The torment continued, the time for healing most likely to stretch beyond any set date. Rory McIlroy’s body language during and after an opening round of seven-over-par 78 at the 152nd Open – grimaces, eyes rolling, cap removed so that hands could be rolled through greying hair – exposed his inner anguish.
Just a month after his US Open travails, the demons found a way to take the misery onwards from the North Carolina sandhills to the dunes of the Firth of Clyde. Again, there was no place to hide, his wild shots – including one out-of-bounds over the stone wall on to the railway at the 11th – and McIlroy’s tough day on the links was exposed to one and all.
The two iconic holes on the Old Course at Royal Troon proved most punishing, inflicting double-bogeys that ruined a scorecard and made the task of playing catch-up, simply to make the cut, an uphill challenge.
In truth, nothing had seemed too far off for McIlroy over the opening holes. When he stood on the tee box at the par-three eighth hole, that of Postage Stamp fame for the small size of a green protected by coffin bunkers, the Northern Irishman was level par. On steady ground, and comfortable.
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Then, he wasn’t.
His tee shot found one of the greenside bunkers and his first recovery attempt came back down the slope to where it had started in the sand. His next was splashed 20 feet beyond the flag. Two putts later and the slipping and sliding had started, a double-bogey five.
A bogey on the ninth, after another pushed tee shot left a blind approach over gorse bushes to the green, was followed by another double-bogey on the 11th where he wildly drove it right down by the railway line and over the wall to the out-of-bounds. Another double-bogey. Five dropped shots in three holes, sinking deeper, until finally the misery ended on the 18th where he again removed his cap, closed his eyes and rubbed his head with his hands.
McIlroy didn’t look for excuses, but did point out how he’d second-guessed club selection and shot options in a wind that had changed from the practice days.
“I guess when that happens, you play your practice rounds, you have a strategy that you think is going to help you get around the golf course, but then when you get a wind you haven’t played in, it starts to present different options and you start to think about maybe hitting a few clubs that you haven’t hit in practice. Yeah, just one of those days where I just didn’t adapt well enough to the conditions,” he admitted.
Asked if there was any way to rescue his situation, to firstly make the cut and then the bigger challenge of getting back into the championship, his facial expression, and the rolling of eyes, told a tale.
“All I need to focus on is tomorrow and try to make the cut. That’s all I can focus on,” he answered, more aware than anyone of the uphill task.
Meanwhile, Tom McKibbin – another product of Holywood Golf Club but playing in his first Open and only the second Major of his career after debuting in last month’s US Open at Pinehurst – signed for a 73, two-over-par.
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