Genworth Stats Pack - Round 1 Review

Rory McIlroy fired eight birdies against a single bogey on his way to a superb opening round of 65, to lead by two. Looking at his Genworth Statistics, the 24 year old golfer from Northern Ireland hit just 5/14 fairways, but he averaged 308 yards for Driving Distance and still managed to rack up 15/18 Greens in Regulation and 1.533 Putts per GIR (this is a great example of Driving Accuracy being less important for the big hitters as long as they are still able to control their approach shots into the greens). As highlighted in our preview report, Rory has competed in this event three times before at this venue, finishing inside the top five on each occasion, so the course most definitely suits his game.

Gonzalo Fdez-Castaño continued the fantastic form that earned him victory at the first Final Series event last week, converting six birdies against one bogey on his way to an opening 67. Looking at his Genworth Statistics, the 33 year old Spanish golfer ranked 2nd for Driving Accuracy, 9th for Greens in Regulation, 12th for Scrambles and 13th for Putts per Round, all leading to great scoring across the different hole types.

Jamie Donaldson produced a real mix bag on his way to an opening 67, which included one eagle and six birdies against three bogeys. Looking at his Genworth Statistics, the 38 year old Welsh golfer ranked lower than expected for both Driving Accuracy and Greens in Regulation, but he enjoyed a red hot day on the greens, ranking either 1st or 2nd for each of the official putting categories.