McIlroy trails Koepka by 11 as Power finds his mojo in Tahoe
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - JULY 30: Brooks Koepka of the United States plays his shot from the ninth tee during the first round of the World Golf Championship-FedEx St Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind on July 30, 2020 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy had to birdie two of his last three holes to open with a lacklustre three-over 73 in the WGC FedEx St Jude Invitational in Memphis.
Without a top-10 finish since the PGA Tour resumed six weeks ago, the world No 2 was ranked near the back of the field for his iron play, finishing his day 11 strokes by defending champion Brooks Koepka.
Inspired by a dressing down from his coach Pete Cowen, Koepka ominously returned to top form the week before his bid for a hat-trick of PGA Championship wins, carding an eight-under 62 to lead by two strokes from Rickie Fowler and Brandon Todd.
In contrast, McIlroy looked a shadow of the player who reacted to being outgunned by Koepka in a final-round duel in Memphis last year by racking up two wins and nine top-10 finishes in his next 13 starts before the lockdown.
Since then it's been a very mixed bag for the Co Down man, who has complained that he finds it difficult to remain focussed since golf returned without galleries.
But that carries little weight for former Ryder Cup skipper Paul McGinley, who reckons it's time McIlroy stopped making excuses and found a way to self-motivate ahead of a crucial.
"Talk about intensity, he doesn't have it at this moment in time," McGinley said on Sky Sports last night. "He hasn't had it the last five or six weeks. It's not the same Rory McIlroy we saw before. So he has got to figure out a way. Maybe the fact that [Jon] Rahm has come in and knocked him off his perch at No 1 might help him.
"Maybe the fact that there's a Major Championship again next week. But he is talking about not having the same desire, that's it not the same without the crowds. There are excuses all the time. And we are not hearing that from Rahm. He is getting stuck in. That's what you've got to do.
"These are different times. There are major championships to be won, big events to be won and if you can't do it without a crowd, you have got to find a way of self-motivating and that is going to be the big challenge for McIlroy."
Koepka has struggled with a knee problem, missed two of his last three cuts and recorded just one top-10 finish since last August.
He has had Claude Harmon by his side since the lockdown but the blunt approach of coach Cowen and the input of putting coach Phil Kenyon last weekend helped him re-set and return to action a new man.
"Pete is obviously one of the best coaches ever in my opinion," said Koepka, who was ranked first for strokes gained from tee to green and approach to green and fourth for putting.
"I think with Pete, it's more psychological. He'll beat me down, tell me I can't do something, he'll jump on me pretty good and I enjoy that when someone tells me I can't do something. You know, telling me I'm not going to win, it will be a while. Did it at Erin Hills, which was actually just after this week last time. Just trying to dissect what he sees from afar."
He credited Harmon and Kenyon for tweaks they made to his set-up but it was Cowen's no-nonsense approach that really woke him up.
"Yeah, there was a lot of expletives I can't say during this, probably get fined, but yeah, he beat me up pretty good," Koepka said after making nine birdies at TPC Southwind.
"That's why I think him and Butch are way different than any other coach, they know exactly the right thing to say, when to jump on you, when to kind of lay off. And I appreciate everything that Pete does, even though he is chewing me out."
Rahm had to battle to shoot a level par 70 in his first outing as world No 1. But McIlroy was poor until he woke up and made birdies at the seventh and ninth to haul himself off the foot of the leaderboard.
He came up a club short in the water at the short 11th and had to make a 20 footer for a bogey, then three-putted the par-three 14th from 20 feet to turn in two-over.
Missed greens led to three successive bogeys from the fourth, but while he made a 13 footer from just off the green at the seventh and a 23 footer at the ninth, he was 77th in the 78-man field for his approach play after hitting just nine greens in regulation.
It was a far better day for Lowry and McDowell as they finished strongly to card two-under 68's move comfortably into the top 20.
Two-under after three, holes, Lowry followed a bogey at the seventh with a birdie at the ninth to turn in 33. But after finding water to double-bogey the 11th and fall back to level, he birdied the 15th and 16th in his first event alongside caddie Brian Martin since before the lockdown.
McDowell also finished strongly, picking up birdies at his 15th, 16th and 17th holes to join Lowry on two-under.
In the opposite field Barracuda Championship, Seamus Power got off to a flying start to give himself a chance of qualifying for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and September's US Open.
The top two players, not otherwise exempt, finishing in the top 10 and ties at Old Greenwood Golf Course at Tahoe Mountain Club will earn spots in the field at Winged Foot.
And the man from Tooraneena was right on track after making an eagle and four birdies in a 66 to rack up 11 modified stableford points to lie tied for third just three points behind leaders Adam Schenk and Ryan Moore.
It was a mixed day for the Irish in the Hero Open where Spain's Miguel Angel Jiménez opened with a flawless, eight-under 64 in his 707th start at the Marriott Forest of Arden.
The cigar-puffing Malagueño (56) showed off his full repertoire of shots to finish the day tied for second with compatriot Pablo Larrazábal (37) as another Spaniard, Sebastian Rodriguez Garcia (31), posted a course record 62 to set the pace.
"It's been a wonderful day, eight under par," said an emotional Jiménez as he drank a glass of wine and toasted the previous record holder, Sam Torrance via video link as players came out to the 18th to salute his achievement.
"Beautiful summer day and especially now on the 18th here with all my colleagues. Very emotional."
Ardglass' Cormac Sharvin, who leads the Irish challenge after coming home in 32 to card a two-under 70, paid tribute to Jiménez's longevity and skill.
"It's amazing how many events he has played," said the Co Down rookie, who hit a four-iron to eight feet to set up an eagle three at the 12th and get back to level par before picking up further shots at the 15th and 17th. "He makes golf look simple. Everyone can learn from that."
Clandeboye's Jonathan Caldwell birdied all four par-fives but also made three bogeys in a 71 that left him just inside the cut mark as Gavin Moynihan mixed four birdies with five bogeys in a 73 and Paul Dunne failed to make a birdie in a two-over 74.
