US PGA Championship golf: 'A great start' – Rory McIlroy tops leaderboard as Tiger Woods toils in first round

Rory McIlroy made a glorious start to the 104th US PGA Championship as a five-under par opening round of 65 saw him claim the lead at Southern Hills Country Club in Oklahoma. The Northern Irishman – winner of the Wanamaker Trophy in 2012 and 2014 – enjoyed seven birdies and two bogeys with his putter as hot as the steamy Tulsa sunshine. Ad/> Starting out from the 10th tee alongside fellow major champions Tiger Woods (74) and Jordan Spieth (72) in the marquee group of Thursday morning, McIlroy chipped his ball stone dead for a birdie on the par-four 456-yard 12th hole before finding some vintage ball-striking and a clinical edge from short range.

PGA Championship'I'm going to get stronger' – Woods ready to battle for major success ahead of US PGA title bidYESTERDAY AT 15:35 Three more birdies followed on the 13th, 14th and 15th as the four-time major champion marched to the turn in 31 amid a blizzard of 300-yard plus drives. /> The momentum continued with further birdies on the second and fifth holes as he reached six under, but errant tee shots at the lengthy par-three sixth and eighth holes saw him drop back from holding the outright lead. But McIlroy was not finished.

With his length and accuracy off the tee working to great effect, McIlroy drained another swinging birdie from 20 feet on the ninth hole to conclude his day on minus five, one clear of Will Zalatoris (66) and Tom Hoge (66) overnight. «It was a great start to the tournament,» he said after producing his best opening round at a major since an opening 65 helped him win the 2011 US Open at Congressional. «I've been playing well coming in here.