McDowell in groove but Rory slips up

Rory McIlroy shot his first par round with his Nike clubs as Graeme McDowell turned a green light into a rip-roaring start in the Honda Classic.

As McIlroy closed with a bogey six at the last for a level-par 70, McDowell birdied the ninth for a three-under 67 to finish the day just four shots behind pacesetter Camilo Villegas.

Downbeat after his bogey finish, McIlroy said: “It wasn’t too eventful, two birdies, two bogeys. I felt okay out there, not great.