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US Open 2018: Rory McIlroy’s Majors misery continues with a ten over par EIGHTY
14th June 2018,
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RORY McILROY'S Major championship misery got even more painful, as he collapsed to a ten over par EIGHTY in the first round of the US Open.
It was McIlroy’s worst start to any Major – the previous low point was his 79 in the opening round of the Open five years ago, when he missed the cut by four shots.
He can probably start making alternative plans for the weekend this time too, even though everyone found it tough to get to grips with a windswept Shinnecock Hills – including returning hero Tiger Woods, who ran up a triple bogey seven on the first hole.
McIlroy was joined by Tiger Woods on eight over par after the three-time winner also shot a 78.
Even if McIlroy does manage to claw his way back over the cut line, he has no chance of ending his drought in the events that matter most, which stretches back to the 2014 USPGA Championship.
This was the third time he has shot 80 in a Major – the others came when he followed a first round 63 with a shocker at the 2010 Open, before his infamous final round meltdown in the final round of the 2011 Masters.
But statistically, this was the worst of the lot.
His previous eighties were on par 72s, so he finished eight over each time. The par at Shinnecock is 70, so he was a couple of shots worse off here.
McIlroy actually managed three birdies. But three double bogeys and seven other dropped shots underlined the fact that he always seems to struggle when the wind picks up.
He was in good company – at least on paper!
Playing alongside Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth meant their three-ball boasted 12 Major triumphs between them – five to Lefty, four to McIlroy, and three to the reigning Open champion.
Yet they finished a combined 24 over par, with Mickelson shooting 77 and Spieth throwing in a 78. The co-called ‘super group’ played more like a trio of weekend hackers.
All three refused requests for interviews, striding away from the clubhouse with matching stony-faced expressions. They were united in that, as well as in misery.
Spieth later broke ranks, emerging from a lunch that must have tasted like ashes to announce: “That certainly wasn’t any fun – it was just blah!
“If you were playing well and hitting it to the right spots you could make pars, although a few of the flags were a little dicey. And overall it was just very difficult to control the ball off the tee and get it where you wanted it in this wind.
“I’ve been striking it beautifully lately. But I got a little off in the wind today. Hopefully I’ll be better tomorrow.”
Spieth was the first to send up distress signals. After bogeying his opening hole, the tenth, he ran up a triple bogey on the 159 yards 11th, and ended up playing the par threes in six over.
It was more of a slow death for Mickelson’s hopes of winning the title he needs to complete the career Grand Slam.
He has finished runner-up six times in this event, and as he will ‘celebrate’ his 48th birthday on Saturday you sense that is as close as he is going to get.
Mickelson kept frittering away shots despite overcoming the biggest flaw in his game this year.
He stands 201st out of 205 PGA Tour players in terms of accuracy off the tee, but he missed just one fairway this time – and still made eight bogeys, with just one birdie on his card.
Mickelson is the second best putter in the States this year, although you would never have known it from watching him on these treacherous greens.
Jason Day, the only player who has been better at holing putts than Lefty, also looked like he was holding a wok rather than a putter.
He opened with a 79, which meant another of the pre-tournament favourites bit the dust.
Double Masters champion Bubba Watson matched Mickelson’s 77, as the carnage continued. After a series of pretty tame US Opens, it was back to the days when walking to the tee at this tournament struck fear into everyone’s hearts.
RORY McILROY'S Major championship misery got even more painful, as he collapsed to a ten over par EIGHTY in the first round of the US Open.
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