Rory McIlroy followed a whirlwind journey around the world by staying on-course for PGA Grand Slam of Golf history in Bermuda.
McIlroy, bidding to become the youngest winner in the 29years of this event, shot an opening four under par 67 in the 36-hole contest to share the lead with American Keegan Bradley.
US Open champion McIlroy has since leaving the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on October 2 flown from Scotland to Seoul to Shanghai, played in a seven cities in seven days event in China and arrived in Bermuda after a 20-hour flight from Hong Kong via Los Angeles.
He joked: “I feel OK though you never know when I might fall asleep – my head could be in my soup at dinner! Seriously, I was wide awake at 5.30 this morning so I went to the gym for an hour and then had a 30 minute run.”
McIlroy demonstrated his impressive credentials as he drove himself towards becoming at 22 years and five months the youngest winner of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf – Tiger Woods was 22 years and ten months when he won in 1998.
In truth he benefited from a favourable cart-path bounce at the 380-yards fifth where he came within a whisker of driving the green – notching his first birdie of the round with a deft chip to 18 inches.
Then an absolutely massive drive at the 517-yards seventh brought a comfortable birdie four and another monster at the 412 yards 15th - where he was within ten yards of the green - earned a third birdie in four holes.
McIlroy added: “I’m driving the ball great. I didn’t expect to get so close at 15 – it made it an easy up and down – and to birdie four of the last seven holes was huge as I was five behind Keegan at one stage. Then again I gave myself so many chances on the front nine – I found the greens very difficult to read – so it was great to make up that ground and finish birdie-par when the weather turned wet and windy.”
Bradley had raced to the turn, despite a bogey at the first, in a six under par 30 – grabbing two eagles and three birdies. The US PGA Champion, however, struggled on the back nine when sunshine gave way to showers and Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel and Open Champion Darren Clarke, both triple bogey victims of the ocean-hugging par-three 16th, scored 74 and 77 respectively.
“The two six irons I hit to set-up the two eagles were two of the best shots I’ve hit all year,” said Bradley. “I slowed down on the back nine but it was still a great day."
Schwartzel, who had two birdies and left four other birdie putts on the lip on the front nine, said: “I’m very disappointed. I played really well until I three putted the 12ththen missed short putts on the next two greens.”
Clarke confessed: “I’m struggling with my swing and my ball striking. I ‘ve not hit the ball very good since the Open Championship. I saw a couple of things in my swing I didn’t like and which I tried to fix. It seems to have gone the other way! I didn’t come all this way to play that badly and it is very disappointing.”
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