– Rory McIlroy (-4) is not giving up on giving everyone a scare this week at the Truist Championship, despite finding himself five shots behind the leader, Keith Mitchell (-9), and, even more daunting, with 24 players ahead of him on the leaderboard, all surely ready to make their move. On the other hand, he acknowledges that since winning the Masters, he considered this week at the Philadelphia Cricket Club could serve as an excellent warm-up for next week’s PGA Championship.
Meanwhile, yesterday he reminded us all of the perfect and universal equation of golf, regardless of each person’s level, each in their situation and at their level, whether in a Major or in one of the millions of anonymous rounds played every day on courses around the world. The Northern Irishman referred to that constant feeling he seeks when he steps onto the course. “I suppose the best way to describe it is that it’s like a combination of confidence, commitment, acceptance, and enjoyment, all mixed together somehow. That’s, more or less, the simplest way to explain it,” he explained.
Indeed, that’s the simplest way to explain what ultimately remains an impossible mission. Or almost. But you have to start somewhere, and Rory, once again, hits the nail on the head: the player who somehow manages to balance these four ingredients will probably deliver their best version that day, in that round, or on that hole. Even Rory understands, of course, that it’s impossible to remain stable in these four coordinates. He just reminds us that the more times, the better.
– Keith Mitchell is the fastest gun on the PGA Tour. His lead in the Truist Championship is his third in 2025 after the first round. No one has finished more Thursdays at the top than this 33-year-old veteran golfer from Tennessee. His average score in the first round is 67.10 strokes. He draws quickly, but afterwards, he’s not the most effective. Or not as much as he would like. He was close to winning the last tournament he played, right after the Masters. He finished second at the Corales Puntacana. He’s playing with an invitation from the PGA Tour.
– Rickie Fowler is also playing in Philadelphia with an invitation. Lately, his name is on everyone’s lips precisely because of this, the invitations. Two days ago, it was announced that the PGA of America opened the doors wide for him to the second Major of the year, which takes place next week at Quail Hollow. Some have criticized it. For Fowler, that’s fuel. “I would say that in a way, the negative helps me because it motivates me to go out and prove them wrong. I remember before THE PLAYERS in 2015, it was said that I was the most overrated player… and that week didn’t go too badly for me.” He started with -7 at the Truist.
– Collin Morikawa probably didn’t end things well with J.J. Jakovac, his caddie since he turned professional in 2019 and until after the last Masters, when they decided to end their relationship. It’s been six years, six wins on the PGA Tour, and two Majors. Not bad. However, this Thursday, after starting the Truist Championship with a very good round of seven under par, he wasn’t exactly affectionate or kind with him.
“It’s not that I’ve been playing badly. I’ve had good results this year, but this is a true partnership. When there’s a lot of exchange, not just about the shot itself, but throughout the holes… We’re out there for five hours or more, including warm-up, we spend a lot of time together. We share ideas, talk about anything. It’s about the atmosphere and the energy you’re looking for. It’s not always going to be perfect, but today was really very pleasant,” he explained when talking about Joe Greiner, his new playing partner. He doesn’t directly criticize Jakovac, but he does seem to make it clear that everything good he now has with Greiner was something he missed. It’s not the best style.
By the way, Morikawa has returned to the old blade putter, which he rested for a few weeks for the spider, and has put a 9-wood in the bag for the first time.
– Alex Noren opened the Truist Championship with a round of 67 strokes. It’s not a result to make the front pages, but it is because it’s his first competitive round since last October. He hasn’t played since the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Some neck problems first, and then a hamstring injury, have kept the Swede out of action for more than six months. “It’s strange not to have played for so long. I was really looking forward to feeling those nerves again, a bit of adrenaline, being more focused. You spend time practising the short game for a while, but in the end, it’s not as inspiring when you don’t really know when you’re going to be able to return. Finally, in the last two weeks, I’ve felt good for two consecutive weeks. The hamstring is holding up.”
