McIlroy Rescues Challenging Opening Round, Stays in Contention

 

Rory McIlroy is well aware of the challenges that have hindered him from securing his long-awaited fifth major title. His first round at the 151st Open on Thursday could have easily dashed his hopes once again.

As the crowd strongly backed the Northern Irishman, who was the favorite before the tournament, memories of his 2014 Open victory at Royal Liverpool, followed by a US PGA title win, evoked the possibility of another dominant performance. However, McIlroy's driver didn't perform at its best, and putts weren't cooperating. His struggles reached a critical point at the 18th hole when he found himself in a bunker with a difficult stance. Remarkably, he managed to escape with a par five, finishing the day with an even par 71, five shots behind the leader. He aims to close that gap on Friday.

McIlroy expressed his discontent after missing an easy shot to bogey the eighth and being two-over after 12 holes due to challenging wind conditions. Nevertheless, he was pleased to recover and finish the day at even par.

Last year, McIlroy came close to winning the Open, leading into the final day but eventually being caught by Cameron Smith. While he secured second place at the U.S. Open in June, his win at the Scottish Open solidified his position as one of the favorites.

Although his game struggled on Thursday, McIlroy regained momentum with back-to-back birdies at the 14th and 15th holes, thrilling the crowd. He hopes to build on this performance and expects his putting to improve over the next three days. Despite the challenging start, McIlroy remains optimistic and believes that a strong round in the 60s on the following day will place him right in contention.