Rory McIlroy carded a 4-over 74 in the opening round at Aronimink Golf Club, closing his day with four consecutive bogeys — a stretch the report says he has never recorded in a major championship.
Per the report, McIlroy summed up the round with a profane assessment and struggled off the tee, missing nine of 14 fairways overall and six of seven on his back nine. The difficulties from the tee left him unable to consistently find the short grass he prefers.
McIlroy acknowledged the problem as a season-long issue, saying he tends to miss right and then overcompensate left, a back-and-forth pattern that frustrates him because he prides himself on driving the ball well, the report says.
The report notes that McIlroy still leads the PGA Tour this season in strokes gained off the tee, but that he ranks 91st in driving accuracy through six events. Even with distance that can outpace many competitors, he is having trouble locating the fairway consistently.
McIlroy also told reporters that a pinky toe blister that had been bothering him did not affect his play Thursday. He said he had been hitting the ball well earlier in the week and thought he had corrected his swing, but that the performance deteriorated once he was “under the gun,” per the report.
Earlier in the week he had suggested a simple game plan at Aronimink, possibly using driver on nearly every hole, but his postround comments reflected a shift. He said there is more penalty for missing fairways than he anticipated, and that breezy conditions made it hard to get the ball close, with some pins tucked away, according to the report.
