Rory McIlroy's early promise in Irish Open first round undone by faltering finish at K Club
Rory McIlroy’s latest homecoming at the Irish Open started in promising fashion but finished with frustration, as the world No.2 bogeyed two of his final three holes to card a one-under 71 at The K Club on Thursday.
The Northern Ireland star, whose arrival drew the largest galleries of the day, showed early signs of sharp form ahead of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in a few weeks’ time.
Starting on the 10th, he made four birdies in his opening nine and looked poised to climb the leaderboard at the Kildare venue.
He added another birdie, however, McIlroy’s momentum faltered in the closing stretch. Trouble at the seventh and eighth holes cost the Masters champion dearly, as he missed both greens and failed to save par each time, registering back-to-back bogeys for four in total in his opening 18 holes.
“Game feels pretty good,” McIlroy said after his round. “Just a matter of being more efficient with the scoring.”
McIlroy finished his opening round five shots off the clubhouse pace set by Nacho Elvira, whose bogey-free 66 included birdies on four of his last six holes. The Spaniard holds a one-stroke advantage over Bernd Wiesberger, Daniel Brown, and Adrien Saddier.
Ireland’s Shane Lowry, another key Team Europe Ryder Cup player, delighted his home crowd with a late surge, birdieing three of his last six holes and recording a 69.