‘Wild’ men lead pack

Rory McIlroy found himself overshadowed on the opening day of the Deutsche Bank Championship by the efforts of some six players, four Americans and two European, all vying for Ryder Cup ‘wildcard’ selection.

American Keegan Bradley boosted his hopes of earning a Tom Watson Gleneagles pick to grab the TPC Boston clubhouse lead with a six-under-par 65 — five clear of McIlroy.

Webb Simpson and Ryan Palmer staked their claims also with five-under-par 66s while Ian Poulter, who posted a four-under-par 67, and fellow Englishman Luke Donald with a 69, sought to make Paul McGinley’s task a lot less stressful ahead of the Dubliner naming his three picks at 12.30pm next Tuesday.