Rory McIlroy opened with a two-over-par round at Royal Birkdale after struggling with his putting throughout the opening day of the tournament.
The Northern Irishman repeatedly gave back shots on the greens despite showing strong form off the tee. McIlroy acknowledged his frustration after completing his round, pointing to several costly errors across the course.
"Just too many stupid mistakes," McIlroy said. "But every time I made a stupid mistake, thankfully I made a birdie to sort of keep myself in it."
He expressed optimism about adjusting his game for the upcoming rounds. "Not too far away," McIlroy said. "Hopefully we'll get the better conditions tomorrow and maybe the greens are a little bit smoother in the morning. Go out there and shoot a good one and get myself right back in it for the weekend."
Early Putting Troubles at Royal Birkdale
McIlroy experienced his main difficulties on the greens, where his performance fell below his standard. By the end of his round, with a few groups remaining on the course, he ranked 148th out of 156 players in strokes gained putting.
The putting issues began on the par-3 fourth hole, where McIlroy had a birdie attempt from less than 12 feet. He ended up three-putting for bogey after watching a two-foot putt skirt past the cup.
On the seventh hole, another missed four-footer cost him a shot. The trouble continued on the eighth hole when a four-foot putt lipped out. McIlroy flipped his cap back and waved his hands, questioning why the ball broke contrary to his line read.
Driving Success on the Ninth Hole
Facing the 414-yard par-4 ninth hole after missing a short birdie putt earlier, McIlroy spent extra time evaluating his club choice on the tee box. He returned to his bag to select his driver, drawing cheers from the gallery.
McIlroy struck a 389-yard drive over the corner that settled on the green, 60 feet from the hole. His playing partners, Xander Schauffle and Matt Fitzpatrick, remained 150 yards back in the fairway.
McIlroy rolled his eagle putt to three feet and tapped in for his first birdie of the day. The drive reflected his aggressive approach on a course featuring scorched fairways and straw-like rough.
Greens Reading Challenges and Mid Round Birdies
The Masters champion relinquished the stroke on the 10th hole by missing a four-foot putt, which marked his third missed four-footer in four holes. He dropped another shot on the 11th hole after failing to convert a nine-foot putt.
McIlroy managed to recover shots on the back nine, draining a 24-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole and a 12-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole. However, he missed a 10-foot birdie opportunity on the 16th hole.
McIlroy explained that unpredictable green breaks affected his confidence over the ball. "I missed a couple early on that looked like they were going to break one way and they actually went another way, and then when you get the next one, you're over it and it's just very hard to trust that the ball is going to do what you think it's going to do," McIlroy said. "Then you maybe don't make quite as committed of a stroke."
He noted how the misses compounded his difficulties during the round. "It seems like when it gets like that on a day like today, you just keep leaving yourself four-footers," McIlroy said. "I left one to pretty much tap-in range on 9 to make a birdie. Then I missed three four-footers in the space of four holes, and that's a tough, it's tough to get out of that and stay committed to what you're trying to do on the greens."
Dramatic Finish on the Seventeenth and Eighteenth
On the par-5 17th hole, McIlroy missed the green to the left with his approach. He attempted a flop shot from the far side of the putting surface, but the ball landed on the green and rolled into the green side bunker. McIlroy thumped his wedge into the turf in frustration.
Faced with a ball settled near the lip of the sand trap, McIlroy evaluated his stance by kneeling on both knees before dropping to one knee. Stanced on one knee, he splashed the ball out to eight feet from the hole. He missed the subsequent putt to record a bogey on the par 5.
McIlroy responded on the par-4 18th hole by hitting his approach from the first cut of rough from 220 yards to within four feet of the hole. He made the birdie putt to finish his round at two-over, feeling better than finishing three-over.
Reflecting on his preparation for the next round, McIlroy said he would avoid overanalyzing the day's performance. "I'm not going to go back to the house and analyze it too much tonight," McIlroy said. "Again, focus on the positives, which was I took it on off the tee and drove the ball very, very well, hit some really good shots. I made too many sloppy mistakes and just need to cut those out."