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Wells Fargo: McIlroy opens with 73, six back
Rory McIlroy, the defending champion and two-time winner of the vent, opened the Wells Fargo Championship on Thursday with a one-over par 73, six shots behind leaders Steve Wheatcroft and Andrew Loupe.
McIlroy birdied four holes in a six-hole stretch on the back nine at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., to lessen the sting from an opening nine of 40.
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“I was sort of still in range mode on the front nine there,” said McIlroy, who . “I didn’t really have my scoring head on. I was thinking about my golf swing and just trying to make good swings at it and I sort of got caught up in that a little bit.”
McIlroy was playing with Rickie Fowler, who shot a one-under par 71 in a tournament that stands as a tuneup for his title defense in the Players Championship next week.
Anirban Lahiri of India, meanwhile, posted a 66 and is tied for third, a shot behind the leaders, while Bryson DeChambeau shot a three-over par 75 in this his third tournament as a professional.