Strong tee shots bring McIlroy confidence at US Open
FOURTH-RANKED Rory McIlroy took confidence from a strong performance off the tees in Thursday’s opening round of the US Open, despite feeling like he might have scored a bit lower.
The four-time major champion from Northern Ireland fired a three-under par 67 at Winged Foot to stand two off the lead on a suburban New York layout when accuracy off the tee and clutch putting were at a premium.
“Putting the ball in play off the tee. That was important today. I did that well for the most part,” McIlroy said. “I still missed a few fairways, but I was able to recover from there. I hit a lot of good tee shots.
“It gives me a little more confidence in my game, maybe a little more commitment with my swing off the tee, not guiding it as much, really being able to free-flow and make good, committed swings.
“Hopefully that sets me up to do that over the next few days. I feel like most aspects of my game are a little more under control now than they were say a month ago.”
McIlroy went three-under on the par-3 holes in his first major round as a father, daughter Poppy being born just over two weeks ago.
“Had a really good start,” McIlroy said. “Played the par-3s really well. Drove the ball better. I put the ball in play much more today than I have done in the previous few weeks. That bodes well. That’s what you need to do around here, just keep it in the short stuff.”
With three days remaining, McIlroy was satisfied with his start even as he reflected on where he might have lowered his score.
“Could have been a little lower than it was, but at the same time 67 is a really good start,” McIlroy said.
“I three-putted for par on six. There was a couple other chances I let slip by, the three-putt for bogey on one. So there was chances there to maybe sneak another two or three out of the round.”
A concern for McIlroy had been having first rounds that failed to live up to the three that followed once he looked back at tournament performances.
“Maybe putting myself under a little too much pressure to get off to a good start. First round of a major you’re always anxious to play well, and maybe I’ve overthought it at times,” McIlroy said.
“I just went out today and just took what was given to me a little more relaxed and played really nicely.”
- Good start an Open key -That solid start, McIlroy said, enables him to worry less about chasing a score and more about constructing a steady round.
“I think at a US Open, if you can get off to a good start, you’re not chasing as much. And when you chase on US Open golf courses, that’s when you can start to make mistakes and compound your errors,” he said.
THOMAS JUMPS INTO LEAD
Mixing respect for a difficult US Open layout with the need to chase birdie chances, Justin Thomas put himself in early position to capture his second major golf title. The 27-year-old American fired a five-under par 65 to jump ahead early in Thursday’s first round of the US Open at Winged Foot.
“It was a good day for me from the start,” Thomas said. “I’ve just played really, really solidly. Hit a lot of really quality tee shots. Only had a few squirrely ones. The few greens I missed, I hit great bunker shots to give myself good par chances.
“It’s one of the best rounds I’ve played in a while tee to green,” Thomas said.
“There are a couple things here and there that definitely could have been better, but I made sure all of my misses were in the right spot and that’s what you have to do at a US Open.”
Thomas was the 2017 PGA Championship winner but hasn’t managed another top-five major finish. He expected receptive morning greens and some birdie chances despite the formidable nature of Winged Foot with dense rough and hard-to-hold fairways. But Thomas was determined to make the most of his chances and a birdie run from the ninth through 11th holes sparked his round, which closed with a 25-foot birdie putt at the 18th.