ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Ulsterman Rory McIlroy was the favorite in every bookie parlor from Belfast to St. Andrews and after a 6-under 66 at the 150th British Open, he justified the betting public’s faith that a fifth major may be in his sights.
It’s the best opening round in the Open for McIlroy since his 66 at Hoylake in 2014, where McIlroy went wire-to-wire to win his only Claret Jug by two shots over Rickie Fowler.
With seven birdies and just one dropped shot at the par-4 13th hole, McIlroy did what you’re supposed to do around the Old Course.
“I birdied the holes that are birdie-able,” McIlroy said. “And I made pars at the holes where you’re sort of looking to make a par and move to the next tee. And didn’t really put myself out of position too much.”
With a 65 in the opening round of the PGA Championship at Southern Hills and a 67 at The Country Club in the U.S. Open, McIlroy seems to have figured out one of his biggest issues, getting off to a good start.
Unfortunately, in the last two majors, McIlroy struggled in the third round and eventually finished eighth at the PGA and fifth at the U.S. Open.
“I came in here playing well, and I’ve played this golf course well over the years,” McIlroy said. “So, I knew if I just went out there and played my game and stuck to my game plan, that something like this was possible.”
With one win in 2022 at the RBC Canadian Open, his record has been impressive since finishing second at the Masters after a final-round 64. McIlroy left Augusta on a run with a fifth at Wells Fargo, eighth at the PGA, T18 at the Memorial Tournament, the win at the Canadian, T5 at the U.S. Open, and a T19 at the Travelers Championship.
It’s a run that McIlroy looks upon as a solid stretch of golf and one where his game has shown little cracks, and everything feels very settled.
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“Everything feels just sort of nice and quiet, which is a nice way to be,” McIlroy said.
McIlroy specifically cited his play at the 17th hole Thursday.
He hit a massive drive in the fairway, but in a lie where he didn’t feel he could get his leading edge of his lob wedge underneath the ball to get a good enough strike on it. So, he chipped a little gap wedge and pulled it.
McIlroy made par but played the right shot, meaning he made the right decision, but just missed the execution.
“I only had 85 yards to the front of the green on 17, and I knew 4 was going to be a good score,” McIlroy said. “So, I think it’s accepting that sometimes and not being overly aggressive, even when you put yourself in some of these positions. I think that’s important.”
With just one round in the books, McIlroy will need to continue his good play with scoring extremely low. Over a third of the 156-man field is under par and unless the wind comes up over the next three days, good scoring will continue to be prevalent.
McIlroy knows this and with his firepower should be able to keep up with anyone in the field, but he has rarely won having to go extremely low; he typically thrives in wet conditions.
“I just have to go out and play the same golf that I’ve played today, the same golf that I’ve played over the last few weeks,” McIlroy said. “I’ve been playing well. I’ve been swinging the club well. And I think it’s better if I don’t think about it that much and I just go out and play golf and try to shoot some good scores on one of my favorite golf courses in the world.”
More British Open Coverage:
– Phil Mickelson Enjoying the Week Despite Not Participating in Ceremonies
– Tiger Woods Stumbles to 78 in Round 1 at St. Andrews
– Bryson DeChambeau Off to Solid Start, But Is His Major Future in Danger?
– Rory McIlroy (66) Off to Another Fast Start at a Major
