Former world number one Rory McIlroy has said that he would not get carried away by his performance in the WGC HSBC Champions in Shanghai, in which he shot a seven-under par round of 65 to lead by two shots on Thursday.
After struggling all year since changing clubs to Nike, the Northern Irish golfer left a field containing 40 of the world's top 50 golfers in his wake, including in-form playing partner and recent US PGA Champion Jason Dufner, whom he outshone by eight shots in the event.
According to Sport24, McIlroy expressed happiness over his encouraging start in the tournament, in which he fired eight birdies total and came close to his form a year ago when he soared to world number one, adding that it felt good for him to be in control of his golf ball
However, the two-time Major winner insisted that he would not get carried away by his performance as he has played in just a single round, although he added that the start has given him the boost to continue in the event in top-form.
Stating that he has been working on his short game and putting in the last couple of days, McIlroy, who has slid to sixth in the world rankings and 62nd in the European Tour money list, said that he was finally free of the swing problems that had beset his 2013 campaign following a four-week break before coming to Asia.
