It was hardly the start Rory McIlroy had envisioned.
His opening drive on Thursday at the Tour Championship careened over the boundary fence and out of bounds, eventually leading to a triple bogey. Making matters worse, a bogey followed at the second, and suddenly, McIlroy was a distant 10 strokes behind the FedEx Cup leader, Scottie Scheffler.
The gritty Northern Irishman must be a glass-half-full kind of guy, though, and McIlroy wasn't about to let the stumble dictate the direction he would take in the Playoff finale at historic East Lake Golf Club.
Indeed, he fought back on Thursday, shooting a back-nine 31 and finishing with a 67 to stay in the mix and by Sunday McIlroy had worked his way into the final group with Scheffler, albeit six shots in arrears.
The battle between the world number one and the third-ranked McIlroy for the PGA Tour's biggest prize on a sun-drenched afternoon didn’t disappoint, either. It was, as McIlroy would later say, a "spectacle", as entertaining a match as they come.
As McIlroy doggedly pushed forward on Sunday, Scheffler, a four-time winner this season, began to flounder. McIlroy tied for the lead with an improbable 31-footer at the 15th hole and took sole possession at the next when the Texan couldn't get up-and-down from a greenside bunker.
Two scrambling pars later and McIlroy became the first three-time winner of the FedEx Cup, earning $18million in the process. He closed with a 66 and finished at 21-under while Scheffler shot 73, making just one birdie all day, and tied for second with Sungjae Im.
McIlroy was nothing if not magnanimous in victory. He hugged Scheffler's parents and wife, who were standing near the scoring area, telling them their man deserved the title, too. Then he said as much on television as he was interviewed by NBC's Mike Tirico.
"What a week, what a day," McIlroy said as he gripped the gleaming silver Tiffany trophy tightly. "I feel like Scottie deserves at least half of this today. He has had an unbelievable season. I feel sort of bad that I pipped him to the post, but he's a hell of a competitor. He's an even better guy.
"It was an honor and a privilege to battle with him today, and I'm sure we'll have many more. I told him we're 1-1 in Georgia today: He got The Masters; I got this."
The dichotomy of the way he started the tournament and the way he finished was not lost on McIlroy, either. He couldn't help but remember the resiliency shown just four weeks earlier when Tom Kim started the Wyndham Championship with a quadruple bogey to fall 13 shots off the pace before going on to win.
"I guess it just shows you anything's possible, even when you're a few behind or a few in front in the tournament," McIlroy said. "Anything can happen. I'm going to remember this week mostly for that. Your mind can go one of two ways when you start like that, and automatically I thought about Tom Kim at Greensboro.
"I could have easily thought the other way and thought, I've got no chance now; what am I doing here? But I just sort of, I guess, proved that I was in a really good mindset for the week, and I didn't let it get to me too much and just stuck my head down and got to work."
The 2021-22 season was another standout one for McIlroy, whose third victory of the year brings his career total on Tour to 22. He's still looking for his fifth major championship – and first since 2014 – but the consistency of four top 10s, including second at The Masters and third at The Open Championship, has to be heartening.
McIlroy likened this season to his 2019 campaign, when he won The Players Championship and RBC Canadian Open before beating Brooks Koepka, then the top-ranked player in the world, at East Lake. And not even McIlroy's good friend Tiger Woods has won three FedEx Cup crowns.
"I played great golf. I had some good wins but didn't pick off a major, but I felt like Harry [Diamond, his caddie] said it to me on the 18th green today. He goes, all the good golf you played this year, you deserve this," McIlroy explained.
"Look, it's really cool to do something in golf that no one has ever done before. Obviously, the history of the FedEx Cup isn't as long as the history of some other tournaments, but to be walking out of here three times a champion, it's very, very satisfying and something that I'm incredibly proud of."
In some ways, and with all due respect to Scheffler, McIlroy was the perfect winner at East Lake. He and Woods were at the heart of a players-only meeting at the BMW Championship that was the catalyst for some of the sweeping changes that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced in Atlanta a day before the Playoff finale began.
Those changes include additional elevated events for 2023 that will feature purses of at least $20m and are designed to bring the game’s top players together 20 times a year. McIlroy is a member of the PGA Tour Policy Board and has emerged as its most ardent spokesman.
