Rory McIlroy in contention for massive payout as Shane Lowry struggles

Rory McIlroy sits four shots behind the lead at the BMW Championship following a solid two-under-par 70 in Thursday's opening round, and he could be facing a major payout if he picks his game up a little bit .

The lad from Holywood ranks joint 10th down in Denver, whilst Shane Lowry has his work cut out at three-over , having carded a 75 to kick off the tourney.

Keegan Bradley delivered an impeccable start at Castle Pines Golf Club, clinching the last qualifying spot in the 50-player event and now heads the pack by a stroke after the BMW Championship dished out its hefty $20million (€18million) prize kitty. The champ will nab a cool $3.7million (€3.2million).

• Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy shell out $50 million to avoid major issue
• Amanda Balionis' net worth as she leaves behind massive salary at CBS for major new gig

Teeing off with back-to-back birdies, the American added a third on the eighth's par-five, then banged in two additional ones further on, all while keeping bogeys off his card to take a slender lead at six under into round two.

Chuffed with his performance, Bradley, recently nominated as America's 2025 Ryder Cup skipper, remarked post-match: "I want to be out there with the guys and the Ryder Cup team."

"I want to be playing with them, on the range with them, in the locker room, in the tournament. It was really important for me to be in this top 50."

He's just ahead of Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, fresh from his victory at the previous week's FedEx St Jude Championship.

For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .