By Bilal Ahmed
McIlroy’s Frustrating Start
Rory McIlroy expressed frustration over what he called “too many stupid mistakes” during his opening round at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. His performance resulted in a score of 72, placing him seven shots behind the leader, Jackson Suber. McIlroy’s round included four birdies and six bogeys, with notable struggles on the greens.
The 2014 Open champion highlighted issues with the speed of the greens, describing them as inconsistent. He noted that some areas appeared alive and growing, while others were quite dead. This inconsistency contributed to his difficulty in trusting his putting reads.
McIlroy missed three putts from within four feet across four holes, starting from the seventh. Despite these challenges, he managed to make birdies after some of his errors, which he felt helped him stay somewhat in contention. He hopes for better conditions and smoother greens in the morning for his next round.
Putting Woes and Missed Opportunities
McIlroy’s putting struggles were a significant factor in his opening round. He missed putts from inside four feet on the seventh and eighth holes, and another from just over four feet on the tenth. By the twelfth hole, he had missed six putts from within twelve feet.
His round also saw him play the par-fives at two-over, which is an unusual occurrence for him. After a 23-foot birdie on the thirteenth, he gave a shot back with a bogey on the par-5 fourteenth. He then made a 12-foot birdie on the fifteenth, only to follow it with another bogey on the par-5 seventeenth, missing another putt from inside twelve feet. He concluded his round with a birdie on the eighteenth.
According to Data Golf, McIlroy lost 2.8 strokes to the field with his putting on Thursday. Only eight players performed worse on the greens during the opening round. Additionally, he was the fifth-worst player around the green at Birkdale, losing 2.16 shots to the field.
Leaderboard Developments
Debutante Jackson Suber, a 26-year-old American, leads the field after an impressive opening round of 65. Suber, who qualified for The Open by finishing tied for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open, gained over six strokes on the field. He holds a one-shot lead over Daniel Brown and Sungjae Im, who both shot 66s.
Suber has previously competed in two majors, missing the cut at this year’s U.S. Open and finishing 73rd in the 2024 U.S. Open. He has had a strong year on the PGA Tour, with four top-20 finishes since May, including a solo fourth at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, a tied fourth at the RBC Canadian Open, and a tied sixth at the John Deere Classic.
Other notable players in contention include world number one Scottie Scheffler, who shot a 68. Scheffler started strong with birdies on four of his first six holes but then stalled, making two bogeys and no further birdies. He also missed some short putts, including a five-footer on the eleventh and a four-and-a-half-footer on the seventeenth.
Bryson DeChambeau posted a 67, one shot better than Scheffler, after making a bogey on his final hole. This was DeChambeau’s best major round of the year, having not shot under par in his previous six major rounds in 2026 and missing the cut in the first three majors this year. World number four Cameron Young also shot a 67 in the afternoon wave, joining a group of nine players tied for fourth place.
McIlroy, who finished joint fourth at the 2017 Open at Birkdale, is scheduled to tee off on Friday at 10:09 BST.
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Source: bbc.com
