McIlroy shares BMW Championship first-round lead at Bellerive

Rory McIlroy shared the first-round lead at the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club, finishing six under par in the opening round. He had returned to competitive play last week for the first time since tying for 40th at The Open.

The world number two had finished 66th at the St Jude Championship the previous weekend and said some "good work" with his team helped him recover his form and secure a clubhouse lead. McIlroy credited working with swing coach Michael Bannon and caddie Harry Diamond for helping to restore his touch.

McIlroy reached the turn at two under, birdied the 13th and recorded three birdies in the final four holes to finish on six under. He shared the lead with an American quartet: Gary Woodland, Wyndham Clark, JJ Spaun and Chris Gotterup.

Japan's Ryo Hisatsune finished on five under, while England's Alex Fitzpatrick, American Michael Thorbjornsen and Sweden's Ludvig Aberg were tied for seventh on four under. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre closed on two under after having withdrawn from the St Jude Championship before the second round following an opening 12-over 82.

World number one and defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who had also triumphed in Memphis on Sunday, suffered a run of four bogeys through the opening seven holes and was well down the field. McIlroy described the difference in setup compared with Memphis and explained why the course suited him, saying: "I felt at least like I got myself back going in the right direction, and what I wanted to do with my swing, but still you never know when you turn up here. This golf course sets up a lot better for me than Memphis did last week. You can miss it a little bit off the tee, and the playing corridors are a lot wider, so you can get away with it, which I needed to get away with it a couple of times today. But this set-up suits my game a little bit better, and I definitely feel a little bit more comfortable on this golf course than I did last week." McIlroy made those remarks to the Golf Channel.

The scores reported are the positions after the opening round of the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club.