Rory McIlroy one shot off the lead at CJ Cup, while Power makes a charge

The Waterford man impressed but bogeyed the last. 

FIELD OF DREAMS: Rory McIlroy plays his shot from the second tee during the first round of the CJ Cup at Congaree Golf Club. Picture: Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Defending champion Rory McIlroy fired an impressive opening round 66 to put him just one shot off the early pace at the CJ Cup.

That superb five-under put him just a single shot off clubhouse leaders, Trey Mullinax and former US Open champion, Gary Woodland at Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina. 

McIlroy had three birdies on the spin between holes 4 and 6 and added two more on the back nine in what was another excellent showing from the in-form Northern Irishman.

Séamus Power also had an excellent day, ending in a tie for eighth. The Waterford native was neck and neck with McIlroy before he bogeyed the last hole to end on four under. 

Power had an eagle on 12, chipping in out of a bunker, and backed that up with two more birdies as he made an excellent charge, before that lapse on the last green.  

Shane Lowry also impressed, carding for a three-under 68 to lie in a tie for 10th. 

McIlroy can reclaim the world number one for the ninth time if he defends his CJ Cup title.  

The Holwood native will again reach the top of the rankings -- for the first time since July 2020 -- if he wins the tournament and the incumbent Scottie Scheffler finishes worse than a two-way tie for second.

And McIlroy admitted, after his first round, that the top ranking is the motivation he needed. 

“Coming off the season that I’ve had, you know, good season, FedExCup, everything, like it would be very easy to just take the rest of the year off and be like, you know what, I’ll see everyone in Hawaii in January,” said McIlroy.

“But there’s always something. I think I was alluding to it yesterday in the press conference. No matter what you achieve in this game, you’re having to constantly reset your goals and reframe your mindset.

“I think the players on Tour and players at this level, I think they naturally do that and they’re good doing that, and that’s always been the case for me.

"Maybe if I didn’t have these two things to go for over the next couple of months, I would take a bit of time off, but I still feel motivated, and I think playing well motivates you even more also. There’s definitely no lack of that.”

McIlroy was sharing third place with Korea's Kim Joo-Hyung, American pair Wyndham Clark, Aaron Wise and Viktor Hovland.

Scheffler was level par after 16. 

Meanwhile, England's Marcus Armitage set a new course record of 63 to lead by one shot on the opening day of the Mallorca Open.

The Salford-born 35-year-old, 68th in the DP World Tour rankings, fired eight birdies in a bogey-free first round at Son Muntaner Golf Club in Palma.

Armitage, attached to Howley Hall Golf Club in Leeds, birdied the second, fifth, eighth and ninth holes to sit four-under after the outward nine and sank four more - at the 11th, 12th, 15th and 17th - on his way back in.

He sits one shot ahead of the Netherlands' Daan Huizing, who eagled the par-five 17th and birdied the last, and two ahead of Denmark's Rasmus Hojgaard, Austria's Lukas Nemecz and Spain's Alejandro Canizares, who all shot 65s.

Scottish pair Marc Warren and Connor Syme are tied in ninth, alongside last year's winner Jeff Winther and seven others, four shots off the lead after four-under-par rounds of 67.

England's Steven Brown is tied in 16th place after posting a three-under first-round score of 68.