Rory’s forced to hunt down the Fox
THE packed enclosures around the 18th green at Ballyliffin willed the 12-footer into the hole, but Rory McIlroy couldn’t give them the early evening send-off he was seeking.
For what seemed the umpteenth time in his opening round, a birdie putt stayed above ground and McIlroy allowed himself a grimace as he leaned his cold putter against his Nike bag.
The Irish Open host wasn’t among the afternoon movers and shakers, but he should have been because no one gave themselves more birdie opportunities.
His two-under-par 70 was as high as it could have been as many chances went abegging, at the third, fourth, fifth, 11th, 13th and 16th and finally the 18th, which he admitted was a poor putt.
‘The one on 18 I felt like I pulled it but some of the other ones it was more I didn’t read them right. I’m going to go do a bit of work this evening and see if I can straighten it out,’ he said.
McIlroy is leaning on himself to solve his golfing puzzles. ‘I’ll sort of figure it [the putting] out on my own.
‘I don’t think it is that far away because there was a lot of putts I felt like I hit good and were just shaving by the edges. I wasn’t missing them by that much.
‘A little bit of confidence, seeing a couple go in early tomorrow and hopefully it will be a different story.’
McIlroy holed two decent putts but a tally of 32 was three or four higher than his approach play merited. If the blade had been lukewarm he’d be on the tail of Ryan Fox on five under, if not even co-leader himself.
Rather than fret over what might have been, the challenge for McIlroy this morning is to chase down the Fox, and haul himself into the frame for a second Irish Open title.
‘I like these late-early tee times. I feel if you shoot a decent round, you can get back out on the course straightaway in the morning and try to keep the momentum going that you have.’
‘I’m only three behind. I’m not too far off the lead and if I can hit the ball similar to today over the next few days and just get a few more to drop, I should be right in it.’
Conditions were that bit trickier in the afternoon as the pace of the greens picked up and the humps and hollows of the Glashedy Links came more into play.
Yet, these conditions are second nature to players reared on seaside courses and the Irish contingent drew on their experience. Some fared better than others.
Shane Lowry was motoring smoothly at two under par with four holes to play when he hit a speed wobble. A three-putt on 15 was followed by errant drives on the 17th and 18th, which he finished five, five — holing a brace of seven-footers to do so.
‘It was good until I played four bad holes at the end. I got a bit frustrated and let it get to me, but that was a nice putt on the last. I would have been very disappointed to shoot over par.
‘The scoring’s not hectic is it? I’ll try and get out early in the morning and shoot a good score,’ said Lowry.
Paul Dunne (73) blamed ‘laziness’ for going out of bounds on the second hole after starting with a birdie three. ‘I hit a twoiron right with all of Donegal on my left. It was a brain-dead moment,’ he said.
‘I was hitting the driver left which took me by surprise,’ he added before heading to the range.
The highlight of Paul McGinley’s 73 was a tap-in two at the 14th.