2022 Visitor Championships leaderboard: Rory McIlroy tops the table with more big names in the fray
Birdies flew all day at TPC River Highlands as the 2022 Visitor Championships kicks off on Thursday. Leading the race, both on and off the court, was none other than world No. 2 Rory McIlroy. Registering for 8 under 62 without magic, the Northern Ireland player has positioned himself at the top of another leaderboard.
Victory just two weeks ago at the Canadian Open, a “disappointing” top-five finish at the US Open, did nothing to dampen the spirit of the 21-time PGA Tour champion. Coming into the tournament as a betting lover, McIlroy’s price dropped dramatically from 9-1 to 9/4 at Caesars Sportsbook as he and co-captain JT Poston led Xander Schauffele and Martin Laird by one game. .
“Whenever you start with 62, you accept it,” said McIlroy, whose 62nd match was the lowest of the season. “I felt like my start was pretty slow. I put two holes on back 9 which you should be 13 and 15, then made a nice hole at 18 to spin at under 3. Then once once I hit the front there, that’s when I started to really feel it and started putting some putts and hitting some quality shots… a real round of golf in general… good and a great start.”
McIlroy wasn’t the only star to shine in the opening round of the Travelers Championship. Schauffele played superbly from tee to green on the way to age 63, and his good friend Patrick Cantlay excelled in the afternoon with 64. While they thrived, Jordan Spieth waned and found himself in 5th place with a lot of work to do just to get it done by the end of the week.
Leader
1. Rory McIlroy (-8): The Visitor Championship marks McIlroy’s fourth straight week of competition as he hasn’t taken a break since the week after the PGA Championship. As a result, there have been discussions of possible fatigue both entering the tournament as well as after the opening 62. This is nothing new for the 33-year-old as he has a plan. Plan to put all of your energy into the 54 holes remaining before catching some well-deserved rest.
“I didn’t hit any golf balls Monday and Tuesday. I flew back to Florida for a day, spent the night in my own bed, flew back on Tuesday, didn’t come to the course, and then [Wednesday] “I’m playing football in the rain not really great preparation, but I feel – I played well at Brookline,” McIlroy said. “I won’t lose that for two more days. I know my game is good. I think at this point it’s just – the power level is OK. I’m a bit annoyed with the weather, but that’s just the focus at this point. I have three more rounds until I have a couple of weeks to rest and prepare for The Open Championship. I’ll put everything in those three rounds. “
Other candidates
T2. Xander Schauffele and Martin Laird (-7)
T5. Patrick Cantlay, Webb Simpson, Charles Howell III (-6)
T8. Matthew NeSmith and Cameron Davis (-5)
T10. Harris English, Wyndham Clark, Hank Lebioda, William McGirt and Keith Mitchell (-4)
From a statistical standpoint, Schauffele was the most impressive, placing second in terms of strokes won from tee to green on Thursday. We’re going to Schauffele, but I want to touch Simpson, who is slowly but surely on some form. After hitting the cards of the day in the third round of the PGA Championship, the 36-year-old went on to finish in 20th and then top 30 the following week at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Registered for 64 no-magic, Simpson has enough spot to contest his first title on the PGA Tour since the RBC Legacy 2020. Two were knocked out of his most recent win and climbed to the top. fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking, the world number 60 now has a great opportunity to return to his victories.
“Yes, it was a great start. … It was a fun day,” said Simpson. “No bogey. I can’t remember the last time I had a bogey-free lap, so it felt great. Tried bogey last time but it went up and down erratically. But you know, it hasn’t been easy. The wind is whirling. It’s picking up a bit right now. So I feel great, solid all around I would say.”
Xander hits all 18 greens in the rules
It was a stellar day of competition for the five-time PGA Tour winner and now Olympic gold medalist. Hitting 18 of the prescribed 18 greens, Schauffele ended up signing with 63, one of the top picks. In possibly the most shocking statistic on the PGA Tour, Schauffele hasn’t won a school-wide individual game since his 2017 debut back at the Greenbrier Classic and hopes to change that throughout. next three games. day.
“I’ve done it in practice at home, but it’s a completely different thing, obviously, with the wind type being a lot of wind,” Schauffele said of hitting every regulatory green. “Sometimes it’s okay. I think the number 9 is a good example, if you go over the green on the right it’s not as hard as a putt, so there are points here that you might miss. green umbrella and at the edge.”
Travelers Championship Odds, Picks
Below is the updated odds table after 18 holes played, via Caesars Sportsbook.
- Rory McIlroy: 9/4
- Patrick Cantlay: 5-1
- Xander Schauffele: 5-1
- Webb Simpson: 14-1
- Scottie Scheffler: 16-1
- JT Poston: 16-1
- Keith Mitchell: 22-1
- Martin Laird: 28-1
- Charles Howell III: 35-1
- Seamus Power 35-1
- Orange Davis: 40-1
The pricing at the top of the market is quite strong but that should come as no surprise given the value of the name. The presence of McIlroy, Cantlay, Schauffele and Scheffler can be daunting, but it offers a solid opportunity to load up the players under him. Harris English (-4) 80-1 was of considerable interest as the defending champion returned to action a few weeks ago in the Memorial Tournament after undergoing hip surgery in the winter.
He missed his chance in Jack’s place but was there over the weekend at the US Open and even ranked in the top 15 for strokes reached in the middle two. From a club reach perspective, his shot wasn’t too impressive on Thursday, but the underlying data is very good as he’s playing by fairway and green rules. It may still be too early for English, but I’d rather get to the party early than miss the cake altogether.
Rick Gehman and Patrick McDonald recap Thursday’s action at the Travelers Championship. Follow and listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
