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Friday 21 February 2020
McIlroy roars out to a 2-shot lead in Mexico Championship

By DOUG FERGUSON all day. 15 mph, unusual in the four
AP Golf Writer "I think with the fairways years this World Golf Cham-
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Rory being so soft, as well, on pionship has come to Mex-
McIlroy switched back to a coule of the par 5s I ico City.
his old putter for the Mexico teed it up high and sort of "You can go so low, but
Championship and it made launched it," he said. "And man, if you're not playing
a world of difference. It then even the drive on the well, you can shoot over
helps that he's still hitting eighth hole, getting it up par in a heart beat," Thom-
the ball like the No. 1 player and over the trees, I hit a as said. "It's pretty tough to
in the world. 9-iron in there, where Gary manage your score."
McIlroy ripped a 4-iron from and Tommy (Fleetwood) Louis Oosthuizen, Billy
275 yards into the thin air at were hitting 6's in. So that's Horschel, Bryson DeCham-
Chapultepec to 15 feet for a pretty big difference." beau and Corey Conners
eagle on his second hole Woodland was even with were at 67. Conners was
Thursday, made five more him until a few mistakes in position to keep pace
birdies and opened the on the front nine sent him with McIlroy until missing a
Mexico Championship with to a 70. He's not about to 10-foot birdie on the 15th
a 6-under 65 for a two-shot change his game for one hole, and then missing the
lead. week in high altitude. 18-inch par putt.
This is the only World Golf "Rory likes to hit it up in the Watson arrived in Mexico in
Championship that McIlroy air," Woodland said. "This a good frame of mind after
hasn't won as he tries to join golf course ... I'm surprised missing the cut in Los Ange-
Dustin Johnson as the only he hasn't won here be- les, where he said he hit the
players to win all four of cause it suits up perfectly ball great but could make
them. for him." a putt. He stuck around for
Justin Thomas and Bubba McIlroy played nicely last the weekend, called Justin
Watson were at 67. year, finishing at 16-under Bieber and had a foursome
Abraham Ancer of Mexico 268, and lost by five shots of fun at Lakeside.
got some of the biggest to Dustin Johnson, another "Freed it up and just had
cheers, especially when he Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland approaches the first green dur- guy whom the course suits some fun and realized I was
ing the first round of the WGC-Mexico Championship golf tour-
ran off three straight birdies nament, at Chapultepec Golf Club in Mexico City, Mexico City, well — just not this year. in a good frame of mind,"
to overcome a rough start. Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Johnson, who has gone he said. "Who cares about
He opened with a 70. Associated Press a year without winning, missing a cut, really? We've
The course, at about 7,800 opened with a 76, his high- got other things to worry
feet above sea level, is ide- putts, and it cost him. McIl- ever. est opening round since the about."
al for McIlroy the way he roy was tied for the 54-hole The best example of his British Open at Carnoustie His only worry Thursday
launched the ball. lead and shot 73 in the final advantage was the par-5 in 2018. His only birdie was was wind and elevation, a
But this was about his put- round — including a triple 15th hole early in his round. on No. 1 after making the tough combination.
ting. He took only 26 putts bogey on the fifth hole — U.S. Open champion Gary turn. He hit 3-wood on 303- Jon Rahm, who has a math-
and ranked No. 4 in the and tied for fifth Woodland, who hits low- yard hole to 8 feet and ematical chance to reach
key putting statistic for the "It didn't quite work out the trajectory bullets, caught it missed the eagle putt. No. 1 with a victory, didn't
round. way I want it to, so I went a little high on the face of Chapultepec has plenty of make a birdie until the 15th
He attributes that to his reg- back to the 34-inch," he the club and it came out scoring holes, but it's easy hole and still salvaged a 72.
ular 34-inch putter. A week said. "I just felt a little bit low with little spin. McIlroy to get out of position and Adam Scott, who won last
ago at Riviera, he tried a more comfortable today launched a rocket and the poa greens are every week at Riviera, opened
35-inch putter to help get and was seeing my lines a was 55 yards past him. bit as difficult to putt as Riv- with a 74, along with Jor-
his shoulder and elbow in little bit better. And yeah, it McIlroy hit 9-iron from 192 iera last week. dan Spieth.
a better position. But he was a good day." yards that set up a two- Not making it any easier Only 18 players from the 72-
said it hurt with lining up the As for swing? Efficient as putt birdie. It was like that was a wind with gusts up to man field broke par.q

Kyle Stanley shoots 64 to take lead Puerto Rico Open lead

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico bogey in windy afternoon birdieing my first three out really haven't been playing "When it gets this windy,
(AP) — Kyle Stanley shot an conditions at Coco Beach of the gate. Pretty windy that well the past month really the number on the
8-under 64 on Thursday to Golf & Country Club. out there, so I'm really or so," Stanley said. "I re- bottom of the club kind of
take a two-stroke lead in "Just kind of caught a hot happy with the round." The ally struggled with my ball- becomes obsolete, really,"
the PGA Tour's Puerto Rico putter," Stanley said. "Ball- two-time PGA Tour winner striking last week in L.A., but Uihlein said. "It's all about
Open. striking was pretty good followed his opening birdie felt like I putted pretty well. flight and what you want to
With most of the top play- and felt like I drove it well, burst with another birdie on Just tried to clean up a hit, what you want to see."
ers in the world playing in too. Just a pretty solid the par-5 fifth. He bogeyed few things in my swing and Tom Lewis, the highest-
the World Golf Champion- round of golf. Kind of made the par-3 eighth, then bird- continue with some good ranked player in the world
ship event in Mexico, Stan- my fair share of putts. Got ied the next four and the putting prep leading into in the field at No. 57, shot
ley had nine birdies and a off to a really nice start, par-5 15th. "To be honest, I today." 73. Defending champion
Peter Uihlein, Josh Teater, Martin Trainer opened with
Emiliano Grillo, Chris Couch, a 74. He played a five-hole
Henrik Norlander and Rhein stretch on his opening nine
Gibson shot 66, and 2013 in 5 over with three bogeys
winner Scott Brown, Martin and a double bogey,
Laird, Jay McLuen, MJ Daf- Six-time tour winner Bill Haas
fue, Wes Roach and Julian birdied two of the last four
Etulain followed at 67. holes in a 69.q