McIlroy’s Frustrating Opening Round

By Bilal Ahmed — 16 July 2026 — 3 min read

McIlroy’s Frustrating Opening Round

Rory McIlroy described his opening round at The Open Championship as being marred by “too many stupid mistakes,” which hindered his ability to establish a strong start. His round of 72 placed him seven shots behind the unexpected leader, Jackson Suber. McIlroy, a six-time major winner, recorded four birdies and six bogeys during his play at Royal Birkdale.

The 2014 Open champion noted issues with the greens, stating, “The two bogeys on the par-fives weren’t great and I struggled the first two holes to get the speed of the greens.” He elaborated on the inconsistency, observing that “some parts of the greens are still alive and growing and other parts are really dead.”

McIlroy’s putting proved particularly challenging, as he missed three four-foot putts in the space of four holes from the seventh. He also encountered difficulties on the par-5s, playing them two-over par, which is an unusual occurrence for him. Despite these setbacks, he managed to mix three birdies with two bogeys over his final six holes.

According to Data Golf, McIlroy lost 2.8 strokes to the field with his putting on Thursday, with only eight players performing worse on the greens during the opening round. He also ranked as the fifth worst player around the green at Birkdale, losing 2.16 shots to the field.

Putting Woes and Recovery Hopes

The putting struggles echoed previous challenges for McIlroy, including at the 2024 U.S. Open where he made three bogeys in the final four holes. During his first round at Royal Birkdale, he missed putts from inside four feet on the seventh and eighth holes, and another from just over four feet on the tenth. In total, he missed eight putts from inside 12 feet during the round.

Despite the difficulties, McIlroy found some moments of brilliance, including a 23-footer for birdie on the 13th hole and a 12-footer for birdie on the 15th. He acknowledged that every time he made a mistake, he thankfully followed it with a birdie to stay somewhat in contention.

Wayne Riley, speaking after the round, suggested that McIlroy would have immediately headed to the practice putting green with Brad Faxon. Riley noted that McIlroy appeared “bewildered” and struggled to gauge the pace of the greens, adding that missing putts of that length is uncharacteristic for him.

McIlroy, who finished joint fourth at the 2017 Open at Birkdale, expressed optimism for the upcoming rounds. He hopes for better conditions on Friday, particularly smoother greens in the morning. He also noted the discrepancy in scoring between morning and afternoon rounds on Thursday, anticipating a flip in conditions for Friday.

Leaderboard Overview

While McIlroy seeks to recover, Jackson Suber, an Open debutant, impressed with an opening-round 65, taking a one-shot lead. Suber, who qualified for The Open by tying for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open, gained over six strokes on the field. He holds a one-shot advantage over Daniel Brown and Sungjae Im, who both shot 66s.

Other notable players are also in contention. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler carded a first-round 68, despite feeling he played better than his score indicated. Scheffler had a strong start with four birdies in his first six holes but stalled later in the round, also missing short putts.

Bryson DeChambeau, who played in a group with Scheffler, posted a 3-under 67. World No. 4 Cameron Young also shot a 67, joining a group of nine players tied for fourth place.

The leaderboard presents an intriguing mix of established stars and lesser-known players, setting the stage for an exciting weekend. McIlroy will look to capitalize on potentially more benign conditions on Friday to shoot under par and improve his standing.

Historically, each of the past 26 Open champions has been within five shots of the lead after the first round.

Source: bbc.com