- Rory McIlroy made the worst possible start to his FedEx Cup defence
- McIlroy shot a double-bogey 6 on the first hole of the BMW Championship
- The 28-year-old hit five birdies and two bogeys for a first-round 72
- The Northern Irishman is 20 places behind the cut-off point in Illinois
- McIlroy needs a top four finish to qualify for the Tour Championship next week
Rory McIlroy’s hopes of earning the chance to retain his FedEx Cup title were hanging by a thread after he was left trailing in the first round of the BMW Championship at Conway Farms on Thursday.
McIlroy went into the penultimate play-off event for the season-ending tournament in 51st position in the FedEx Cup standings, meaning a good performance this week – top four to be precise – is crucial to his hopes of reaching the top 30 qualifying places.
But an opening round of one-over-par 72 left him languishing 10 strokes behind clubhouse leader Marc Leishman in joint 55th position, with a number of competitors yet to complete their respective rounds.
Rory McIlroy is in danger of missing out the Tour Championship after first round 72 in Illinois
The 28-year-old is tied 56 in the BMW Championship finishing his first round one over par
But McIlroy needs a top four finish to guarantee his top 30 qualification in the FedEx Cup
The Northern Irishman’s performance will do little to improve matters for McIlroy, who entered the tournament at his lowest world ranking – sixth – for more than three years having missed the cut at the Dell Technologies Championship.
Jordan Spieth and Jason Day were among four players sitting three points adrift of Leishman on six under, while Justin Rose was also making a push as he sat on five under with three holes of his first round still to play.