Golf: McIlroy straight down to major business

Rory McIlroy posted his 12th-straight round under par as he grabbed the lead at Valhalla. Photo / AP

Rory McIlroy tracked the flight of his drive as long as he could against the rain clouds over Valhalla yesterday, not quite sure where it landed. He turned to his caddie for confirmation and asked, "Was it good?"

"Beautiful," JP Fitzgerald replied, his eyes still fixed on a shot that flew 285m right down the middle.

Such is the state of McIlroy's game at the PGA Championship.

He produced superior shots with his long game. He made all the right putts in a round of 4-under 67. And even with a one-shot lead over Jason Day and Jim Furyk going into the weekend, there was an ominous feeling at the final major of the year.

"When I'm playing like this, it's obviously very enjoyable," McIlroy said. "I can't wait to get back out on the course again tomorrow and do the same thing all over again."

It used to be that way for Tiger Woods. But on a day when McIlroy posted his 12th-straight round under par, Woods hobbled away from Valhalla with a sore back and an uncertain future. He never came close to making the cut, and only a pair of late birdies kept it respectable. Woods had another 74 and missed the cut by five shots - the fourth time he's failed to progress to the weekend at a major.

"I tried as hard as I could," Woods said. "That's about all I got."

McIlroy opened with the exact same scores (66-67) as Woods did 14 years ago at Valhalla when he barely outlasted Bob May in a playoff for his third-straight major of the season on his way to an unprecedented sweep of golf's biggest events.

McIlroy, who was at 9-under 133, isn't nearly at that stage. He picked up his third major - and the third leg of the career grand slam - last month at Royal Liverpool in a wire-to-wire win at the British Open. He followed with a comeback victory last week at Firestone for his first World Golf Championship.

The biggest difference between Valhalla now and 14 years ago was the competition lined up behind McIlroy.

Furyk, a former US Open champion who was runner-up last year at the PGA, carded a 68. Moments earlier, Day capped off the best round of a soggy day with a birdie on the 18th for a 65.

Right behind were Ryan Palmer (70) and Rickie Fowler (66), a runner-up in the last two majors. Not to be overlooked was Phil Mickelson, who made eagle on the last hole for a 67 to get within three shots.

Even so, McIlroy is dangerous when he gets in the lead. He learned his lesson at Augusta in 2011 when he tried to protect a four-shot lead and wound up shooting 80. He bounced back for an eight-shot win at the US Open, won the PGA Championship by a record eight shots a year later and last month went wire-to-wire to win the third leg of the career grand slam at the British Open.

He didn't take his first lead until the par-5 18th, the midway point of his round, when he bagged an eagle.

It was a moment when the world's No1 looked as if he had just seized control.

"When he hits the driver that straight and that long, and the short game is incredible, it's very difficult to beat him," US Open champion Martin Kaymer said. "He doesn't miss many golf shots. So you just have to respect it a lot, how good he plays. There's nothing wrong with his game." AP