Tao Geoghegan Hart can show he is back to his best at the Giro d’Italia over the next three weeks, according to two-time former winner Alberto Contador.
Londoner Geoghegan Hart enjoyed his breakout moment at the pandemic-affected 2020 edition of the Italian Grand Tour, claiming the pink jersey on the final day by beating Jai Hindley in the decisive time trial in Milan.
Since then, the 28-year-old has endured a difficult period with illness and injury, but last month he took two stage wins and overall victory at the Tour of the Alps last month – his first general classification win since the Giro.
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Geoghegan Hart will go into the Giro as a co-leader of the Ineos Grenadiers alongside 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, 36, while the squad also includes emerging talent Thymen Arensman.
“I think that the 2020 Giro was a little bit different (because of Covid-19) but we know that Tao has an incredible talent,” Contador told the PA news agency.
“At the Tour of the Alps he was very strong. Many riders that will be at the Giro were there and he won two stages and also the GC so for sure he is a good option and Tao can come back at the top.”
But, although Geoghegan Hart is seen as a contender, the main focus going into the race is on world champion Remco Evenepoel and three-time Vuelta a Espana winner Primoz Roglic.
“Everyone expects a big battle between Remco and Roglic but there are some up riders who can shake things up like Arensman, Thomas, (Joao) Almeida, and Tao, and they can make things difficult for the two big favourites,” added Contador, part of Eurosport’s analysis team for the race.
“If those two riders make a mistake they can have their chance. I cannot give to you one name. Both are very strong in the time trials and also the climbs, but the important thing in the Giro is always to not have a bad day as you can lose many minutes.”
An imposing Giro route – which covers a total of 3,489 kilometres and includes 51,400 metres of climbing – begins with an 19.6km time trial from Fossacesia Marina to Ortona on Saturday, the first of three time trials that cover a total of 73km over the three weeks.
There are also summit finishes on the Crans Montana, Monte Bondone, Val di Zoldo and Tre Cime di Lavaredo, plus seven stages of more than 200 kilometres and four others that come within a whisker, promising a gruelling three weeks for those intending to go all the way to Rome.
“This year the Giro comes back to the old style, the traditional long stages, days with more than 5,000 metres of climbing and 11 stages close to 200 kilometres,” Contador said. “It will be very important to recover day by day because the last week is normally the hardest week.
“I think the last time trial (18.6km from Tarvisio to Monte Lussari Tudor on stage 20) will make the difference because some riders can lose everything there.”
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Contador won the Giro in 2008 and 2015, part of a career that also brought two Tour wins and three Vuelta crowns. The Spaniard was additionally stripped of the 2010 Tour and 2011 Giro title after testing positive for clenbuterol.
“For me, the Giro is my favourite race for sure,” he said. “I was there my first time in 2008, going at the last minute because of a sponsor, and three weeks later I won the Giro. The Tifosi love me and for me it is the most beautiful because you can break from the script and go on the attack.
“The Vuelta is special for me, my home race, and the Tour de France is the biggest race in the world, but my favourite is the Giro.”
:: Watch live and exclusive coverage of the Giro d’Italia on Eurosport, discovery+ and GCN+
British boxer John Ryder claims he will be no pushover as he prepares to fight Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight titles this weekend.
Ryder has travelled to Guadalajara in Mexico as he aims to become England’s first undisputed male champion in the four-belt era on May 6.
Canelo bounced back from his defeat to Dmitry Bivol, this exact weekend last year, with a unanimous decision victory over Gennadiy Golovkin four months later and while fighting in Mexico is new for Ryder, Canelo has never fought in front of his home crowd either.
Much discussion leading up to the fight has claimed champion Canelo has chosen an ‘easy’ bout in a bid to add another British fighter to his winning record, along with the other seven that have come before The Gorilla.
Ryder is keen to show the world that Saturday will not be straightforward for Canelo and is ready to make a statement.
He told the PA news agency: “I’m sure people do see it as an easy fight but I’m in there to make a statement and stake my own claim on the super-middleweight division.
“I want to show people I do deserve to be a true world champion. I was harshly judged on in the fight with (Callum) Smith and already should have a world title but I’m blessed that this opportunity has come now.
“I’ve worked hard, I’ve had a few more fights in and around that level, picked up the interim world title and now I’m sitting in a fantastic position taking on Canelo next.”
Ryder has previously lost five career fights to Billy Joe Saunders, Nick Blackwell, Jack Arnfield, Rocky Fielding, and the most recent being Callum Smith in 2019 by unanimous decision.