"Look, it's been a tumultuous time for the world of men's professional golf in particular,” he said. "I've been in the thick of things. I guess every chance I get, I'm trying to defend what I feel is the best place to play elite professional golf in the world.
"It's in some ways fitting that I was able to get this done today to sort of round off a year that has been very, very challenging and different."
As eye-popping as the money on offer at the Tour Championship was, as well as what will be offered at the elevated events in the future is, though, McIlroy will be the first to say it’s the competition that fuels him. Not dollar signs.
"There's a lot of cool things that come along with winning the FedEx Cup," McIlroy said. "The trophy, I have three sterling silver Calamity Jane replicas in my house, which is really cool. To think about here at East Lake and Bobby Jones, the greatest amateur player to ever play the game, the sort of history and traditions of the game of golf. He sort of exemplified all that.
"Look, the money is the money. It's great, and we are professional golfers, we play golf for a living. That is a part of it. But I think at this point in my career, the winning and the journey and the emotions and who I do it with mean more than the check."
Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard has conceded he is concerned about his position at the club amid a poor run of form.
A 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday marked Villa's fourth defeat in the opening five matches of the Premier League season, sitting second last in the standings at this early stage.
Having been jeered by his own supporters following the loss to West Ham at the weekend, a third defeat on the bounce has increased the pressure upon Gerrard.
Premier League clubs infamously lack patience with those in charge, shown by Bournemouth axing Scott Parker with just four games played, and Gerrard admitted he fears he could find himself in a similar position.
"I am really honest and self-critical of myself. I will do my job the best I can, I will step forward, I will take the responsibility in the best way I can," he said after the loss at the Emirates Stadium.
"But if I stood here and said to you that I was not concerned, I think you would look at me as if I was from a different planet."
Villa's loss to Arsenal will be all the more frustrating as Gabriel Martinelli scored the winner just 151 seconds after Douglas Luiz had equalised for the visitors, who may well have marked his farewell in style.
The Brazilian has been heavily linked with an exit before the close of the transfer window on Thursday and Gerrard was unable to offer assurances that he will stay.
"I'm not in control of that. There are more than two people in control of that but I'm certainly not one of them," he added.
"That will be Douglas, that will be his agent's decision as to what happens around that. I'd like to keep him because he's a fantastic player. I've made that abundantly clear.
"We are not in a position where we need to lose our top players, but at the same time, Douglas has got a year to go, and it is one of those really touchy situations where the club have to do what is best for the club and not necessarily what's best for me."
Bernardo Silva has declared he will be "staying in Manchester", putting an end to rumours the Manchester City midfielder would be moving to Barcelona.
Silva has been an integral part of City's success under Pep Guardiola since arriving from Monaco in 2017.
The Portugal international has won four Premier League titles, four EFL Cups and an FA Cup in England, though has been heavily linked with Barca in the past couple of years.
Despite seeming to indicate he would like to play for the LaLiga giants one day, Silva has confirmed he will not be making the move in this transfer window, which closes on Thursday.
After grabbing an assist in Wednesday's 6-0 thrashing by City of Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, the 28-year-old committed to his team, telling Spanish outlet RAC1: "I'm staying in Manchester, here. I'm happy and the decision has been made."
Silva has scored two goals in five league appearances so far this season for City, with three starts.
His goal in the 4-2 comeback win against Crystal Palace on Saturday was his 100th goal involvement for the club, with an even split of 50 goals and 50 assists, which became 101 on Wednesday in his 257th appearance with his assist for Joao Cancelo.
Manchester United forward Amad has joined Championship side Sunderland on loan for the rest of the 2022-23 season.
The Ivory Coast international joined the Red Devils in January 2021 from Atalanta, but he struggled to find a way into the first team at Old Trafford.
He was loaned out to Scottish Premiership giants Rangers for the second half of last season, scoring three times in 13 appearances across all competitions.
The 20-year-old will work under new Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray, who was appointed on Tuesday after Alex Neil left to join Championship rivals Stoke City.
"I feel good and very positive about this opportunity, so I'm happy to be here," Amad told Sunderland's official website.
"It was a great experience to play with Manchester United, but I'm here for a new challenge and I want to try my best to bring a lot of success to the club.
