Bryson DeChambeau leads outright after Round 1 of European Open

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Rory McIlroy shook off his lackluster second round with a 7-under 65 on Saturday at the BMW Championship, reinvigorating his tournament chances and setting him up for a tilt at what would be a record third FedExCup. McIlroy sits at 17-under for the week at Caves Valley Golf Club, tied for fourth but four shots adrift of co-leaders Bryson DeChambeau (67) and Patrick Cantlay (66). Having started the week at 28th in the FedExCup race McIlroy was in danger of not advancing to East Lake with the top 30 for the TOUR Championship where the FedExCup goes on the line. But the Northern Irishman 19-time PGA TOUR winner currently projects to 20th and is just a place on the leaderboard away from projecting towards the top 10. He joins Tiger Woods as the only players to have two FedExCup titles. Having won the FedExCup in 2016 before the handicap strokes system was introduced and again in 2019 when it was first implemented, McIlroy isn’t daunted about the prospect of starting behind at East Lake. He started five shots back in 2019 and as it stands now, he projects to be eight shots off the leader. “It lets you free-wheel a little more on the first day (when you’re behind). But it’s OK because I go out and shoot 6-under next Thursday and the leader shoots 2-over, and all of a sudden, you’re right in the golf tournament,” McIlroy said. “I like the format. I think that all 30 players going into next week should feel like they have a good chance to win. Even when you are starting 10 back because if you shoot a good one that first day, you’re right back in it.” McIlroy could make a huge leap up the standings should he reel in the leaders on Sunday. He knows he’ll need to start well with the two par 5’s coming in the first four holes on the front nine. “You don’t want to put yourself under too much pressure to get off to a good start, but a good start is really important because then you can get momentum on your side early and try to ride it from there,” he said. FedExCup Notes… With just one round to play only Sergio Garcia currently projects into the top 30 to make it to the TOUR Championship from the outside. Garcia sits T4 after rounds of 65-67-67 and projects from 44th to 27th… With one in, one must be trending out. That distinction belongs to Max Homa who is languishing at T66 and needs an incredible Sunday to have any chance of survival… Hudson Swafford, currently in ninth position, is withing striking distance of also playing his way in. Others to watch out for on Sunday include Erik Van Rooyen (T10), K.H. Lee (T12) and Cam Davis (T22). They will need impressive rounds but can’t yet be discounted… Sungjae Im (3rd) also projects to make a big climb. The Korean entered the week at 25th but currently is trending towards 12th on the standings. MOVING IN Sergio Garcia: 44th to 27th MOVING OUT Max Homa: 30th to 36th

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SAN ANTONIO — Andrew Landry won the Valero Texas Open on Sunday for his first PGA TOUR victory, pulling away with early birdies and holding on with par saves. The 30-year-old Texan parred the final seven holes for a 4-under 68 and a two-stroke victory over Trey Mullinax and Sean O’Hair. Landry finished at 17-under 271 at TPC San Antonio. Landry took a two-stroke lead to the par-5 18th after Mullinax chunked a flop shot and bogeyed the short par-4 17th. Landry hit a 55-foot putt over a ridge to 3 feet for par on 17 and made an 8-footer on 18 after running a 50-foot downhill birdie try past. Mullinax closed with a 69 a day after breaking the AT&T Oaks Course record with a 62. O’Hair shot 66. Tied for the third-round lead with Zach Johnson, Landry birdied the first three holes and added two more on Nos. 6 and 10. He bogeyed the par-4 11th before the closing par run. Landry won in his 32nd PGA TOUR start. He earned his tour card last year on the Web.com Tour, and lost a playoff to Jon Rahm in January in the CareerBuilder Challenge. Landry played at Arkansas after starring at Port Neches-Groves High School east of Houston. He now lives in the Austin area.

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SAN DIEGO — Jon Rahm chipped in for birdie and holed out from 111 yards for eagle to start his round Saturday, and he scrambled superbly along the back nine for a 7-under 65 at Torrey Pines and a one-shot lead over Ryan Palmer in the Farmers Insurance Open. Rahm won his first PGA TOUR title three years ago at Torrey Pines when he made a pair of eagles over the last six holes for a 66 to rally from a three-shot deficit. This time, he tries his hand with the lead. Related: Leaderboard | Tee Times | Woods needs big Sunday for win No. 83 Palmer traded birdies and bogeys most of the day until his 10-foot birdie on the 17th gave him a 1-under 71 and his second chance to win in as many starts this year. Joining them in the last group was Rory McIlroy. McIlroy hit a 5-iron from the bunker to 6 feet on the tough par-4 12th hole, hit his approach to 2 feet on the tough par-4 15th and two-putted for birdie on the 18th for a 67 that left him among those within three shots of the lead. Tiger Woods still had fleeting hope of picking up his record 83rd victory, mainly because of a par. Woods got within two of the lead at the turn and didn’t make another birdie in his round of 69. He had to make a 15-foot par on his final hole. Rahm was at 12-under 204 as he goes for his fourth PGA TOUR victory, and 11th worldwide. Woods was among 16 players within five shots of the lead, and Rahm knows from experience how momentum can change at Torrey Pines. He said having won here in 2017 will mean nothing to him Sunday. “The only thing it’s going to do is keep me focused, no matter how good I’m playing, knowing that somebody can come and do the same thing,” Rahm said. The third round started two hours late because of heavy fog, and even when the sun broke through, there wasn’t much clarity on the leaderboard with so many in contention. McIlroy is playing for the first time since late November and didn’t appear to pick up too much rust during his break. “Even if you’re not making that many birdies but if you keep giving yourself chances, it’s one of these golf courses that you feel like you’re playing really well, you might be a couple under,” McIlroy said. That’s OK. No one else is going that low. Keep doing the same thing tomorrow and should be right there.” Sung Kang (67) and PGA TOUR rookie Harry Higgs (69) joined McIlroy at 9-under 207, while the group at 8 under included Brandt Snedeker, who birdied his last two holes to salvage a 72. One day after Woods opened with a four-putt double bogey, he rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt and was on his way. He finished his front nine with a sand wedge he spun back to 3 feet for his fourth birdie, closing within two of the lead. And then he drilled his driver down the 10th fairway. Woods hit a pedestrian wedge to about 25 feet, and he didn’t have a birdie chance inside 20 feet the rest of the round. That included both par 5s, and the only putt he made was a 15-footer for par on the 18th after hitting wedge over the back and into a bunker. Still, it kept him from dropping a shot and falling further behind. “Just never got anything going coming home,” he said. “It was important to make that putt on 18.”

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