Rory McIlroy’s push to become No. 1 in the world begins safely with an opening round 66 at the CJ Cup in South Carolina as he sets his sights on LIV foe Greg Norman’s 331-week tally in the top of the ranking.
Rory McIlroy can go to No 1 in the world rankings for the ninth time in his careerFedEx Cup champion chases Scottie Scheffler to the top of the standingsHe has his goals set in Greg Norman’s 331 weeks on top of the world.
Rory McIlroy’s push to return to the top of the world rankings for the first time in over two years is off to a fast start after an opening 66 at the CJ Cup in South Carolina.
The 33-year-old, who could overtake Scottie Scheffler in defending his title, built a strong foundation for his week by firing five birdies and no bogeys to sit behind early leaders Trey Mullinax and Gary Woodland.
His round picked up momentum with a trio of birdies from the fourth before racking up another two along the way, which would indicate he has lost none of the momentum he picked up on his three-week break after returning from the European tour.
Rory McIlroy got off to a strong start to the week with a 66 in the first round, which included five birdies.
He’s certainly not short of incentive, with the prospect of being No. 1 in the rankings for the ninth time in his career and closing the gap on a larger career goal he revealed ahead of the tournament.
Like much of McIlroy’s recent narrative, it focused on settling scores with LIV Golf, or in this case its CEO Greg Norman, with whom McIlroy has exchanged words over the last six months of turmoil in his sport.
For that reason, there was some amusement when McIlroy, who has held the top spot for a cumulative 106 weeks, declared that his mission was to get one week past Norman’s 331.
The current world number 2 is chasing Scottie Scheffler and could overtake him if he defends his title in South Carolina.
When asked about his goal, McIlroy said: ‘332. I don’t know if I can, but that’s a number in my head.
It echoed his response to winning the Canadian Open earlier in the year, when he said: “This is my 21st win on the PGA Tour, one more than one other person (Norman) and that gave me extra incentive to do it.”
Matt Fitzpatrick shot a bogeyless 70, with Danny Willett a shot ahead. Tyrrell Hatton was making good progress at four under par to 14.
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