Rory McIlroy hasn't had the best year on the PGA Tour after being the number ranked golfer in the world last year, as he has yet to win a tournament and Tiger Woods has overtaken him in the world rankings and he continued that on Thursday at the PGA Championship, shooting a two over 74 in the tournament to start behind on the leaderboard.
Sergio Garcia was even at one point and his spat with Tiger Woods took center stage when he made a racist comment earlier in the week at the Euro Tour awards dinner, saying after being asked about Woods coming over for dinner during the US Open that he would serve fried chicken. The two went back and forth in the media about the incident and one marshal called Tiger a liar, but now it has come down to the racial comments.The 24-year-old Northern Irishman made an encouraging start to the European Tour's flagship event and was three-under after 12 holes but a series of late blunders meant he walked off the 18th green a frustrated youngster.
McIlroy, still waiting for his first victory of 2013 after winning the orders of merit on both sides of the Atlantic last year, limped home in 41 strokes.
McIlroy said the chilly eight-degree temperatures and winds gusting up to 20mph combined to make it a tough day for scoring at the long 7,302-yard West Course on the outskirts of London.
McIlroy was blown off course by unseasonally cold weather at Wentworth on Thursday, bogeying five of the last six holes to sink to a two-over 74 in the PGA Championship first round.
"I find it kind of long and a bit of a slog really. It's a tough course and I knew anything around par today would have been a good effort."
McDowell said the harsh British winter had softened up the putting surfaces.
"My ball-striking wasn't bad and I putted all right but let's be honest the greens are slow," he explained. "It's been tough to get them up to speed.
"It's a standard Wentworth performance for me unfortunately. It's not really my happiest hunting ground," said McDowell who won last week's World Match Play Championship in Bulgaria.
(Reuters quotes)
