The Open: Rory McIlroy turns focus to making major cut after shocking opening round at Royal Troon | Golf News

Rory McIlroy’s hope for major redemption has turned into a battle to just make the cut after he made a nightmare start to The 152nd Open at Royal Troon.

McIlroy came into the week looking to end his decade-long major drought, having squandered a two-shot lead over the closing holes of the US Open last month to finish runner-up, only for the 35-year-old’s hopes to suffer a setback after a disappointing first round.

The former world No 1 made just one birdie in wet and breezy conditions on Thursday morning, with McIlroy dropping five shots in a four-hole stretch around the turn and also bogeying two of the final four holes of a seven-over 78.

“Difficult day,” McIlroy conceded. “I felt like I did okay for the first part of the round. Felt like I was in reasonable enough shape being a couple over through nine, thinking that I could maybe get those couple shots back, try to shoot even par or something like that.

“I was actually surprised how difficult I felt the back nine played. I thought we were going to get it a little bit easier than we did. The course was playing tough. The conditions are very difficult in a wind that we haven’t seen so far this week.

“You play your practice rounds, you have a strategy that you think is going to help you get around the golf course, but then when you get a wind you haven’t played in, it starts to present different options and you start to think about maybe hitting a few clubs that you haven’t hit in practice.

“Just one of those days where I just didn’t adapt well enough to the conditions. I just think that your misses get punished a lot more this week, whether you miss it in a fairway bunker or even the rough.”

What went wrong for McIlroy?

McIlroy – playing alongside Tyrrell Hatton and Max Homa – missed the opening green and failed to get up and down to save par, then made a four-foot birdie at the third before failing to take advantage of either par-five on the front nine.

The Northern Irishman took two attempts out of a greenside bunker on his way to a double-bogey five at the iconic ‘Postage Stamp’, seeing him turn in 37, with McIlroy starting his back nine with a bogey before firing his tee shot at the par-four next towards the railway track.

He eventually carded a double-bogey to drop to five over and eight behind clubhouse leader Justin Thomas, with McIlroy needing to scramble a par at the next and hole from 10 feet at the 14th to avoid falling further behind.

McIlroy bogeyed the 15th after finishing in a fairway bunker and could only par the par-five next after a wayward second shot, then produced a sensational sand save at the par-three 17th before bogeying the last.

When asked what he needed to do next, McIlroy added: “Just come out and try to play better and be here for the weekend. The conditions look like they’re going to be pretty similar again tomorrow.

“As I said, have to do a better job in those conditions, and I need to go out there and play better and try to shoot something under-par and at least be here for the weekend, if not try to put myself up the leaderboard a bit more and feel like I have half a chance.”

Reigning US Open Bryson DeChambeau also struggled in the conditions, finding it so tough he could have walked off the course and gone home before eventually salvaging a five-over 76.

“I’m just proud of the way I persevered today,” DeChambeau said. “Shoot, man, I could have thrown in the towel after nine and could have been like, ‘I’m going home’. It’s a difficult test out here. Something I’m not familiar with.

“I never grew up playing it and not to say that that’s the reason; I finished eighth at St Andrews [two years ago]. I can do it when it’s warm and not windy. But no, I’ve got a chance tomorrow. I’m excited for the challenge. If I have some putts go in and hit some shots the way I know how to and figure out this equipment stuff, I’ll be good.”

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