"I feel good physically and I think this is the best team for me to progress and although I've never been to the Stadium of Light before, I know the supporters are great so I hope we can win many games together."
Erling Haaland continued his incredible start to life in the Premier League with a record-setting treble in Manchester City's 6-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest.
The Norway international made it two hat-tricks in the space of five days – and a perfect one at that, with his right foot, left foot and head – in City's latest statement victory.
Meanwhile, Liverpool left it late to see off Newcastle United 2-1 at Anfield.
There were goals and drama elsewhere on Wednesday, too, and Stats Perform unpacks the pick of the data.
Manchester City 6-0 Nottingham Forest: Haaland makes history
Haaland now has nine goals in five Premier League games since joining City from Borussia Dortmund – the best start of any player in the competition's history at this stage.
He surpassed the record of eight goals previously held by Micky Quinn and City great Sergio Aguero, the man he is effectively replacing at the Etihad Stadium.
The prolific striker is just the seventh player to score a hat-trick in back-to-back games in the competition and the first since Harry Kane did so for Tottenham in December 2017.
Fellow newbie Julian Alvarez also scored twice, while Joao Cancelo netted the other as City bagged five or more goals in a league game for the 32nd time under Pep Guardiola.
That accounts for 14 per cent of City's games under the Catalan coach in the competition, with that tally more than twice as many as any other side over that period (Liverpool, 15).
The only side to have exceeded the 18 goals City have scored after five games of a Premier League season were Manchester United, who had 21 to their name at this stage 11 years ago.
Liverpool 2-1 Newcastle United: Carvalho the late hero
Newcastle led with an hour played at Anfield, only for Roberto Firmino to level and Fabio Carvalho to fire home in the 98th minute to snatch all three points for Liverpool.
That was the 40th winning Premier League goal scored by Liverpool in the 90th minute or later – the most of any side – with three of those coming in this fixture.
Timed at 97 minutes and nine seconds, it was Liverpool's latest goal in the top flight since Dirk Kuyt's penalty against Arsenal in April 2011 (101:48).
Alexander Isak had earlier given Newcastle the lead with a debut goal, making him the sixth Swedish player to net on his Premier League bow.
Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa: Martinelli keeps Gunners perfect
Arsenal dug deep to overcome Villa and make it five wins in a row to begin a league campaign for the first time since the 2004-05 season, when they went on to finish second.
Gabriel Jesus steered Arsenal ahead for his sixth goal involvement in his first five Premier League outings for the club, breaking Mesut Ozil's previous record of five.
Douglas Luiz equalised directly from a corner, but Arsenal hit back just 151 seconds later through Gabriel Martinelli, who converted Bukayo Saka's cross.
That was Saka's 17th Premier League assist – only Cesc Fabregas (38), Wayne Rooney (22) and Michael Owen (18) had more before turning 21.
West Ham 1-1 Tottenham: Soucek denies Spurs
Tottenham could not see out a lead at London Stadium as they were denied the chance to make their best start to a Premier League season after five games.
Thilo Kehrer turned a Harry Kane delivery into his own net, with that a league-high seventh own goal scored by West Ham since the start of the 2020-21 season.
Tomas Soucek levelled for West Ham with his 19th Premier League goal, each of those coming from inside the 18-yard box.
That strike was assisted by Michail Antonio on his 200th league appearance for West Ham, whose tally of two goals after five games is their fewest since 1994-95 (one).
While Spurs could not hold on for the win, they are unbeaten after five games in the competition for only the third time, having previously done so in 2004-05 and 2016-17.
Pep Guardiola labelled Erling Haaland a "special talent" after the striker scored a perfect first-half hat-trick in Manchester City's 6-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.
Haaland, who is averaging a goal every 43 minutes since arriving in the Premier League, has now made the most prolific start to a career in the competition on record.
His third goal against Forest, scored with a close-range header after 38 minutes, was his ninth in five Premier League outings, bettering the eight-goal hauls managed by Sergio Aguero and Micky Quinn through their first five appearances in the competition.
Haaland needed just 16 touches to score his treble, and Guardiola is delighted to see the striker sending records tumbling so early in his Premier League career.
"I know he is happy and scoring goals, but I think what he wants is to win," Guardiola told BT Sport.
"The records are okay, if you withdraw the records and he cannot score goals, we cannot win some games. I'm pretty sure he would not like it.
"He's a special talent, he has an incredible sense of goals. He didn't touch one ball and his first touch is a goal, so... he is Erling.
"He's strong in all departments but especially in that sense, he smells in the box unlike anyone else and his finishing is so good.
"His work ethic as well is great. We are delighted about the way he has done it."
Haaland was not the only recent City arrival to make headlines on Wednesday, as Julian Alvarez marked his first Premier League start with a second-half brace.
And Guardiola says everyone at City will be proud of his contribution, adding: "He is new, he came from another continent. We see him every day, all of us. The work ethic and being a nice guy always pays off.
"There's not one person in the locker room, there's not one person in the backroom staff that is not happy for his two goals, for the incredible effort he has done."
Meanwhile, City's dominant display saw them maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier League season, and they have now scored 14 goals through their first three home games of the campaign.
While a 3-3 draw at Newcastle United means the champions have not opened the season in perfect fashion, Guardiola is satisfied by the levels shown by City thus far.
"I think we've played really well all season so far. We conceded transitions against Newcastle and could not control [Allan] Saint-Maximin but apart from that, our level in all the games was high."
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo is happy to stay at the club.
Ronaldo was widely reported to be pushing for an exit from Old Trafford due to his desire to play in the Champions League but offers were seemingly not forthcoming.
With the transfer window closing on Thursday, Ronaldo is set to remain at the club until at least January, barring any last-minute offers, but Ten Hag is adamant the 37-year-old is not disappointed by that outcome.
"We are on the same page. [He is happy to stay] otherwise he wouldn't be here," Ten Hag told reporters.
"From the start we said we planned with him, we are happy with him, he's happy to be here, and we want to make the season a success together."
Pressed on how Ronaldo – who has not started United's last two matches – could fit into his tactical approach, Ten Haag expressed confidence the former Real Madrid and Juventus superstar could settle into any system.
"The way of playing, the set of demands, you can see in training Ronaldo has the ability," he added.
"He will fit in because, I don't have to explain, he is a great player with great capabilities. He will fit in every system and every style. We are on one page, and he knows what the demands are."
Ten Hag has added to his ranks in the final days of the window with the capture of Antony, with the winger signing from former club Ajax for a fee of £85million (€100m).
Antony's arrival came just over a week after United had spent a reported £70m (€80m) on Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, but Ten Hag made it clear such spending was necessary.
"All the top clubs in the Premier League spent a lot of money, that is how the market developed," he explained. "I can do nothing about it, no one can, it's just the market. We have to accept how it went.
"If you want to compete at the top, you don't have a choice. All the Premier League clubs spent this kind of money. If you want to fight for the top four positions you have to do it, and we have the ambition, especially over the long term, to play for trophies, so I think we had to do it."
United face Leicester City on Thursday, seeking a third Premier League win in a row after starting the campaign with back-to-back defeats.
Massimiliano Allegri says it is more important for Juventus to be "effective" than "beautiful" after a 2-0 Serie A win over Spezia.
Dusan Vlahovic scored another stunning free-kick and new signing Arkadiusz Milik opened his Juve account to seal the victory in stoppage time on Wednesday.
There were boos from frustrated Bianconeri fans as Allegri's side showed they are a work in progress on a day in which they signed midfielder Leandro Paredes from Paris Saint-Germain.
Juve were sloppy in possession after a strong start, but Spezia lacked the quality to make them pay at Allianz Stadium, where the Turin giants maintained their unbeaten record this season.
Allegri called for patience, but made it clear that securing three points in more important than fluent football.
He told Sky Sport: "Now it is important to bring home the result, then there are games in which you play better. It is normal that we have to grow.
"Last year Juventus did not win anything, we need everyone's help. It's right that they [the fans] boo us if things go wrong. There is a difference between being beautiful and effective: you have to be effective. I don't like being 'pretty' and not winning."
Juve face an anxious wait to discover the extent of an ankle injury sustained by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, but Allegri confirmed he did suffer a fracture.
Serbia striker Vlahovic scored a carbon copy of his free-kick in the draw against Roma last weekend and now has four goals in as many games, but Allegri says there is much more to come.
