Marvellous McIlroy leads the way in Tulsa

Rory McIlroy carded his lowest opening round in a Major Championship for almost 11 years as he opened up a one-shot lead heading into round two of the 2022 US PGA Championship.

The Northern Irishman made seven birdies - including four in a row in a stunning spell - and two bogeys in a 65 that moved him to five under ahead of Americans Tom Hoge and Will Zalatoris.

The total was McIlroy's lowest ever opening round at the US PGA Championship and lowest first 18 holes at any Major since the 2011 U.S. Open.

Mexican Abraham Ancer and Americans Matt Kuchar and Justin Thomas were at three under, a shot clear of nine players including Matt Fitzpatrick, Lucas Herbert and Joaquin Niemann.

McIlroy is chasing his fifth Major but first since 2014 and revealed he was still feeling the momentum from last month's Masters Tournament, where he closed with a brilliant 64 to finish second.

"It was a great start to the tournament," he said. "I've been playing well coming in here. I've been carrying some good form.

"Obviously I took a lot from that last round at Augusta, played well up in DC at the Wells Fargo there, and played good in the practice rounds earlier this week.

"I think when your game is feeling like that, it's just a matter of going out there and really sticking to your game plan, executing as well as you possibly can, and just sort of staying in your own little world. I did that really well today. 

"It was nice to get off to that good start and sort of keep it going."

It's just a matter of going out there and really sticking to your game plan, executing as well as you possibly can

After a pair of opening pars, McIlroy put his approach at the 12th to tap-in range and that sparked a run of scoring that took him clear at the top of the fledgling leaderboard.

He got up and down at the par-five next, holed a 26-foot right-to-lefter on the 14th and then put a shot to nine feet on the 15th to make it four in a row.

A run of four pars was broken by a 14-footer on the second and when he made a smart up-and-down from the sand after getting up by the green in two on the 665-yard fifth, he led by three.

Bogeys were to come as the 33-year-old missed the green at the par-three sixth and eighth and that put Zalatoris in a share of the lead.

The 25-year-old hit a smart approach into the tenth and then holed long putts on the 12th and 13th before bogeying the 18th.

He birdied the third but gave the shot back on the sixth before putts from beyond 25 feet on the seventh and ninth put him in a share.

He would not be there for long, though, as McIlroy holed a 19-footer to also birdie the ninth and complete a stunning start.

Hoge made birdies on the first, fifth, ninth, tenth and 15th, with a single dropped shot on the third.

Ancer carded six birdies and three bogeys, while Kuchar and Thomas both recorded five birdies with two dropped shots.

Chile's Mito Pereira, Australian Cameron Smith and Americans Chris Kirk, Kevin Na, Davis Riley and Xander Schauffele completed the group at two under.