, the one who separated away to take centre stage was the Northern Irishman who opened with a wonderfully crafted five-under-par 65 to claim the clubhouse lead.
Once upon a time, such a scenario was taken for granted. McIlroy, the leader, the one to be chased down. But not these days, not since he lifted his last Major title - in the 2014 US PGA - and, for the now 33-year-old, making a strong start to his quest for a fifth career Major rather than getting behind the eight ball was a critical part of his strategy to potentially lift the Wanamaker Trophy again.
“I feel like this course, it lets you be pretty aggressive off the tee if you want to be, so I hit quite a lot of drivers out there and took advantage of my length and finished that off with some nice iron play and some nice putting,” conceded McIlroy, after a round of seven birdies and two bogeys. Woods and Spieth at times must have felt like witnesses to McIlroy’s masterclass but stuck gamely to their tasks when it looked as if their rounds would run away from them. Spieth suffered three bogeys in a four hole stretch at one point but ultimately signed for a 72, while Woods’s lack of game time was clear in a round of seven bogeys and three birdies.