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Rory McIlroy was left frustrated by a ‘disappointing’ finish to his what he felt was a ‘solid’ first round at the Wells Fargo Championship.
The world No 1 struck six birdies during a solid opening 70 at Quail Hollow, although he would have finished higher up the leaderboard had it not been for a double-bogey on the penultimate hole.
McIlroy saw his tee-shot bounce off the rocks in front of the 17th green and land in the hazard, before he two-putted uphill after firing to within eight feet of the flag from the drop zone.
The late error leaves the world No 1 five strokes adrift of early pace-setter Robert Streb, but McIlroy, who won his first PGA Tour title in this event back in 2010, still had positives to take from his opening day.
“For the most part today it was solid golf,” McIlroy told Sky Sports 4. “I took advantage of the holes I needed to out there, but a bit disappointed with how it finished.
“For the most part today I felt I was pretty good on the greens. I did what I wanted to today.
“I need to get out there early tomorrow and hopefully shoot something a little bit lower, keeping the mistakes off my card for the next three days.”
McIlroy, looking to bounce back from a disappointing display with the putter at TPC Sawgrass last week, drilled in a 10-foot birdie at the first but dropped a stroke at the par-three second after leaving his approach short of the green.
Gains at the fifth and the seventh allowed the world No 1 to reach the turn in 34, before a tap-in birdie at the 10th was followed by a two-putt bogey from 15-feet at the next.
He shaved the hole at the par-three 13th with a 27-foot putt back-to-back gains at the 14th and 15th temporarily lifted him to within three of Streb heading in to the famous Green Mile, although lost ground with that error on the par-three 17th.
McIlroy was then forced to save par at the last, finding the rough from the tee and then a greenside bunker with his iron shot, eventually chipping out of the sand to leave a three feet putt.
The Northern Irishman is involved in one of the first groups out on Friday, beginning his second round alongside Ben Martin and Patrick Reed, who posted a first round 66, at 1pm UK time.
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