McIlroy grabs a share of the lead

Last updated: 3rd May 2013

Rory McIlroy is one of seven players at the front of the field after the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship.

Rory McIlroy is one of seven players at the front of the field after the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship.

Returning to the venue where he claimed his first PGA Tour victory, McIlroy carded a five-under-par 67 to top the leaderboard with Nick Watney, Ryan Moore, Robert Garrigus, Derek Ernst, Daniel Summerhays and Nate Smith.

Having opened with four pars, McIlroy registered four birdies on the trot before a bogey at the 9th saw him take the turn in 33. The Northern Irishman produced two more birdies to begin his run home, but a bogey at 12 pegged him back.

"Now that I feel like I'm swinging it well, this is the sort of golf I expect to play," the world number two commented to the official PGA website.

The greens had been a big talking point heading into the tournament, with two having been completely overhauled two weeks ago while others possessed bare areas. However, despite this, McIlroy insists they did not play as badly as had been feared.

"They're not the best greens that we've ever putted on, but they're certainly not the worst, either," he said. "The ball still rolls pretty well on them. As long as you give yourself chances for birdies, that's all you can ask. ... If you drive the ball well, you can really take advantage of that. And for the most part today, I did drive the ball well."

Moore and Watney notched up error-free rounds while a bogey at 17 was Smith's lone blemish as was a five at 16 from Garrigus.

The clutter in the leaderboard is not only right at the top, with a group of six players that includes Zach Johnson and Phil Mickelson one shot back.