Since then, Ryder has won four fights which has given him the opportunity to take on Canelo, but he is not treating it any bigger than any of his previous match-ups.
He added: “I treat every fight as my biggest challenge and I used to get nervous for the first couple of fights I was going in with so-called journeymen.
“The thought of losing a fight like that petrified me because you lose to them people and you are on a road to nowhere, so I always go into every fight giving the opponent the respect they deserve and Canelo is no different.
“If I say I’m supremely confident then people think I’m delusional but I wouldn’t be going out there if I wasn’t confident in my own ability and wouldn’t be taking a team out there that I am.”
The fight will be the first ever boxing match to take place at the Akron Stadium, with around 48,000 fans expected to be in attendance.
“I think the Mexican fans are real fight fans,” Ryder said.
“As long as you’ve giving them what they want to see and putting it all on the line… I’m sure they might boo on the way in but cheer on the way out.”
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Sean Dyche believes Everton’s performance in Monday’s 2-2 draw at Leicester has brought the “feel-good factor” back to the squad, even if it did not result in three badly-needed points in their fight against relegation.
Everton remain winless in their last seven games having come from behind to rescue a point at the King Power Stadium, but Dyche was keen to take the positives from a performance in which his side had 23 shots at goal, their most in a Premier League fixture for three and a half years.
As they prepare for another Monday away match – this time a much tougher looking fixture at high-flying Brighton – Dyche said the Leicester game had given his players a confidence boost.
“The Leicester performance was a mixture of what we want,” he said. “Good energy and good detail, apart from the mistakes from the goals. We looked a real threat constantly and I was pleased with the team performance.
“It reaffirms to them that we are on the right track. I know we aren’t in the league and the table, but in the performances we are.
“We didn’t get the full reward for it but we did get the reward of the feel-good factor and rightly so. It’s not easy going on the road in the Premier League.”
Everton won three of Dyche’s first seven games in charge but are now winless since the 1-0 victory over Brentford on March 11, since when they have taken four points from the last seven.
“It’s a quality of performance that we want to build,” Dyche said. “We have done that in certain games, particularly against Arsenal when we first got here. It shows it is in there – it’s the consistency I’ve been searching for.”
Finding that consistency has been a key theme that Dyche has emphasised to his players this week.
“The thing is, it’s parked really quickly,” he added of the Leicester performance. “We have to use it wisely, but then you have to go and deliver it again.
“It can’t be once every few games, it has to be consistent. That is what I have been talking about on the training pitch and what I have been talking about through the media about our performances.”
Everton go into the weekend stuck in 19th position, albeit only one point behind the three teams above them. Leeds head to Manchester City on Saturday while Leicester and Nottingham Forest are, like Everton, both in action on Monday.
“Like everyone in the Premier League, when you’re down, looking up, everything seems different and we have to make sure we take away that feeling and focus on our performance like we did at Leicester,” Dyche said.
“That was about us, that wasn’t about Leicester. That is a thing we have been trying to get the players to really grasp – to grip hold of games, but it’s not easy when you’re playing against top sides.”
Leicester boss Dean Smith knows that his side’s superior goal difference could be key in the Premier League relegation battle.
The Foxes are level on points with both Nottingham Forest and Leeds going into this weekend’s round of fixtures, but lie in 16th owing to their better record.
In a six-team tussle to stay up, which also includes Southampton, Everton and West Ham, Smith knows how crucial it could be.
“We can only take one game at a time and see where that leaves us, the draw against Everton we would like to have had a win and so would Everton, but it moved us up the table two places such is our goal difference,” Smith said ahead of Monday’s visit to Fulham.
“It probably gives us a head start on the rest of the teams down there. But we have to have a better performance than we did Monday defensively and if we do that we can go and get a result.”
The Foxes are currently on a run of playing on three successive Mondays, which has left Smith, who is on a short-term SOS mission to keep the Foxes up, playing catch-up.
“I am not enjoying the weekends because all I am doing is coaching and watching the results come in,” he said. “I would much rather be playing ourselves and watching other results after that.
“It’s all consuming, but we knew it would be, seven weeks, eight games, but we are really enjoying it and we believe we are getting a response from the players.”
Leeds Rhinos will pay tribute to the late Doddie Weir by wearing a limited-edition kit designed in his image when they face Castleford Tigers at next month’s Magic Weekend.
