Matt Kuchar remains the man to catch in the FedEx Cup play-offs after opening the BMW Championship with a superb seven-under-par 64 on a day when Rory McIlroy’s chances of making the final event evaporated as he fell back to six over during his first round.
Kuchar, the American Ryder Cup newcomer, is now in with a great chance of the €7.9 million jackpot in a fortnight’s time after an eagle and six birdies left him one ahead of compatriot Ryan Moore at Cog Hill in Illinois.
England’s Luke Donald and Justin Rose, meanwhile, set off with 68s and shared fourth place midway through the day’s play. But McIlroy’s chances of making the top 30 and qualify for the Tour Championship in two weeks hit the rocks early in the first round as he took 40 shots to cover the front nine to leave him on five over par.
The 21-year-old from Holywood missed par putts from six and nine feet at the first two holes to record bogeys, but got one back at the third when he fired his approach to four feet and sank the putt.
He then found the bunker at the par-3 sixth and took three to get down to move back to two over. It got worse at the next as he found water with his drive and ended up with a double-bogey six after missing a short putt.
Even McIlroy’s power couldn’t get him out of trouble after he made a bogey at the 615-yard par-5 ninth after booming his drive 325 yards down the fairway. His second found a fairway bunker and he ended up with a second six on his card.
And a third six wasn’t too far away after he missed a three-foot putt for par on the par-5 11th to leave in second-last place in the tournament on six over.
Kuchar started the four-tournament series by beating Scot Martin Laird in a play-off for The Barclays title in New Jersey and maintained top spot with a 11th place finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston on Monday.
The 32-year-old picked up his first shot with an amazing 63-foot putt on the short 12th — his third — and then needed only a 10-footer for an eagle at the 526-yard 15th.
With birdies at two of the next three holes Kuchar turned in a five-under 31. Three more birdies came on the outward half, including a closing 18-foot putt, but he did bogey the 383-yard eighth after going from one bunker to another.
Moore, another former US Amateur champion, came bursting out of the pack with seven birdies in eight holes from the 11th for an inward 29.
Donald, joint second on Monday behind American Charley Hoffman, and Rose both had six birdies and three bogeys, while Hoffman had to be content with a 70 and Laird managed only a two-over 73, the same as Londoner Brian Davis.
“Three bogeys was a little disappointing just because I didn’t short game it well enough from relatively simple up-and-downs,” said Donald, playing in his adopted home city of Chicago.
Tiger Woods, who began the day in 51st position, got off to a terrible start with a double-bogey six at the first. He would tag on a bogey at the par-3 sixth and miss a great birdie chance at the long ninth to remain on three over.
Ian Poulter also started with a double-bogey six, this time at the 10th hole, but an eagle and four birdies helped him turn in four under. He followed his bogey on the short 12th with a birdie at the next to remain on that mark with five holes to play.