ON THE LINKS | Thursday’s pro golf results

MEXICO CHAMPIONSHIP

McIlroy shoots 63, Woods struggles

MEXICO CITY

Rory McIlroy flirted with a hole-in-one on the same par 4 where Tiger Woods hit out-of-bounds with his first shot in Mexico.

That’s about how their days went Thursday in the Mexico Championship.

McIlroy, already off to a solid start on the back nine, hit a 2-iron on the 305-yard opening hole at Chapultepec Golf Club that landed on the front of the green and was rolling just left of the pin when it settled 6 feet away, leading to an eagle that carried him to an 8-under 63 and a one-shot lead over Dustin Johnson.

Woods got the raucous Mexican introduction for his opening tee shot , a 5-wood that also landed on the green — the wrong green. The ball bounced hard off a temporary green to the left and beyond the out-of-bounds stake into the bushes.

And then he nearly did it again, and ultimately had to get up-and-down from 60 feet away in a bunker to escape with double bogey. After a burst of birdies , he struggled to make much the rest of the way and opened with a 71.

“I pulled across it to try and cut it and hit it dead off the toe,” Woods said. “Hit both of them dead off the toe.”

Puerto Rico Open

Andres Romero shoots 66 for lead

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico

Andres Romero shot a 6-under 66 in windy conditions Thursday to take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open.

Romero birdied three of his last five holes in a bogey-free round at Coco Beach Golf and Country Club. The 37-year-old Argentine player won his lone PGA Tour titles in New Orleans in 2008 and has two European Tour victories.

LPGA THAILAND

Eun-Hee Ji leads by 2 after first-round 63

CHONBURI, Thailand

Eun-Hee Ji of South Korea led the LPGA Thailand by two shots after opening with a 9-under-par 63 on Thursday.

Ji won her fifth U.S. LPGA Tour title in her previous event last month, the season-opening Tournament of Champions in Florida.

Associated Press