He added: "Vlahovic fought, scored an extraordinary goal and worked well. He has room for improvement, I think this was his best performance.
"Vlahovic has improved, he could have scored more than one goal and I think he will be able to reach the maximum when he finds more control and tranquillity. He attacks the area and is a goalscorer, but he has to improve in other aspects. different cleanliness of the game."
It's no surprise that at the end of this latest PGA Tour season it was Rory McIlroy ultimately hosting the FedEx Cup, considering the statistically dominant campaign the Northern Irishman put together.
Though his three-win season might not appear at the top of his career highlights - the major championship triumphs in 2012 and 2014 may never be matched - it nevertheless culminated in one of the best statical campaigns of his heralded career.
After lifting the FedEx Cup for the third time, the first player in Tour history to do so, McIlroy capped off a season that saw him earn his fourth scoring average title, at 68.67, the only player on the PGA Tour to finish with a sub-69 average (the overall average for the 2021-22 season was 71.092).
Only Vijay Singh (2003) and Tiger Woods (eight different times) have matched McIlroy with a season-long average below 68.7.
McIlroy's six-shot comeback over Scottie Scheffler at the Tour Championship also cemented the 33-year-old’s fourth season of at least three wins, as he also jumpstarted his campaign with a victory at the CJ Cup before claiming the RBC Canadian Open midway through the year.
"I'm back to playing the golf that I'm used to playing, and the golf that I know that I can play," McIlroy said prior to the FedEx St. Jude Championship. "COVID was a weird time for everyone, and then coming out of it and going into the 2021 season, with my swing where it was, I was trying to change a couple of things and was going down a path I realised wasn't the path for me. [I'm] coming back out of that and now getting back to playing the golf I know I can play."
The late-season rise was in no doubt due to McIlroy's impressive resurgence across several aspects of his game. After ending The Masters ranked next-to-last among 209 TOUR players in average proximity from 50 to 125 yards (24 feet, one inch), McIlroy went on a tear that saw him close out the season with an average of 14 feet, one inch, best among all players with more than 30 attempts in that span.
But that wasn’t the only area where he’s upped his play. McIlroy ranked No. 131 in scrambling percentage last season, only to finish 30th this year, while also improving more than 50 spots in Strokes Gained: Around the Green (63rd in 2020-21 to 12th this season). Perhaps most importantly, the 22-time PGA Tour winner was 16th for Strokes Gained: Putting per round, after he finished 66th in 2021 and 122nd in 2019-20.
McIlroy ended the season ranked inside the top-50 in all four primary Strokes Gained categories (off-the-tee, approach the green, around the green and putting), only the second time he's done that, joining the 2018-19 season. That season he also won the TOUR Championship and RBC Canadian Open, along with The Players Championship.
"This year feels very similar to the way I played in 2019," he said. "It's a carbon copy in terms of the consistency and the numbers and the strokes gained numbers, but my finishes in the majors have been better and that's been – that's been a real positive looking ahead into next year and the future."
CANTLAY REPEATS
Before McIlroy hoisted the PGA Tour's ultimate prize, all eyes were on Patrick Cantlay for a potential repeat.
Last season's FedEx Cup champion was primed to go back-to-back after he became the first player to successfully defend a Playoffs event since their 2007 inception. At the BMW Championship, the 30-year-old birdied the 17th at Wilmington Country Club to hold off Scott Stallings in a one-shot victory, his second win at the event in as many years.
A year ago, Cantlay survived in a six-hole playoff at Maryland's Caves Valley Golf Club to win the BMW Championship, before sealing the FedEx Cup with a one-shot win over Jon Rahm.
"I think every time I've tried to defend, I don't think I've been able to do it, but it's something that you definitely circle on your calendar as something you want to do," Cantlay said. "These golf courses reminded me a lot of each other, and I was glad not to go six holes in a playoff."
Much like a season ago, it was largely the putter that lifted Cantlay to a post-season victory. Over the last two FedEx Cup Playoffs, Cantlay is +18.39 in total Strokes Gained: Putting, the most of any player.
