Rory McIlroy looked to be in a duel with Keegan Bradley for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf title in Bermuda today.
They both opened the 36-hole event for this season’s four major winners with four-under-par 67s yesterday, while Charl Schwartzel managed only a 74 and Darren Clarke slumped to a 77.
McIlroy finished the happiest of the quartet. He was five behind American Bradley after 13 holes, but then got back on terms with three birdies against two bogeys.
“I gave myself so many chances on the front nine and didn’t really make anything, but I finished really, really well,” said Northern Ireland’s US Open champion.
He was the last to arrive after playing in China last week and added: “The greens were for me very difficult to read. I think if I had spent a bit more time on them maybe I would have figured them out a bit better.
“I’ll have to just read more into the grain and really take that into consideration instead of just the slopes.”
Clarke commented: “It was absolute crap and I didn’t come all the way here to play that bad, so obviously I’m disappointed.
“I’ve just been struggling with my swing, so if you mix that with putting equally as bad that usually doesn’t add up to a good score.
“I’ll try to find the answer in the bottom of a glass and see how that works.
“I have not hit the ball any good really since The Open. I’ve been trying to change things, which is probably foolish, but I’m trying to get a little bit better.
“After 77 I should probably stay out a little later than planned because I probably couldn’t do any worse tomorrow, but we’ll see.”