• Honda Classic, Round One

McIlroy off to a flying start as Woods' woes continue

Rory McIlroy made a solid start at Palm Beach © PA Photos

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Rory McIlroy continued his quest to be crowned world No. 1 in impressive fashion as he fired an opening round 66 to put himself firmly in contention, but Tiger Woods' putting woes continued at the Honda Classic in Florida.

McIlroy will replace Luke Donald at the top of the world rankings if he wins at Palm Beach this week, and he made a determined start to briefly claim the clubhouse lead on four-under, while Woods is languishing on one-over after a patchy opening round.

McIlroy blew the chance to depose Donald on Sunday, losing the final to Hunter Mahan at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona. However, the Northern Irishman showed no signs of a hangover as he made a measured start on the back nine, making four pars before picking up his first shot at the 13th.

McIlroy negotiated the notoriously difficult Bear Trap (holes 15 through 17) in one-under-par to reach the turn at three-under, before a birdie at the second saw him claim a share of the lead. His fifth birdie of the day at the seventh was cancelled out by a bogey-five at the penultimate hole as the US Open champion signed for a 66.

"Any time you shoot 66, you have to be pretty happy," McIlroy said. "It felt like the course was very scoreable this morning. It's obviously very soft after the rain. With lift, clean and place on the fairways, if you can put your ball on the fairway, you have a lot of chances to score with these soft greens. So I felt like I played very nicely."

Four-under was enough to see McIlroy momentarily claim the clubhouse lead, but his efforts were eclipsed by US Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III, who claimed a two-stroke lead on six-under.

Having admitted he would consider playing himself in this year's Ryder Cup, Love showed the kind of form that could see him secure a place in the American team with an opening round 64. Aided by a hole-in-one at the par-three fifth, the 47-year-old powered to the top of the leaderboard with back-to-back birdies on his final two holes.

Level with McIlroy on four-under is Englishman Justin Rose, who recovered from a shaky start to sign for a 66. Rose double-bogeyed the par-four second, but responded immediately with an eagle at the third, hitting his approach shot to 10 feet before draining an eagle putt. Three successive birdies saw him reach the turn in three-under, before picking up another birdie at 16 to keep pace with McIlroy.

Tiger Woods has dismissed claims he has problems with his putting, but was left to rue a number of wasted efforts on the greens, including a missed five-foot putt for par at the 12th which saw him drop back to even par before another bogey at the 15th saw him slip down the leaderboard. Woods had the chance to end the day on level-par with a 14-foot putt for birdie at the 18th, but his effort clipped the edge.

Woods was playing alongside Lee Westwood, who at times shared his partner's struggles but managed to end the day on level par after a mixed opening round - dropping a shot at the 17th after two birdies helped salvage his round following a double bogey at the sixth.

Westwood, like McIlroy, is hot on Donald's heels as the Englishman looks to regain the world No. 1 spot, although he cannot return to the top of the rankings even if he wins at Palm Beach this week.

Ireland's Padraig Harrington was another to finish at even-par after day one, as he salvaged his horror start with three birdies on the back nine. It was a round to forget for Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell, though, as the Northern Irishmen shot three-over and well off the pace set by Love.

Englishman Ian Poulter, who was due to play alongside Tiger Woods, was forced to withdraw owing to illness.

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