WGC-Cadillac Championship 2016: Rory McIlroy fails to get grip on putting after tweak

Though imperious tee to green, the Northern Irishman has struggled to convert on the greens, prompting a return to the grip with which he began in his first year on tour

Rory McIlroy watches his tee shot on the 14th hole during the first round (Getty)

Hello, a month before the Masters, three-time champion Phil Mickelson announced himself to the golf community again with an opening 67 to close one off the clubhouse lead at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami.

Mickelson has not won a tournament since his Open victory at Muirfield in 2013, a run of blanks that led to him splitting with his long-time coach Butch Harmon. After linking up with Andrew Getson last November, the 46-year-old has quickly rediscovered his old rhythms, posting a third-place finish at his first event of 2016, the Career Builder Challenge, and second at the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach.

Though Mickelson started with a birdie, it was not until the back nine that his round caught fire, with four more to climb the leaderboard and finish one behind the leader, Scott Piercy.

“I hit a lot of good shots. I was patient and on the second nine I was able to capitalise on some good play,” Mickelson said. “I probably left some shots out there but I was happy with that.”

Attention on the opening day at Doral inevitably fell on the world’s top three, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy, grouped together, as has become the custom, at the first elite field, world golf championship event of the year.

McIlroy excited the trade beforehand with his new left-hand low grip on the putter. Though imperious tee to green, McIlroy had struggled to convert on the greens, prompting a return to the grip with which he began in his first year on tour.

Spieth drilled his putt from almost twice the distance of McIlroy 

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McIlroy recorded a 71, enduring a disastrous end to his round and experiencing no obvious improvement with the flat stick. The three putt at the par-five eighth, his 17th, was particularly painful after he had found the green in two. His eagle putt reared up way short and the birdie putt slid wide. Spieth, meanwhile, drilled his birdie from almost twice the distance.

McIlroy says he is not for turning, and it may be that over the days and weeks ahead he builds some confidence, but for the moment at least his fortunes remain dependent on his prowess off the tee. And even that deserted him when he found the water at the par-three ninth and had to play three off the tee.

Had the eagle putt on the eighth dropped he would have gone to the last one off the lead on five under par. A three putt and a double-bogey later he signed for a 71, two behind Spieth, who bogeyed the last after finding sand off the tee.

Danny Willett, a winner in Dubai this year, was the foremost Briton on the leaderboard after a 68. Starting at the 10th, Willett was four under at the turn but could not build on his fast start.

Piercy set an electric pace, seven under par after 11 holes. A bogey at the last after finding water pegged him to six under, but after he missed the cut at the Honda last week, that disappointment will not hurt.