Rory McIlroy grabbed a share of the early lead in Thursday’s first round of the PGA Championship during an epic test of emotional resilience at Valhalla, where his most recent major win came 10 years ago.McIlroy went on to win the British Open and PGA at Valhalla as well as a WGC tournament over the next three months.
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Second-rankedRoryMcIlroyofNorthernIrelandwasamongthosewithanearlyteetimeinThursday’sopeningroundofthePGAChampionshipatValhalla(PatrickSmith)RoryMcIlroy facedanepicmorningtestofemotionalresilienceasThursday’sfirstroundofthePGAChampionshipbeganatValhalla,wherehismostrecentmajorwincame10yearsago.
Lessthan48hoursafterhisMondayshockdivorcefilingfromwifeEricabecamepublic,second-rankedMcIlroywassettostartinthesixthgroupoffthe10thtee at8:25a.m.(1225GMT)alongsideAmericanDustinJohnsonandEngland’sJustinRose.
Aftera10-minutefogdelay,USclubprofessionalMichaelBlockstrucktheopeningballoffthefirstteetobegintheshowdown,inwhichMcIlroy,top-rankedMasterswinnerScottieScheffleranddefendingchampionBrooksKoepkatopthel
