as he competes in his first tournament since The Open Championship a month ago.

“I scored better, but still not great. Yeah, look, it’s okay, I played a good back nine and I scored well. Made a few saves. But I still want to try to hit a few more fairways.

“Still struggling to get the ball in play. But when I do get the ball in play, I give myself plenty of chances and make some birdies.

“That’s a positive. I just need to try to get the ball in play a little bit more, and I did that for a little bit more on the back nine, and that was why, obviously, I scored better.”

McIlroy trails runaway leader Bob MacIntyre by 10 shots heading into Saturday’s third round, and the 36-year-old admits his hopes of victory this week are all but over.

“Not really,” he replied when asked if he had a chance of contending over the weekend. “I think I’m just playing my own tournament at this point, play a good weekend.

“No one is going to obviously replace Scottie at No. 1 [in the FedEx Cup standings], but try to sort of solidify that No. 2 spot and then turn my attention to the TOUR Championship next week.

“I just want to try to play a good weekend and feel a little bit better about my game going into the TOUR Championship.”

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LIV Golf star does something Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy

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Tiger Woods Rory McIlroy

LIV Golf star Sebastian Munoz etched his name into the record books on Friday, becoming the first golfer in the sport’s documented history to fire a sub-60 round while carding a double bogey.

It’s believed not even the great Tiger Woods, who is dating Donald Trump Jr.’s ex-wife, or Rory McIlroy has achieved that.

The Colombian delivered the round of his career at Chatham Hills to surge into the lead at LIV Golf Indianapolis – the high-stakes finale of the individual season. Munoz sits atop the leaderboard at 12-under-par following a blistering round of 59, holding a three-stroke advantage over two-time major winner Dustin Johnson.

Sebastian Munoz wins in a playoff, Jon Rahm wins season-long individual title, and Henrik Stenson and Anthony Kim demoted to 'drop zone' | Golf News and Tour Information | GolfDigest.com

READ: Tiger Woods Revealed The  One Extraordinary Skill That Stuns the

Munoz’s feat became even more remarkable considering he posted a double-bogey six at his fourth hole of the day, the par-four fifth, which dropped him to one-over-par for the tournament.

The 32-year-old captured the spotlight at an event where the possible relegation of several Ryder Cup icons has commanded the headlines.

Based on LIV Golf’s media team research, Munoz’s extraordinary round marks the only score of 59 or lower in the record books that features a double bogey.

“Awesome, awesome day,” he said. “Feeling right now a bit tired. It was a lot of mental strength out there. I felt like I started decent. A couple pars, a birdie and then a couple bad shots in a row, ended up making double.

“Kind of forgave myself, honestly. I didn’t want to hold on and have a grudge all day, so I kind of forgave myself and ended up chipping in for birdie on six and birdieing seven and eight and nine and 10, 11, 12, 13. It was really nice.

“I parred 14, and I just kind of got back on the bus and finished with five straight. Something I’ve never done. I’ve done eight birdies in a row. I tied my personal record.

“But 13 out of 14, it’s insane. I’ve never sniffed that. Really proud of the way I handled the day, the start of the day, and how I just kind of sorted through.”

It marked only the third sub-60 round in LIV Golf’s four-season history. Bryson DeChambeau achieved the first milestone, carding a 12-under-par 58 at LIV Golf Greenbrier in 2023.

Joaquin Niemann, who remains positioned to capture the individual championship on Sunday, posted a 59 at LIV Golf Mayakoba last year.

Scoring proved exceptionally strong in Indy, with 23 players posting four-under-par or better during Friday’s opening round. Munoz acknowledged that conditions were favorable, though he believes fans have thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle thus far.

“It’s been great. It was great to see a lot of fans out there today. It’s great for the city of Indianapolis to show up when we come,” Munoz added.

“I felt like they enjoyed it. There’s a lot of birdies out there. It’s a little easier track than what we usually play, but you’ve still got to make the putts, you’ve still got to hit the shots.

“It was a good show for the city of Indianapolis today, and hope that I can keep playing good and having a lot cooler moments in the next couple days.”

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‘It was horrific’: What did Rory McIlroy buy with his first

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Rory McIlroy

What did Rory McIlroy buy with his first paycheck as a pro? ‘It was horrific’

After Rory McIlroy was asked all the usual questions about how to reimagine the Tour Championship, his thoughts on the Ryder Cup captaincy and how the renovation to Caves Valley, site of this week’s BMW Championship, will play, he was asked one final question: Did he remember the first thing he bought when he made his first paycheck as a pro?

McIlroy didn’t need to think hard. It was 2007 and he had made $20,530 on the DP World Tour for a T-42 finish at the British Masters. He followed that up with a third-place finish at the Alfred Dunhill Cup, which banked $286,769, and a T-4 at the Madrid Open, where he cashed a check for $56,425. That’s when he made an eye-opening discovery.

“I only had a debit card at the time and I checked my balance,” he said. “I was like holy (cow). I went straight to the jeweler.”

And bought a watch.

“With diamonds around it. It was horrific. I can’t believe, it was like the worst purchase ever,” he recalled on Wednesday during his pre-tournament press conference. “It was so bad.”

Asked for the make and model, he replied, “I do. It’s not the make and model that I’m sponsored by now, so I’m not going to say it.”

Spoken like a veteran pro whose days of buying bling are over and now has much better taste in watches.

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