Rory McIlroy makes quick turnaround for 5-way share of the lead at BMW as ailing Scheffler fades

LOUIS (AP) — Rory McIlroy might not be as far away as he thought four days ago, playing bogey-free at Bellerive for a 6-under 64 that gave him a share of the lead Thursday in the BMW Championship with three other U.S. Four days brought a big change for Scottie Scheffler, too. 1 player went from an eight-shot victory in the postseason opener to feeling under the weather and having to rally for a 72, his highest opening round since the U.S.

Scheffler’s voice was hoarse when he said he didn’t want to stop to talk, saying only that he was sick as he headed for the locker room. McIlroy returned from a four-week break after the British Open with plenty of rust and very little golf and failed to break par in any of the four rounds for the first time in more than five years at the FedEx St. He went home to Florida and worked with swing coach Michael Bannon.

“I went home and I worked on a few things and at least got myself back in a frame of mind where like I felt like I’m at least back on the right path of what I’m doing with my game and with my swing,” McIlroy said. “It’s certainly a work in progress. Days like this are encouraging, obviously.

There’s still a lot of work to be done.” McIlroy is fond of saying players never remember what it’s like to play bad when they’re going well and they think they’ll never play good again when the game is going poorly. It’s never that far away, and Thursday was a reminder of that. Bellerive originally was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr.

and later updated by his son, Rees, who had the reputation as the “Open Doctor” for trying to modernize and toughen courses. While soft conditions contributed to a bunched leaderboard, it was hard to look past so many U.S. Gary Woodland, a Kansas native getting plenty of support in Missouri as he continues to recover from brain surgery and make it to the FedEx Cup finale, holed out for eagle on the 11th fairway and didn’t miss a green until the 18th, his lone bogey.

Wyndham Clark, who birdied five of his last six holes, is a two-time U.S. Open champion, including this year at Shinnecock Hills. Spaun went back to the putter he used when he won the U.S.