Rory McIlroy shot a six-under-par 66 to share the first-round lead with Daniel Berger and Abraham Ancer at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
McIlroy – who had missed an opportunity to clinch victory at the DP World Tour Championship after holding a 54-hole lead – recovered from a double-bogey seven on the ninth to sink two quick birdies followed by an eagle at the 14th to help set the early pace.
Berger could also have seen a better round, starting with four birdies and then an eagle on the par-five 11th, only for bogeys at the next and on the 18th to prove costly for the American.
Ancer made his move after heading into the turn at one-under, the Mexican rolling in successive birdies and again from the 15th to put himself in contention in the 20-man invitational tournament.
Justin Thomas dropped two shots at the last and so sits one off the pace, alongside fellow Americans Brooks Koepka and Webb Simpson.
