“Should Have Shot a Better Score,” Rory McIlroy Left Frustrated After 1st Round at The Open Championship

Rory McIlroy finished T85 after the first round of The Open Championship as his putter went cold on Thursday.

“Should Have Shot a Better Score,” Rory McIlroy Left Frustrated After 1st Round at The Open Championship

Rory McIlroy (Image via PGA Tour)

Rory McIlroy had a frustrating day at the Royal Birkdale on Thursday. In the opening round of The Open Championship, the reigning Masters champion carded a round of 2-over par. After the round, he admitted he made several mistakes and that he should have shot a better score.

The Northern Irish golfer did not enjoy the best of starts. With 2 bogeys and 6 pars, he was 2-over through the first 8 holes. He finished the front nine with a birdie on the 9th hole.

On the back nine, he started with 2 consecutive bogeys on the 10th and 11th holes. He then had a birdie-bogey-birdie stretch on Holes 13, 14, and 15.

Following another bogey on the 17th hole, the World No.2 finished with a birdie on the final hole. He ended the day T85, one shot behind the projected cutline of 1-over.

McIlroy entered this week following a T7 finish at the Genesis Scottish Open last week. He is currently 7 shots behind leader Jackson Suber, who shot an opening round score of 65.

The problem for McIlroy on Thursday was his putter. It went cold for him as he missed several close-range putts. The 6-time major champion was ranked 148th in the field in strokes gained putting during the first round.

While speaking with the reporters after the round, the 37-year-old admitted that he could have done better and made several mistakes.

Too many stupid mistakes. … I drove the ball incredibly well. I took the golf course on off the tee. Obviously, with the positions that I put myself in off the tee, I feel like I obviously should have shot a better score. Played the hard holes well. Birdied 13, 15, and 18 on the back.

Rory McIlroy told the reporters

For the second round, McIlroy will tee off at 10:09 a.m. (British Time). He is playing alongside fellow major champions Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele.

RELATED
Bryson DeChambeau Takes Subtle Dig at Sir Nick Faldo Following Opening Round 67 at The Open

Rory McIlroy is confident about bouncing back from 7 strokes at The Open Championship

Rory McIlroy will start the second round 7 shots off the lead. Despite the huge difference, he is confident of bouncing back.

Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy (Image via X/@DPWorldTour)

Well, he has previously come back from a 7-shot deficit to win a major tournament. At the 2025 Masters Tournament, he made 2 double bogeys in the span of 3 holes in the first round and found himself 7 shots off the lead.

He then carded back-to-back rounds of 66 on Friday and Saturday and found himself leading the tournament by 2 shots. In the topsy-turvy final round, the former World No.1 shot a score of 73 and overcame Justin Rose in the playoff round to win his maiden Masters title and complete the career grand slam.

So he knows what it takes to win after a poor first round. He is confident about making a push in the second round.

Yeah, I think so. I think you can. If you look at the discrepancy between the scoring this morning and the scoring this afternoon, it looks like that’s going to be flipped tomorrow with the conditions again. Hopefully I can take advantage of the more benign conditions in the morning and shoot one under par and get back in it.

Rory McIlroy told the reporters

McIlroy also faces the aspect of missing the cut. Though he is just 1-shot behind the projected cutline, things are not guaranteed in golf. If he struggles on Friday, he could be making an early exit from the tournament.

The last time McIlroy missed the cut in a major event was at The Open Championship in 2024. Since then, he has won 2 Masters Tournament titles and has 2 top-10 finishes in the majors, including a T7 finish in this event last year.

Also Read: