SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND. The Open Championship can be a matter of timing — as in tee times. The opening round at Royal Birkdale proved to be a positive development for those who secured the AM portion.
Unfortunately, for Rory McIlroy his opening round commenced in the PM portion and with that he had to overcome a freshening breeze and a links course that was firm and fast as the R&A could ever have hoped.
Ultimately, the 37-year-old endured a balky putter — missing several times from close in range — at holes 7, 8 and 10 and ended with a two-over-par score of 72.
After concluding his round, McIlroy outlined a combination of immediate frustration mixed in with a strong desire to get things going in the right direction.
“Yeah. I’ll start with the positives. I drove the ball incredibly well. I took the golf course on off the tee. Obviously with the positions that I put myself in off the tee, I feel like I obviously should have shot a better score. Played the hard holes well. Birdied 13, 15 and 18 on the back.
“The two bogeys on the par-5s wasn’t great and I struggled the first two holes to get the speed of the greens. I felt like they were very inconsistent, just because some parts of the greens are still alive and growing and other parts have went really dead. It’s like, you’ve got this — sort of reminds me a bit of Pebble Beach when Pebble Beach gets like that for a US Open. It’s just hard to judge the speed sometimes.
“Struggled with that early on. Sort of felt like I got it going a little bit, but yeah, just too many stupid mistakes. But every time I made a stupid mistake, thankfully I made a birdie to sort of keep myself in it.
“Not too far away. Hopefully we’ll get the better conditions tomorrow and maybe the greens are a little bit smoother in the morning. Go out there and shoot a good one and get myself right back in it for the weekend.”
Those who played in the AM wave were the ones who benefited from a gentler breeze and smoother putting surfaces.
At last week’s Scottish Open, McIlroy surged to a three-way tie for the lead after 36 holes. His desire to claim the title was derailed with a poor 73 in round three. He did make a valiant comeback in the final round with a score of 64 and T7 finish.
A rewind of the tape bears discussion. When McIlroy won the ’25 Masters he ended a 11th major-less streak. He also became just the 6th golfer to have won the career Grand Slam. Many opined that with that great weight lifted off his back he would add more notable wins in the month ahead. None happened.
Forward to ’26 and Rory became just the fourth golfer to successfully defend his title at Augusta and with that win garnered his 6th major tying him in with Lee Trevino, Phil Mickelson and Nick Faldo. Again, there were strong sentiments expressed that McIlroy would use the Masters victory as a springboard for more superlative wins.
The reality is far different and the deficit he has to overcome at this year’s Open is not insurmountable but will need to push him ahead of a number of others players who are in far better position after round one – including world number one Scottie Scheffler who scored a two-under-par 68.
McIlroy voiced his weatherman prediction for Friday’s second round and believes the more docile conditions of round one will extend to the morning wave for round two.
“If you look at the discrepancy between the scoring this morning and the scoring this afternoon, it looks like that’s going to be flipped tomorrow with the conditions again. Hopefully I can take advantage of the more benign conditions in the morning and shoot one under par and get back in it.”
As much as the driver has been a consistent strength for McIlroy – he drove the par-4 9th hole for an easy birdie — it is the putter which has been a consistent thorn at various times during his career.
One can quickly think back to the ’24 US Open when McIlroy frittered away the title with two short misses – the last coming at the 18th during the final round.
McIlroy’s post round putting analysis was candid about what he needs to do going forward.
“It seems like when it gets like that on a day like today, you just keep leaving yourself four-footers. I left one to pretty much tap-in range on 9 to make a birdie. Then I missed three four-footers in the space of four holes, and that’s a tough — it’s tough to get out of that and stay committed to what you’re trying to do on the greens.”
Prior to the start of this year’s Open Championship, McIlroy outlined his chief priority for his career now rests on performance in the biggest of events — the majors. He mentioned having upwards of 30 more opportunities to claim a 7th major and beyond.
All of that remains possible.
Rory’s story is a simple one – round one is in his rear-view mirror. Seven shots behind are no small mountain to climb. However, McIlroy did so at the ’25 Masters when claiming the famed green jacket.
McIlroy’s Friday AM tee time can’t come soon enough.
Related: The Open 2026 – Round 2 hole locations & Notes
M. James Ward
A long-time member of both the GWAA and MGWA. The 68-year-old has covered all facets in golf since 1980 — including reporting on over 100 major championships and 13 Ryder Cup matches. His writings have appeared in various outlets. On a personal level, has played over 2,000 courses globally and is lead reviewer for Top 100 Golf Courses.
Previously served for 17 years as national course rating panelist for Golf Digest. Has also personally competed in USGA Championships. Resides in the metro New York City area with his wife Celeste. Favorite quote paraphrased for golf — “You are what your golf score says you are.”