Bellerive country club

Bellerive Country Club: Rory McIlroy made an emphatic return to form as he opened with a bogey-free six-under 64 to grab a share of the lead at the BMW Championship, while Indian-origin Akshay Bhatia made a solid start to the second FedExCup Playoffs event with a three-under 67 at Bellerive Country Club.

McIlroy was among five players tied at the top at six-under, alongside fellow U.S. Open champions Gary Woodland, Wyndham Clark and J.J. Spaun, as well as Chris Gotterup. The packed leaderboard reflected the quality of the field, with several major champions producing impressive opening rounds on a soft Bellerive layout.

Among the Indian-origin players, Bhatia carded a three-under 67 to lie tied 12th while Aaron Rai was another shot back at two-under 68, tied 21st. Sahith Theegala opened with a one-over 71 and was tied 37th.