Rory McIlroy attributed his challenging start at the Open Championship to what he described as “too many stupid mistakes.” His opening round of 72 placed him seven shots behind the unexpected leader, Jackson Suber, at Royal Birkdale.
McIlroy, who secured his second Masters title in April, expressed frustration with his putting on the greens. His round included four birdies and six bogeys. He notably missed three putts from within four feet across four holes, starting from the seventh.
Reflecting on his performance, the 2014 Open champion highlighted issues with the par-five holes, stating, “The two bogeys on the par-fives weren’t great.” He also noted difficulties with green speed early in his round, observing inconsistencies where some parts of the greens were active while others were quite dead.
Despite the setbacks, McIlroy felt moments where he was gaining momentum, but these were often overshadowed by errors. He mentioned that each “stupid mistake” was fortunately followed by a birdie, which helped him stay somewhat in contention. He finished joint fourth at the 2017 Open at Birkdale.
McIlroy remains optimistic about improving his position, anticipating more favourable conditions for his next tee time on Friday at 10:09 BST. He believes the scoring discrepancies between morning and afternoon rounds on Thursday suggest a reversal of conditions, which he hopes to leverage.
McIlroy’s Putting Struggles
A significant factor in McIlroy’s opening round was his difficulty with short putts. He missed putts from inside four feet on the seventh and eighth holes, and another from just over four feet on the tenth. These issues echoed past struggles, including missed short putts during the 2024 U.S. Open.
By the twelfth hole, McIlroy had missed six putts from within twelve feet. Although he sank a 23-footer for birdie on the thirteenth, he immediately gave that shot back with a bogey on the par-five fourteenth. He then made a twelve-footer for birdie on the fifteenth, only to incur another bogey on the par-five seventeenth, bringing his total missed putts from inside twelve feet to eight for the round.
McIlroy described a loss of trust in his reads after missing early putts that behaved unexpectedly. This led to less committed strokes, often leaving him with more four-foot putts. He specifically recalled missing three four-foot putts within four holes, finding it challenging to recover and maintain commitment to his putting strategy.
Leaderboard Dynamics
While McIlroy finished his round at two-over 72, Jackson Suber, an Open debutant, impressed with an opening-round 65. Suber, who qualified for the tournament by finishing tied for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open, holds a one-shot lead over Daniel Brown and Sungjae Im, who both shot 66.
Suber’s performance marks a significant moment for the American, who has had a strong year on the PGA Tour with four top-20 finishes since May. These include a solo fourth at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the T-4 at the RBC Canadian Open, and a T-6 at the John Deere Classic. He has previously missed the cut at this year’s U.S. Open.
Other notable players also made their mark. Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1, shot a 68, despite feeling he played better than his score indicated. He started strong with birdies on four of his first six holes but stalled later in the round, also missing some short putts.
Bryson DeChambeau posted a 67, one shot better than Scheffler, marking his best major round of the year after missing the cut in the first three majors of 2026. Cameron Young, world No. 4, also shot a 67 in the afternoon wave, joining a group of nine players tied for fourth place. The leaderboard features a mix of established stars and lesser-known talents, promising an engaging weekend.
Source: bbc.com
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