Former Scotland rugby union international Weir died in November after a lengthy battle with motor neurone disease (MND), but before his death had become a mentor for Rhinos great Rob Burrow, who has also been diagnosed with MND.
The Rhinos have decided to honour the former British and Irish Lions ace on June 3 when they play against Castleford at St James’ Park in Newcastle, the city where Weir won the Premiership title, with a shirt that will carry quotes from both Burrow and Weir in addition to a Tartan design on the side panels.
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John Bentley, who played for Leeds and was also a team-mate of Weir at Newcastle, said: “I love it and Doddie would have too. It’s a real tribute with the famous tartan.
“I think it is a fantastic gesture by the club, especially with the link to Rob too obviously. I am really proud to have played at Leeds and I love the link with the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation especially as the game will be played in Newcastle where we share so many wonderful memories.”
Paul Thompson, director of fundraising at My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, added: “This is a fantastic gesture by the Rhinos. The community across both codes of rugby have come together so strongly over the past six years in support of Doddie, Rob Burrow and others.”
The 72 EFL clubs are set to play their 46th and final league game of a gruelling season this weekend, with promotion, play-off and relegation spots still to be decided.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the state of play across the three divisions.
Championship
Burnley are champions and Sheffield United have secured automatic promotion in second place.
Relegation spots are also confirmed following the Blades’ loss at Huddersfield on Thursday night, with Neil Warnock’s side securing safety at the expense of their final-day opponents Reading. The Royals will join Blackpool and Wigan in dropping down to the third tier.
Meanwhile, victories last weekend put Coventry and Millwall in prime position to make the play-offs alongside Luton and Middlesbrough, but there is a cluster of three teams hoping to sneak into the top six on the final day.
Sunderland, West Brom and Blackburn can all theoretically qualify should they win. Three points for the Black Cats would virtually guarantee them a play-off place if Coventry lose or Millwall drop points, while – barring a thumping win at Swansea – Albion are likely to need Sunderland to slip up as well.
Blackburn face Millwall in the knowledge that a win will see them leapfrog their opponents, but their goal difference of -3 leaves them relying on other results to go their way.
League One
Plymouth and Ipswich are promoted but the title race remains undecided. Plymouth have a one-point advantage but Ipswich’s vastly superior goal difference – +66 compared with +33 – means they will be champions if they better Argyle’s result on Sunday.
Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley and Bolton have qualified for the play-offs and will be joined by either Derby or Peterborough. The Rams travel to Wednesday knowing a draw is likely to be enough for a top-six berth, while Darren Ferguson’s Peterborough must win at Barnsley and hope for a favour from the Owls.
MK Dons, Morecambe and Cambridge are in a three-way fight for League One survival. The Dons will stay up with a win at Burton, but a draw or defeat would open the door for their rivals.
Morecambe can overtake the Dons by bettering their result against Exeter, while Cambridge can overhaul both teams (should they fail to win) with victory over the already-relegated Forest Green.
Accrington, meanwhile, are all but down following defeat against the U’s last weekend. Stanley require a win and an unlikely 16-goal swing to go past MK Dons in 20th place.
League Two
Champions Leyton Orient and second-placed Stevenage will be playing in League One next season, but Northampton’s defeat against Bradford last weekend has left them in danger of missing out on automatic promotion for a second successive campaign.
Having been denied by an incredible 7-0 Bristol Rovers’ victory on last season’s final day, the Cobblers know that a win at Tranmere this time around will see them go up. Anything less, however, will give Stockport the opportunity to secure promotion with three points against second-from-bottom Hartlepool.
With the Pools already relegated alongside Rochdale, it is only third spot and the play-off places that are mathematically still up for grabs.
Turning attention to the play-off picture, a point for Carlisle, Salford or Bradford will guarantee a top-seven finish, while defeat would see eighth-placed Mansfield draw level on points if they beat Colchester.
The Stags also need to make up a deficit in goal difference, with Carlisle, Salford and Bradford currently eight, four and three goals better off respectively.
Defending champion Robert MacIntyre was forced out of the DS Automobiles Italian Open due to injury ahead of Friday’s second round.
The news was announced by MacIntyre’s management company less than an hour before the left-hander was due to tee off alongside home favourite Guido Migliozzi and Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard.
MacIntyre himself then wrote on social media: “Gutted to withdraw this morning from the @ItalianOpen with a back strain.
“Hopefully nothing too serious. Now for a week of rest before the PGA Championship.”
