WATCH: Rory McIlroy's 50-foot eagle putt in Wells Fargo opening round to trail Xander Schauffele
Xander Schauffele’s 64 secured the largest 18-hole lead in the tournament’s history – with Collin Morikawa, Alex Noren and McIlroy next in line.
McIlroy’s highlight arrived on the par-five seventh with his eagle putt from 50 feet.
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Hide AdHe banked three successive birdies in the middle of the first nine.
Having opened with back-to-back pars, McIlroy hit the turn having suffered a bogey on nine.
He started the second leg with a birdie before bogey trouble – a sequence he matched over 13 and 15 to sit joint second with Noren and Collin Morikawa having returned to the clubhouse to join Schauffele.
A birdie on the 16th arrived between bogey blues over the 15th and 18th in Charlotte.
It marked a positive start overall by McIlroy in the bid for a record fourth Wells Fargo Championship crown.
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