One Round Down, Three to Go in Rory McIlroy's Quest to End Major Drought

Rory McIlroy cares, that much was obvious on Thursday at the U.S. Open. After an opening 67, he's of the mindset to simply keep it going.

BROOKLINE, Mass. — Rory McIlroy was leading the 2022 U.S. Open when, on his 18th hole of the day, he hit his approach 33 feet right of the pin and flung his club almost as far. He was leading the 2022 U.S. Open when he sent his putt 3 feet past the hole and yanked his hat down over his eyes. And he was leading the 2022 U.S. Open when he made bogey to finish the day at 67, 3 under par, and stalked off the course, muttering and shaking his head.

In most ways, it was a successful day. McIlroy ended the day one shot off Adam Hadwin's lead, tied for second alongside Callum Tarren, David Lingmerth, Joel Dahmen and MJ Daffue. DataGolf gives McIlroy a 17% chance to win at The Country Club this week, leagues ahead of anyone else. But he knows as well as anyone: To give himself a real shot to win his fifth major, he needs to get off to a strong start. At his best, he runs away with tournaments. In his four major wins, his worst Thursday placement was one stroke back of the leader, at the 2012 PGA Championship. He has never won a major in which he entered Sunday out of first place.

A par from this bunker on the 5th hole Thursday was one of Rory McIlroy's keys in an opening 3-under 67 :: John David Mercer/USA Today

So those misfires on No. 9, after two straight birdies, drove him crazy.

“I think once I played our front nine, the back side, in 2 under par, no bogeys, I think I sort of was [like], 'OK, let's try to play this round without a bogey,'” he said. “That was sort of the mindset. I did that for 17 holes, which was great, and then I was sort of in two minds about what shot to hit on the second shot on 9 and missed the green where you just can't miss it.”

He had erupted for a similar outburst on No. 5, when his tee shot dropped into the rough around one of the right bunkers. “It's hard not to get frustrated because I'm walking up there going like, Just come back into the bunker,” he said. “The thickest rough on the course is around the edges of the bunkers. So I was sort of cursing the USGA.” He stood in a bunker and hit his chip directly into an adjacent bunker. He sighed dramatically and took two hacks into the sand. “I'd already messed it up, so it wasn't like it was much more work for [caddie Harry Diamond],” McIlroy added, grinning.

That time, he saved par, which he called one of the key moments of the day, along with another par save on No. 2. “The margins are just so fine in this tournament,” he said.

They will likely only get finer. A cold, overcast Thursday helped keep the greens moist, and the forecast calls for some rain overnight, but Friday’s temperatures are expected to reach the 80s. Players have lamented the tricky crosswinds. Reigning champion Jon Rahm called the course “very hard” and said that the rough around the greens is “as healthy as I’ve seen in a while.” Collin Morikawa said he thought they had played the easiest golf of the week — and even then, no one got to 5 under par. “You're going to encounter things at a U.S. Open, whether they be lies or stuff like that, that you just don't really encounter any other week,” McIlroy said.

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It must have been a relief for McIlroy to answer questions about the playing of golf rather than the state of golf. He has become the leading voice of the pro-PGA Tour crowd, speaking often and eloquently about the threat the rival Saudi-funded LIV Golf tour poses. On Thursday, someone asked if the schism gave him any extra motivation.

“Not really,” he said. “It's been eight years since I won a major, and I just want to get my hands on one again.”

He has signed for some good scores since that last one, the 2014 PGA Championship, but many have looked better than they felt. Five of his 15 top-10 major finishes have come via the back door: He entered the day in at least 11th place and at least six strokes back of the lead. There has been cause for hope recently, with a furious charge that fell just short at the Masters, a strong start at the PGA Championship and a win last week at the RBC Canadian Open, but it was still a relief to see himself atop the leaderboard before Sunday.

“You feel like you're right in the tournament from the start of the week, which is nice,” he said. “I'm going into tomorrow with the mindset of 'let's keep it going' rather than 'where is the cut line?' or whatever. If you don't get off to a great start those thoughts start to creep in, 'OK, what do I need to just be here for the weekend?' It's certainly a different mindset when you get off to a good start.”

He got that good start. Now he just has to play the other three days. 

More U.S. Open Coverage From Morning Read:

> Michael Jordan Advises Harold Varner III to Decline ‘Nuts’ LIV Offer, Stay on PGA Tour
> What to Watch in Round 2: Phil, Rory and a Worthy Underdog
> One of Golf’s Most Connected Amateurs Has Much to Say on LIV Golf and None of It Positive
> Rory McIlroy Out to Another Fast Major Start, Shoots 67
> Phil Mickelson Warmly Greeted in U.S. Open First Round, But Struggles with 78
> U.S. Open Day 1: Live Scores, Updates
> DP World Tour Needs to Take a Stand One Way or Another on LIV Golf
> The 2022 U.S. Open Will Award a Record $17.5 Million Purse, $3.15 Million to Win

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