MacIntyre had carded an opening two-over-par 73 at Marco Simone Golf Club on the outskirts of Rome, the venue for this year’s Ryder Cup.
The 26-year-old defeated US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick in a play-off to win his second DP World Tour title last September.
MacIntyre birdied the first extra hole after he and Fitzpatrick had finished tied on 14 under par.
That was just the second qualifying event for the Ryder Cup, although MacIntyre has since fallen outside the automatic places.
Klay Thompson scored 30 points with eight 3-pointers and all five Golden State starters reached double figures as the Warriors cruised to a 127-100 rout of the Lakers on Thursday.
The hot-shooting Warriors bounced back from Tuesday’s close Game 1 loss to tie the second-round series at one game apiece.
Stephen Curry had 20 points and 12 assists, JaMychal Green added 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting in his first playoff start since 2019 and Draymond Green nearly notched a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Golden State, which shot over 50 percent overall, set an NBA record for the most 3-pointers in the first two games of a playoff series with 42.
LeBron James scored 21 of his 23 points in the first half and Los Angeles struggled to keep up, with Anthony Davis limited to 11 points and seven rebounds following his 30 and 23 performance in the series opener.
Thompson’s 3 early in the third quarter ignited a 14-4 run for Golden State that extended the lead to 82-64. The Warriors were never threatened thereafter and finished with 43 points in the third quarter.
The series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Saturday.
Julen Lopetegui has told Wolves they need to be “very close to perfection” if they are to prevent Aston Villa from plunging them back into a Premier League relegation fight.
The Black Country club entertain Unai Emery’s men on Saturday still smarting from their 6-0 humiliation at Brighton last weekend and knowing they need to bounce back immediately if they are to avoid conceding ground to the chasing pack.
However, that will be easier said than done, with Spaniard Emery having transformed Villa’s fortunes to the extent that they are level on 54 points with seventh-placed Tottenham with four games remaining, and just one behind Brighton in sixth.
Compatriot Lopetegui told a press conference: “It’s a match against a very good team. They have improved a lot from the first half of the season until now.
“They are a very good team, good players, very experienced coach. They have a very clear idea and have developed, and after they have the quality to damage you in each moment.
“They have very big players so we have to have confidence in our players, our idea, to be able to beat them. We have to be very close to perfection to play against this kind of team.
“Above all, we have to put the focus on our strengths, be confident with our work and we have to be ready.
“I prefer to talk about us, our strengths, because we have to be confident in our energy, our strengths, and put the focus to be able to compete with them.”
Lopetegui, who hopes to have defender Nelson Semedo at his disposal following his return to training after resting the knee he damaged at Brighton, has a task on his hands after witnessing an alarming capitulation at the AMEX Stadium.
The Seagulls were 4-0 up by half-time and ultimately won the game at a canter to further their own European ambitions while at the same time arresting a run of three wins in four games for Wolves.
However, Lopetegui remained philosophical as he sifted through the wreckage of an extremely bad day at the office.
He said: “If we won or lost, the next day we know we have to improve a lot of things. We analyse the matches but this is over, the match is over and we have to put the focus on the next challenge.
“It’s important for us to be able to compete because Aston Villa demand a lot of things from the opponent.”
Thomas Frank is convinced one-time Liverpool target Kevin Schade will become a key player for Brentford.
The Bees travel to Anfield on Saturday, with German international Schade still waiting for his first goal in England since a January switch from Freiburg.
Attacker Schade moved to Brentford on an initial loan but is expected to make the transfer permanent in the summer despite previous interest from Liverpool.
While the 21-year-old has failed to score in 15 appearances for the west London club and missed an open goal in a recent draw with Aston Villa, his manager has no doubts about his potential.
“Kevin is a young player that needs a lot of development but he has shown very good signs of what he is capable of,” Frank said.
“I am convinced he will be a very good player for us in the future. That is who we are. We need to develop players that can go to the next level and hopefully Kevin is one of them.
“That would be a nice story (to score against Liverpool). I understand why he would have been linked with them. I think he would fit their style so I’m pleased he came to us.”
Frank accepted had Liverpool “really, really” chased Schade he may have ended up on Merseyside, but the forward himself revealed in his interview with Brentford’s website upon signing earlier this year that he wanted to join a team where he would play.
The Bees boss also feels it is a compliment if they are bringing in players tracked by top-six clubs.
Frank said: “I think if Liverpool really, really went for him he would be out of reach for us.
