Denny McCarthy tees off on the fifth hole during the first round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on Thursday in Cromwell, Conn. Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
CROMWELL, Conn. — Denny McCarthy came inches from shooting a 59, settling for a 10-under 60 on Thursday for the lowest round of his PGA Tour career, and Rory McIlroy made his first ace on tour on a day of low numbers at the Travelers Championship.
Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott also made runs at golf’s magic number – on a course where Jim Furyk set the PGA Tour record with a 58 in 2016 – but faltered late. Each shot 62.
Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, finished with a 7-under 63.
The 30-year-old McCarthy, who started on the back nine, had five birdies on his first six holes and five more coming in. The Maryland native’s last birdie came on the 403-yard ninth hole after his 169-yard approach shot skirted just left of the cup, eliciting a gasp from the crowd. He holed a 5-footer for birdie.
“I felt positive from the second I woke up this morning,” said McCarthy, who is winless on tour despite several close calls, including at the Memorial this year. “So, everything just kind of clicked today. It was obviously just a great day.”
Adam Scott was at 9 under when his second shot at No. 17 found the lake. He made double bogey, then finished with a 20-footer for birdie on No. 18.
“It’s a shame, but it’s hard to be disappointed with a 62,” the 42-year-old Australian said.
Shane Lowry, Eric Cole and 2019 champion Chez Reavie each finished with bogey-free 64s.
Eight players shot 65, and 91 players broke par on a day where the expected rain and wind held off and the sun broke through in the afternoon.
LPGA: Lee-Anne Pace of South Africa made a two-putt birdie on the final hole in fading daylight for a 5-under 66 and the first-round lead Thursday in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol in Springfield, New Jersey.
Two-time major winner Brooke Henderson of Canada and Ruoning Yin and Xiyi Lin of China were a shot back as Baltusrol’s historic Lower Course yielded 16 under-par rounds to the field of 156 players. The 42-year-old Pace won her lone LPGA Tour title in 2014 in China. She’s playing in her second event in the United States this year.
Wichanee Meechair of Thailand was alone at 68. Leona Maguire of Ireland, the winner last week in Michigan, was at 69 with Ayaka Furue and Yuka Saso of Japan, Jenny Shin of South Korea, Celine Borge of Norway and Esther Henseleit of Germany.
Rose Zhang, the two-time NCAA individual champion at Stanford who became the first player in 72 years to win an LPGA Tour event in her pro debut this month at nearby Liberty National, opened with a 70.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Ryder Cup vice-captain Edoardo Molinari was in a three-way tie for the clubhouse lead after the first round of the BMW International Open was suspended for the day by the threat of lightning.
The 42-year-old Italian, whose last European tour win was in 2017, carded a 6-under 66 Thursday to end the day level with Rikuya Hoshino and Adrien Saddier.
Romain Langasque and Maximilian Kieffer were among six players who were one stroke off the lead. Play was suspended just before 7 p.m. local time with 27 players still on the course. They include Daan Huizing, who was on 5 under with the 18th still to play.
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