Rory McIlroy opens title defence in Canada after merger talk

The Northern Ireland-born world number three is seeking a hat-trick of victories at the Canadian Open following triumphs in 2019 and 2022, with the tournament having been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid.

McIlroy and Tiger Woods had established themselves as the biggest supporters of the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV Golf.

McIlroy stated about the merger in his pre-tournament press conference: “It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens.

“Removing myself from the situation, I see how this is better for the game of golf, there’s no denying it.”

Following his opening round, McIlroy was quoted on the Sky Sports website as stating: "The most uncomfortable I've felt in the last 12 months was my press conference yesterday.

"I would say my energy levels on Tuesday and Wednesday were diminishing quite quickly.

"I wouldn't say I viewed the PGA Tour as through that altruism lens per se.

"At the end of the day, this is business and my job is playing golf.

"So the more that I can focus on that and focus on the birdies and the bogeys instead of the stuff that's happened in the board room, I'll be much happier."

McIlroy was playing alongside Justin Rose.

Rose posted a first-round 69 – with the merger still a talking point between the pair but both making an effort to focus on the play.

"Rosie [Justin Rose] and I said, 'all right, no chatting until lunch' so that we can actually concentrate on what we're doing out there," McIlroy added on the Sky Sports website. "We started to get in a conversation walking down the first and we're like, 'No, let's stop this….let's just focus on our golf and we'll say what we want to say when we get inside'."

Matt Fitzpatrick was one shot off the clubhouse lead jointly held by fellow Englishman Aaron Rai midway through the first round of the Canadian Open.

A week before his US Open defence, Fitzpatrick began his bid for a third career PGA Tour title in steady fashion with a four-under-par 68 at the Oakdale Golf and Country Club.

The 28-year-old, having started on the back nine, rolled in five birdies before a bogey on his penultimate hole of the day - the 352 par-four eighth - left him one shot behind the early leaders.

Rai had looked in all sorts of trouble after dropping four shots in three successive holes from the third to slump to three over.

After recording birdies on the seventh and eighth to reach the turn on one over, the 28-year-old from Wolverhampton then picked up further shots on the 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th - where he came close to making a hole in one - 16th and 18th to move to five under.