World No. 1 Rory McIlroy birdied his final two holes to earn a four-way share of the clubhouse lead in the first round of the BMW Championship Thursday. Playing partner Tiger Woods was a shot back.
McIlroy, fresh off his win at the Deutsche Bank Championship Monday, mixed an eagle, seven birdies and a lone bogey for an eight-under 64 at Crooked Stick Golf Club that put him atop the leader board with Americans Webb Simpson and Bo Van Pelt and Canadian Graham DeLaet.
Van Pelt basked in a bogey-free round while Simpson strung together four consecutive birdies from the 14th.
Woods and McIlroy, each with three PGA Tour wins this season, garnered most of the attention from spectators on a sweltering hot day in the American Midwest as the pair produced a scintillating display of quality shot making.
While Northern Ireland's McIlroy and American Woods will do battle later this month for national honours at the Ryder Cup, it was each man for himself on Thursday as an elite field of 70 players are vying for one of 30 spots in the Sept. 20-23 Tour Championship finale in Atlanta.