The BMW Championship was a microcosm of that, as Cantlay was ranked 49th of 67 players in the third round, losing 1.493 strokes to the field. But after a late-night putting session, the Californian ranked 10th in Sunday’s final round, gaining 1.628 strokes on the field. He was a perfect 10-for-10 on Sunday putting inside 3 feet, after missing one in 13 attempts the day before. He was 16-for-17 from inside 10 feet on Sunday and just 15 for 20 on Saturday.
ZALATORIS BREAKS THROUGH
Fans have been anxiously awaiting Will Zalatoris’s first trip to the PGA Tour winner's circle, after heart-aching playoff losses this year at the Farmers Insurance Open and PGA Championship.
Viewers finally got their wish in the first leg of the FedExCup Playoffs, as the young 26-year-old poured in a clutch par at the last to force extra holes with Sepp Straka. He ultimately outlasted the Austrian on the third playoff hole.
"It's kind of hard to say 'about time' when it's your second year on Tour, but about time," Zalatoris joked. "Obviously this was a grind considering the start that I had. I love this golf course, I played well here last year. Considering all the close finishes that I've had this year, to finally pull it off, it means a lot."
The budding superstar led the field in both Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green (+1.93) and Tee-to-Green (+2.35), becoming just the second player to lead both at the FedEx St. Jude Championship (Dustin Johnson, 2020).
All the more impressive was that he finished the first round at one over, the highest score to par after the opening round by a winner at the FedEx St Jude Championship. The previous worst opening round by a winner? Vijay Singh, who was one under after 18 holes in 2008.
Zalatoris was tied for 86th after the first round, marking the lowest position by a winner after the opening round of the playoffs (McIlroy previously held the honor, sitting at T67 after the opening round of the 2016 Dell Technologies Championship).
Erling Haaland described his start to life in the Premier League as "amazing" after hitting his second consecutive hat-trick to make history in Manchester City's 6-0 demolition of Nottingham Forest.
Haaland – who scored a match-winning treble against Crystal Palace on Saturday – needed just 38 minutes to clinch a perfect hat-trick as Forest wilted on Wednesday, taking him to nine goals in his first five Premier League outings.
That tally represents a new competition record, bettering the eight-goal hauls managed by Sergio Aguero and Micky Quinn at the start of their Premier League careers.
City, meanwhile, have scored 18 goals across their opening five matches, the highest tally in their league history. The last side to exceed 18 goals after five matches at the start of a Premier League season was Manchester United in 2011-12 (21 goals).
Haaland has scored at the remarkable rate of a goal every 43 minutes since arriving at the Etihad Stadium, and is the first player to score hat-tricks in back-to-back Premier League games since Harry Kane in December 2017.
Speaking to BT Sport after the dominant win, Haaland said: "It's amazing. Nothing more to say. It's been good so far, I'm not complaining!
"It was about making sure we kept doing what we did in the second half against Palace, and just to play, play, play, play and play. We knew there was going to be chances, and it was nice.
"I try to listen as much as I can to Pep and to play with the boys because they're amazing footballers and without them, I would not be able to score goals.
"So it's about finding chemistry, playing together, and listening to Pep [Guardiola].
"It's fantastic, that's why I came here. You can see we play so good, we find each other and we will become even better, so it's going to be nice.
"It's important to keep going, it's going to be a lot of games so it's important to keep going and to enjoy as much as we can."
While Haaland stole the show with his remarkable display of finishing, fellow City striker Julian Alvarez also enjoyed a landmark outing, scoring two goals on his first Premier League start.
Alvarez is the seventh Argentinian to score on his first Premier League start, and the first to do so more than once, and is targeting more than a bit-part role in Guardiola's side.
Speaking to the BBC, Alvarez stated his belief he could form an effective partnership with Haaland, saying: "Obviously I'm very happy for the team performance, and for my two goals, and getting that reception from all the fans.
"I think it's not me or Erling, we can play together in the starting eleven. We fit together, which is good for the team.
"Some things are similar from Argentina, like the ball pressing, but the Premier League is faster, I have to adapt to that. My team-mates help me and I am super grateful for that."
After years of coming up short, an insatiable hunger drove Ashley Khalil to her first ever Caribbean Senior Squash Singles title in Jamaica last week.
Andy Murray believes he is in his best physical shape for years after he made the third round of the US Open for the first time since 2016 on Wednesday.