“On the flipside, when you go to a club you like to have a decent chance for getting playing minutes.
“There is no doubt he needs playing minutes before he can go to the next level potentially, but of course it is nice we get players who are linked to other clubs because it also shows that other clubs can see the potential of the player.”
Schade will aim to help Brentford secure a first ever double over Liverpool this weekend, but the Reds are currently on a lengthy unbeaten home run in the Premier League.
Leeds were the last top-flight club to visit Anfield and win back in October, with Klopp’s side currently on a five-match winning streak in pursuit of an unlikely top-four finish.
Frank has masterminded victories at Manchester City and Chelsea this season in addition to a draw at Arsenal in March, but knows the size of the task on Saturday.
“Probably, when it is rocking, Anfield is the most difficult away ground to go to,” he said.
“As we experienced last year, we lost 3-0 and it was a clear defeat so we have a mountain to climb on Saturday. Flipside is we also believe we can do something in any game.
“We have confidence and we have belief, but we also know that Liverpool is a team that against Tottenham is 3-0 up after 13 minutes, against Man United, in such a big game, big rivalry, with everything at stake, they won 7-0. So we need to be absolutely on it.
“We need a top performance from us to go there and win.”
Frank has confirmed Christian Norgaard (Achilles) and Keane Lewis-Potter (knee) are unlikely to play again this season.
Napoli supporters partied long into the night as they took over the city to celebrate the club’s first Serie A title in 33 years.
After the disappointment of the celebrations being put on hold by Sunday’s draw at home to Salernitana, Luciano Spalletti’s side got the job done with a 1-1 draw at Udinese to spark incredible scenes in Naples.
The city’s piazza’s were crammed with jubilant fans, who lit flares and fireworks as they chanted into the early hours.
“Seeing the Partenopei smiling and joyful is the greatest emotion for me. They are the ones who pass on their happiness. The problem was reaching this point, as when you have the feelings of an entire city weighing on your back,” Spalletti told DAZN.
“There are people here who will be able to get through difficult moments in their lives because they remember this moment. These people deserve all the joy.
“It perhaps makes me feel more relaxed now, we’ve been able to give them that joy. These fans have seen huge coaches come and go. They saw Diego Armando Maradona play and perhaps his protection is also felt in this success.”
Argentina great Diego Maradona fired Napoli to their first title in 1987 and cemented his hero status with the club by winning a second in 1990.
Napoli also won the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia during Maradona’s spell in the city, but in the 89 years of their history without him the club have only previously won five Italian Cups.
Maradona died in 2020, with the club naming their stadium in his honour.
Now, in the ground that bears his name, Spalletti’s swashbuckling side have stormed to the Scudetto with five games to spare.
Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen grabbed the second-half equaliser at Udinese to clinch the title – his 22nd league goal of the season.
Osimhen has been the star man for Napoli this season, with talented Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, 22, also establishing himself as one of Europe’s most exciting talents.
Livingston defender Tom Parkes is desperate to get back on the pitch after finally recovering from a horror knee problem that has kept him sidelined for 17 months.
The 31-year-old Englishman has not played since December 2021 after damaging his anterior cruciate ligament and then suffering a setback just as he was closing in on a return to action last summer.
Parkes was on the bench for the Lions’ last outing against Dundee United a fortnight ago, but manager David Martindale has said he is wary of throwing him into action after so long out without a pre-season under his belt.
The centre-back is delighted to be back in the mix and is eager to get himself some game time after managing just 11 appearances for the Lions since joining from Exeter almost two years ago.
“It’s been a long time but I’ve worked hard to get where I am now and I’m feeling good,” he said. “Just being on the bench against Dundee United was amazing but my main priority is to get up to the standards that other boys are at and try and take it into next season.
“I don’t think people have seen enough of me to see what kind of player I can be, so being back among the lads and training with them every day is a big step. Hopefully it stays this way and I can try and get back on the pitch and show people what I can do.”
After fighting back to fitness last summer and taking part in pre-season training, Parkes was gutted when he suffered a setback and had to undergo a second knee operation that wrecked his hopes of getting back on track in the current campaign.
“It was tough, especially after the second operation,” he said of his lengthy lay-off. “I had to spend nearly 12 weeks sat at home. I couldn’t walk, I was on crutches, and I didn’t really want to do anything.
“But once that was out the way and I was able to come in and be around the lads and all the staff, it helped me massively.
