McIlroy bolts out to the lead at HSBC Champions by nevel
The graceful combination of power and balance. The bounce in his step after every birdie. His name at the top of the leaderboard. For at least one round, Rory McIlroy finally looked like the former No. 1 player in the world instead of a guy who hasn't won a tournament all year. With eight birdies and hardly any stress, McIlroy opened the HSBC Champions on Thursday with a 7-under 65 for a two-shot lead over Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Jamie Donaldson. It was the first time since he won in Dubai last November that McIlroy has been in the outright lead after any round. ''It felt good to be out there and in control of my golf ball,'' McIlroy said. Maybe it was just a coincidence that McIlroy's only win of any variety was earlier this week at Mission Hills when he rallied to beat Tiger Woods in an 18-hole exhibition. That didn't hurt his confidence, though the 24-year-old from Northern Ireland pointed to other factors that have been leading him in ...