McIlroy fires 68 on return to action at Wells Fargo

Rory McIlroy is a three-time winner of the Wells Fargo Championship

Rory McIlroy began his challenge for a fourth Wells Fargo Championship title with an impressive three-under-par 68 at Quail Hollow on his 34th birthday.

The world number three's opening round left him two behind a group of early three clubhouse leaders.

He withdrew from April's RBC Heritage after his disappointment at Augusta.

The Northern Irishman explained earlier this week that he sat out that PGA Tour event for his "mental and emotional wellbeing".

• Wells Fargo Championship leaderboard

McIlroy started Thursday's round on the 10th hole and got up-and-down from a greenside bunker to birdie his first hole of the day.

A further birdie followed at the 14th and he saved par at the 15th after finding himself in another greenside bunker.

The four-time major winner saved par from off the green on 16 and 17 and again on the second and the third.

The only par McIlroy was unable to save came after he drove out of bounds on the par-five seventh.

He thumped his provisional drive 352 yards down the middle of the fairway, hit his 170-yard approach to 24 feet and narrowly missed a putt that would have saved his par.

The European Ryder Cup player got the shot back on his last hole of the day, the par-4 ninth, sinking an 11-foot birdie putt to finish three under.

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