McIlroy shoots frustrating 71 in first round at Canadian Open, Lowry off to flying start

He closed out his first round since the PGA Championship with back-to-back bogeys to undo some great recovery work midway through his round

Rory McIlroy reacts after missing a putt on the ninth green Picture: Frank Gunn/AP

Rory McIlroy’s reset remained a work in progress as his return from a three-week break didn’t go to plan on the opening day of the RBC Canadian Open. However compatriot Shane Lowry got off to a flying start in Toronto.

Masters champion McIlroy shot a frustrating 1-over 71 at TPC Toronto to leave him with work to do when he returns on Friday afternoon, closing with back-to-back bogeys to undo some great recovery work midway through his round. In that stretch McIlroy arguably looked as fluid as he has since Augusta but the costly finish left a bad aftertaste as he sat six shots off early clubhouse leader Taylor Pendrith.

Among the later starters, Lowry made the absolute most of the drying and improving conditions as he opened with a birdie and found four more by the 8th to jump into a share of the lead by the turn.

McIlroy had travelled north to one of his favourite stops on tour looking for something of a fresh start after his post-career grand slam glow turned gloomy with a difficult week at the PGA Championship in Quail Hollow last month. Twice a winner here, it’s also a tournament which has helped sharpen the game for the US Open which follows in the calendar.

But with the gruelling test of Oakmont to come next week down in Pittsburgh, McIlroy wasn’t sharpening much at all early in Thursday’s round. After the course, a full hour north of downtown Toronto, was given an overnight soaking of rain, the soggy start was matched by a stodgy scorecard as McIlroy found himself 2-over through his first eight holes.

Starting on the 10th, it was an overshot iron on the 12th and a three-putt on the 17th which put him in an early hole. A birdie four on the long 18th helped to get things moving around the turn and McIlroy added two more in quick succession to get himself back in the red.

However that momentum slowed as the putter cooled and an errant drive found tricky rough on the 8th resulting in another bogey after he failed to chop out of more thick stuff with his third. The mood darkened again when on his final hole he took on a fairway bunker and lost, the drive plugging and a closing bogey leaving him at +1.

As he looks to move up the leaderboard on Friday McIlroy will hope for more reliability from his new TaylorMade driver.

Lowry was all reliability as he paired four pars to go with his five birdies, looking in fine fettle ahead of next week’s major tilt at Oakmont where he finished second in 2016.