PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – In a remarkable turnaround from his previous performance, Rory McIlroy opened the 153rd Open with a solid score of 1-under 70. This impressive feat showcased his determination to improve upon his past struggles at Royal Portrush, where he faced a dramatic meltdown six years ago. McIlroy's performance this year was a striking nine strokes better than his 2019 score, placing him just three shots off the early leaders.
Six years ago, McIlroy's tournament began with a shocking quadruple bogey, stemming from a first-tee hook that went out of bounds, resulting in a disappointing score of 79. During that time, he expressed his surprise at the overwhelming support from the local crowd, who rallied behind their favorite son from Holywood, just an hour away. This year, the atmosphere was even more electric, as McIlroy further solidified his legendary status by completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters.
As he stepped onto the tee, McIlroy was met with a thunderous ovation from the crowd, who cheered passionately, sometimes standing ten rows deep. “I feel the support of an entire country out there, which is a wonderful position to be in,” McIlroy stated. “But at the same time, you don’t want to let them down. So there’s that little bit of added pressure.” He continued, “I feel like I dealt with it really well today – certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago. I was just happy to get off to a good start and get myself into the tournament.”
McIlroy's round began with a bogey due to a missed short putt, but he quickly rebounded, reaching 3 under through his first ten holes. As he made the turn, the challenging conditions of Portrush's back nine tested his skills, as the wind picked up. Unfortunately, he recorded three consecutive bogeys amid the tough crosswinds. Despite these challenges, McIlroy found pride in his performance, especially after successfully making an important up-and-down from a tricky position right of the 15th green. He also converted a crucial 12-foot birdie after recovering from a less than ideal position.
For the second consecutive week, McIlroy faced difficulty in hitting fairways off the tee, a challenge that likely cost him the title at the recent Scottish Open, where he struggled with his driving but relied on his strong iron game and effective putting. On Thursday, he ranked last in the field, hitting only two fairways, one of which was achieved with an iron. Overall, he finished the day ranked 131st out of 156 players in strokes gained.
“It was a tough enough day, especially either chopping out of the rough or out of the fairway bunkers most of the time,” McIlroy remarked. “So to shoot under par was a good effort. ... I’m really happy with where I am.” As the tournament progresses, fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see if McIlroy can maintain his momentum and build upon this promising start at the 153rd Open.