“The main thing when I came back is that I was ready to come back and enjoy it. It’s been a long time but I’m just looking forward to getting game time.”
Parkes is set to be on the bench again when Livi return to action for their first post-split fixture away to bottom-of-the-table Ross County on Saturday after missing out on the top six.
“It was disappointing to miss out on the top six but our aim now is to finish seventh, like we did last season,” he said. “After Christmas we’ve not played as well as we did before, so that’s probably where it’s gone wrong.
“We’ve still done better on points this season than we did last season so it’s hard to take that we didn’t make the top six. As disappointing as it is, we’ve got to make sure we finish the season on a high.”
England and Wales will head for New Zealand in October as the world champions host the sport’s elite teams in the inaugural WXV tournament.
World Rugby has confirmed the venues and dates for the new three-tier competition, which seeks to increase “the competitiveness, reach and impact” of the 15-a-side women’s game across the globe.
Eighteen teams will take part in the event, with the top six battling it out in WXV 1 in New Zealand across three weekends on October 21 and 28 and November 4, the next six contesting WXV 2 in South Africa on October 14, 21 and 28, and WXV 3 using the same dates but with the venue dependent on the nations qualifying.
World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “We made a pledge at a spectacular Rugby World Cup 2021 in New Zealand to accelerate the advancement of the women’s game.
“Much progress is being made at rapid pace and today we are marking another milestone with confirmation of the dates and venues for the inaugural WXV competition.
“With women and girls leading our strategy to grow the sport on a global basis, this competition will increase the reach and impact of the sport and drive the overall competitiveness of women’s international rugby as we look forward to an expanded 16-team Rugby World Cup 2025 in England and subsequent Rugby World Cups in Australia in 2029 and USA in 2033.”
Beaten World Cup finalists England, France and Wales have already booked their places in WXV 1, while Scotland and Ireland will participate in WXV 2 and WXV 3 respectively.
The World Rugby Pacific Four Series 2023 will determine the remaining three teams in WXV 1 and one team in WXV 2, with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States contesting the competition featuring the top two teams in Oceania and North America.
WXV will comprise two sides from Europe and one each from Asia, Oceania, Africa and South America.
Each division in the annual tournament will be played out as a cross-pool format, with promotion and relegation – although not for the first two years leading up to the 2025 World Cup – adding spice.
Former England captain Sarah Hunter is confident the competition will help raise standards globally and hone teams for World Cup battle.
Hunter said: “To know that when you look at the calendar as England – and having recently played for England – that you’ll be playing some of the best teams in the world, it can only make you better, and to know that it’s not just every four years you get that opportunity to do so.
“I just think it’s a really exciting concept, that every year you’re going to be playing in one of the toughest competitions there is.”
Birdies on the closing two holes gave Tommy Fleetwood the first round lead in the Wells Fargo Championship as Rory McIlroy made solid return to action.
Fleetwood shot a bogey-free 65 as he continued his pursuit of a first PGA Tour title, one better than a group on five under – Xander Schauffele, Kevin Streelman, Taylor Moore, KH Lee and Ryan Palmer.
McIlroy, playing for the first time since missing the cut at the US Masters, is three strokes behind after an opening 68 on his 34th birthday at Quail Hollow.
Fleetwood has won six times on the DP World Tour, but the Englishman is still chasing a first title in the US.
“I just have to keep going and wait for those really big results and hopefully start contending again up at the top of the leaderboard,” said Fleetwood. “We’ll see what we can do from there.”
McIlroy has won three times at Quail Hollow with nine top 10 finishes in 11 starts, but he admitted not touching his clubs for more than two weeks after the disappointment at the Masters.
“I feel relaxed here,” he said. “It’s just a level of comfort at this golf course and at this club that I probably don’t have any other venue.
“I’ve played here so many times I know where to miss it. I missed a few greens but I didn’t feel like I hit the ball that badly.
“It was just really nice to be out there again… nice to feel like I played well. I didn’t want to spend my birthday afternoon grinding on the range.”
Schaufelle had looked on course to set the early pace, but two bogeys in Quail Hollow’s notorious closing three holes – dubbed the “Green Mile” – left him one off the lead.
US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick finished a stroke behind playing partners McIlroy and Justin Thomas, his 69 matched by fellow Englishman Tyrell Hatton with defending champion Max Homa opening with a 70.
English trio Matt Wallace, Callum Tarren and Harry Hall also opened with one-under-par 70s while Tony Finau, winner in Mexico last week, shot a 71.
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