CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. (AP) - Rory McIlroy felt anything under par was a good score Thursday at Cherry Hills, even if he had reason to expect much better.
McIlroy ran out of par saves late in the opening round at the BMW Championship and had to settle for a 3-under 67, still enough for the world's No. 1 player to share the lead with Jordan Spieth and Gary Woodland.
U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer and Sergio Garcia were among those at 68, while Justin Rose wasted a fast start and was at 69. Phil Mickelson, who won the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills in 1990, opened with a 70.
McIlroy ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn to reach 5-under par. He appeared to escape trouble with one of his best par saves of the year, hitting a lofted pitch from the side of a mound that landed just on the green and rode the slope to about 8 feet. He avoided a three-putt on the next hole by making a 7-foot par save.
But that was the end of that. McIlroy failed to save par from the bunker on the next two holes.
Spieth also ran into his share of trouble, though he countered with six birdies and figured out the nasty combination of soft turf in front of the greens and putting surfaces that felt like they had been mixed with cement.
Rain arrived late in the day and suspended the first round with nine players still on the course. Among those who did not finish was Henrik Stenson, who missed a 4-foot par save on his 17th hole - the par-3 eighth - and fell to 2 under.
The top 30 in the FedEx Cup after this week advance to the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
CHIQUITA CLASSIC
DAVIDSON, N.C. (AP) - Adam Hadwin birdied the first six holes on the back nine and shot a course-record 9-under 63 to take the first-round lead in the Chiquita Classic, the second of four events in the Web.com Tour Finals.
The 26-year-old Canadian, the Chile Classic winner in March, made putts from 10-16 feet during the birdie run that ended with a two-putt par from 35 feet on the par-4 16th.
Hadwin finished fourth on the Web.com Tour's regular-season money list to earn one of 25 PGA Tour cards. Those 25 players are competing against each other for PGA Tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting in their totals and the final leader getting a spot in The Players Championship.
The other players in the series - Nos. 26-75 from the Web.com Tour money list and Nos. 126-200 in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup standings - are fighting for another 25 cards based on their earnings in the four tournaments.
John Peterson was second at 65. He was 179th on the FedEx Cup list.
EUROPEAN MASTERS
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) - Scotland's Richie Ramsay and Italy's Edoardo Molinari each shot 8-under 62 to share the first-round lead in the European Masters.
Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Graeme Storm and Northern Ireland's Gareth Maybin were two strokes back at 64, and European Ryder Cup teammates Jamie Donaldson of Wales and Victor Dubuisson of France were in a group of seven at 65. Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, the third member of Europe's team in the field, had a 66.
Bjorn won the event in 2011 and 2013, and Ramsay was the champion in 2012.
WOMEN'S WORLD AMATEUR TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
KARUIZAWA, Japan (AP) - Brooke Henderson shot a 3-under 69 to help Canada retain a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Women's World Amateur Team Championship.
The 16-year-old Henderson had five birdies and two bogeys on Karuizawa 72 Golf East's Iriyama Course. She opened with a bogey-free 66 on Wednesday on the Oshitate Course.
Brittany Marchand added a 70 to give Canada a two-day total of 14-under 274. Augusta James had a 76, with only the top two scores each day counting in the team total.
Japan was second after its round at Oshitate. Minami Katsu shot 65, Eri Okayama 67, and Yumi Matsubara 69.
The United States was tied for 10th at 6 under. U.S. Women's Amateur champion Kristen Gillman and Alison Lee shot 70 at Iriyama, and Emma Talley had a 72.