Rory McIlroy has bounced back from recent poor results to secure a share of the lead at the BMW Championship. The second-ranked golfer carded -6 in the opening round, benefiting from recent work with his swing coach and caddie to refine his technique. He noted that Bellerive's course design better suits his playing style compared to last week's venue in Memphis.

McIlroy is tied with four American competitors for the lead at -6, whilst Japan's Ryo Hisatsune trails by one shot at -5. Several other notable players sit at -4, including Ludvig Aberg and Alex Fitzpatrick. The defending champion Scheffler, fresh from his victory at the St Jude Championship, encountered difficulties early on, accumulating bogeys and falling substantially back on the leaderboard.