Rory McIlroy Trails by Six Shots at Texas Open with Akshay Bhatia Leading the Way.

Golf General

Rory McIlroy Trails by Six Shots at Texas Open with Akshay Bhatia Leading the Way.

Akshay Bhatia had an impressive start at the Texas Open, shooting a nine-under-par 63 in the first round to take a commanding three-shot lead.

American golfers Brendon Todd and Justin Lower are currently tied for second place at the Tournament Players Club in San Antonio. 

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy is trailing by six shots after a bogey-free round of 69 in his last tournament before The Masters next week.

Reflecting on his performance, McIlroy mentioned, "My game over the last few months has been quite volatile, so [I am] pretty happy to play a solid round."

In challenging windy conditions, world number two Rory McIlroy made three birdies during his round, including a successful 13-foot putt on the par-five eighth hole.

Recently, the four-time major champion has been collaborating with Butch Harmon, former coach of Tiger Woods, to make slight adjustments to his game. 

McIlroy shared his thoughts with PGA Tour.com, saying, "He gave me a tiny little something that I went with. It's felt a little better over the last two weeks and felt pretty good out there."