Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman shared the top spot after round 1 of the BMW Championship, a tournament within the FedEx Cup with a prize fund of 20 million USD.
After 3 years, the BMW Championship returned to Olympia Fields, Illinois (USA), with the prize fund increasing from 15 to 20 million USD.
This is one of the most important events of the PGA Tour, and is also the second stage in the play-off race for the FedEx Cup.
The opening round of the BMW Championship ended with Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman sharing the top spot.
Last month, McIlroy ended a difficult few months by lifting the Genesis Scottish Open title. It was his first PGA Tour trophy in 2023, and his second victory in the 2022-23 season.
McIlroy played prominently in the opening round of the BMW Championship
The 34-year-old Northern Irish golfer, also the defending FedEx Cup champion, is aiming for his 25th career PGA Tour title.
If he can do that, he will surpass Dustin Johnson – who is currently playing for LIV Golf of Saudi Arabia, to become the player with the second best record on the PGA Tour currently competing (Tiger Woods leads with 82 titles). .
At Olympia Fields, McIlroy played steadily and did not make any mistakes. He scored 5 birdies to end the first day of competition with a stroke score of -5.
Last month, Harman surprised everyone when he was crowned The Open Championship. Before that, he spent 6 years empty-handed on the PGA Tour circuit.
Harman scored 6 birdies on the opening day of the BMW Championship, along with a bogey at hole 12 (par5).
The BMW Championship race was tense, with 6 golfers scoring -4, and 3 others scoring -3. Patrick Cantlay, the champion of the last two editions, has a score of -2.
The pressure on golfers participating in the BMW Championship is huge. In addition to glory, the end of the event is also the time when the US team announces the list of participants for the Ryder Cup in Rome, Italy (September 29 – October 1).
BMW Championship round 1 rankings
