FLOWTOWN, Pa. — Keith Mitchell led Birdie Spree at the Trust Championship on Thursday, shooting a career-high 9-under 61 to crush the course record at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.
65 previous Wissahickon course records were shared by Colin St Maxen, Zac Blair and Angus Flanagan. The 7,100-yard AW Tillinghast design with a modest par-4 and get-table pin arrangement was the victim of an offensive shot with long batters and short irons and wedges.
Mitchell was bogey-free and had an outside chance with 59 on the second shot from 102 yards on the 18th 9th hole. He hit an approach that was just over 9 feet and settled over Denny McCarthy to a closed par and one-shot lead. Morikawa, Ricky Fowler, Cep Straka and Akshay Batia shot 63.
Rory McIlroy, who got off to his first personal start after completing his career grand slam with the Masters, was 66, one of 64 players to beat Parr in the seemingly unprotected Wisahicon layout in the sixth signing event of the PGA Tour season.
Mitchell led the way despite the start of Hoham, five straight-pers on the back nine. The 33-year-old had birdies in the 17th and 18th holes, and things started to get hot. His run continued with birdies on two of the first three holes on his back nine before four Bidy ran at an inward nine with a 6-under 29.
Mitchell said he had a fellow member of Philadelphia Cricket and received Inter before he arrived. However, he believed in the work that he and his caddy studied Green because they set the stage for his success early in the week.
“I planned my own path on Monday and Wednesday to understand what to hit and where to put the ball green,” said Mitchell, who missed one cut this year and earned one career victory and six top 25 finishes. “If you really get pinned on the wrong side on top of the hole, you can have a really fast putt and have lots of breaks.”
McCarthy, 32, lost twice in the playoffs and won the tour, was Nos. Supported by a fast start, including five straight birdies at 11-15. He opened an inward nine with a back-to-back birdie, adding two more for the round that was satisfying but not surprising to him.
“It really doesn’t surprise me because I’ve been doing really well recently,” he said. “There’s still a lot of golf left, and this is a really great start. I’m excited to see how the game is playing these days.”
Defending champion and four-time winner of the event, McIlroy remained on an aggressive game plan, trying to overwhelm the driver and layout from the tee. He had two toes along the way. He scrambled after 11th in par 4, 3 putts, 570 yard bogey and 15th in par 5, approached from 243 yards and missed fairways on the drive and green.
McIlroy quickly overcome his first round error.
“I think it worked,” McIlroy said of the rounds of six birdies and two bogeys. “I drove the ball pretty well. I missed it at some spots, but I managed to get away with it.”
McIlroy is playing for the first time in about two weeks since celebrating his Slam Cleansing victory at the Masters and a 12th place finish in New Orleans. He admitted that his game wasn’t the best.
“I felt a bit rusty there, but I wasn’t playing in a week so I didn’t actually do a lot of practice, especially in the green and around the area,” he said. “I can certainly sort out a few things, but overall it’s a decent day.”
Alex Noren returned to the tour and played for the first time since August due to neck and leg injuries. The 42-year-old Swede opened at 67 and was delighted to return and looked forward to tweaking his game.
“It’s strange not to play that long,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the tension and some adrenaline flowing. It’s getting a little sharper. I’ve been practicing short games for a while. Finally, last, last, for the last two weeks, I’ve been feeling better.”