Murray dropped the first set against American wildcard Emilio Nava, but the Scot powered back to win 5-7 6-3 6-1 6-0 in New York.
He will face 13th seed Matteo Berrettini in the last 32 on Friday, and the 35-year-old has his sights set on a lengthy run at Flushing Meadows.
"Physically this is the best I've felt in the last few years," he said. "My movement is by far the best it's been in a long time.
"I'm getting closer to where I want to be and hopefully I can have a deep run here."
Murray reunited with coach Ivan Lendl for the third time earlier this year – a decision he cites for his improved form.
"There's a lot of belief in the relationship because of results we've had in the past," he added.
"I trust that if I play with a game style he wants me to that will bring me success.
"It gives me confidence. He knows what it takes to win and perform well at this tournament. It's great to have him back."
Speaking about his next opponent, Berrettini, Murray said: "He's had a bit of an unlucky year.
"I know he got Covid at the beginning of Wimbledon. When he has been on the court he's done really well.
"We played a tough three-set match in Stuttgart. I'm expecting it to be really difficult but if I play well and my return's on point then I've got a good chance."
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted the club will be looking for a late recruit in the transfer window after suffering injury setbacks.
The Gunners maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Wednesday, with Gabriel Martinelli scoring the winner just 151 seconds after Douglas Luiz's equaliser.
Arteta was forced to change his starting ranks in midfield for the second game in a row though, with Mohamed Elneny having suffered an injury in Saturday's 2-1 win against Fulham.
Elneny's setback came after Thomas Partey was ruled out of action through injury, with Arteta having to turn to Albert Sambi Lokonga for the midweek test against Villa.
With Premier League tests a plenty and the Europa League group stages crammed in before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, squads will be stretched to their limits and that may spark late activity in the transfer market.
Arsenal could now be involved in the closing stages of the window, with Arteta admitting after the game the injury to Elneny looks set to keep the Egypt international out for an extended period.
"Obviously it has an impact because Thomas is injured as well and we’re a bit short in that position," he said in the post-match press conference.
"We have players like Sambi, we have players like Granit [Xhaka] who can play there. The club has been super supportive to keep improving the squad and the team as we can, and if the right player is available and we can do it, we will try."
Arsenal had further injury worries during the game with captain Martin Odegaard forced off with a knock and Arteta was unsure on the severity of the problem, adding: "He got a bad kick and it’s swollen. Still unclear how bad it is," he added.
The Gunners have been attributed with an interest in a number of midfielders heading into deadline day, with Palmieras' Danilo and Leicester City's Youri Tielemans among them.
A goal in the 98th minute from substitute Fabio Carvalho gave Liverpool a dramatic 2-1 win against Newcastle United at Anfield on Wednesday.
Newcastle debutant Alexander Isak, playing just hours after receiving his work permit, had given his new team a first-half lead with a fine finish, only for Roberto Firmino to equalise in the second half.
It looked like more dropped points for Jurgen Klopp's side as the game ticked into stoppage time, but a late corner caused a goalmouth scramble, which ended in Carvalho scoring for the second time in a week.
Eddie Howe will be disappointed with the result but would have been pleased with the efforts of his team, who were missing key players Bruno Guimaraes and Allan Saint-Maximin.
Isak had the first shot for the visitors as he cut inside Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fabinho before lifting his effort high and wide of Alisson's far post, with Ryan Fraser also having a shot from the edge of the box that flew in the same direction.
Liverpool saw most of the ball in the first half but had to wait until the 34th minute for their first real chance after Firmino found Luis Diaz down the middle, only for the winger to miss the target from an angle after rounding Nick Pope.
Newcastle took the lead seven minutes before half-time when a Jordan Henderson clearance could only find Sean Longstaff, whose through ball picked out Isak to finish emphatically as he buried his shot into the top-left corner.
Isak had the ball in the net again early in the second half after good work on the counter attack but was marginally offside, and Liverpool were level shortly after as Firmino ran onto a Mohamed Salah pass from the right to sweep a shot into the bottom-left corner of the net.
It looked like a resolute Newcastle defence had held firm in the closing stages to secure a point, yet Salah nodded down to Carvalho from a corner, and the 20-year-old smashed the ball in off the crossbar from close range to send the home fans wild.
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