Hours after Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele shot the first two 62s in U.S. Open history to lead Wyndham Clark and Dustin Johnson by two shots, McIlroy was five under through nine holes. His 30 was the best nine-hole score of his major career, one which includes four victories. The most ardent of McIlroy fans in the L.A. galleries were shouting “59 watch,” but it was likely just going to be a really good opening round.
The Northern Irishman didn’t birdie the par-5 14th, but managed one on the next hole, the short par-3 15th, and was cruising at six under par. At the 18th, McIlroy blasted a drive 312 yards up the left fairway. Then disaster struck his scorecard.
McIlroy pulled his approach into the thick rough around the greenside bunker and whiffed his pitch shot. On a day when his longest drive was 382 yards, this shot traveled zero yards.
Bewildered, the 2011 U.S. Open winner collected himself and pitched his ball to 11 feet. He made an impressive bogey, given the circumstances, and signed for a 65. He was three back of the lead and hit 13 fairways and 16 greens in regulation.
McIlroy did not speak to the media afterward, having removed himself also from a scheduled Tuesday pre-tournament interview. Before Thursday’s opening round, he had only spoken with Golf Channel and Sky Sports. McIlroy appears to be making a concerted effort to refrain from interviews after a tumultuous year in which he became the most vocal critic against LIV Golf.
McIlroy played the opening round at LACC with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka and former Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama. McIlroy and the two-time U.S. Open champion Koepka embraced with a bro handshake before the round and spoke multiple times during Koepka’s one-over 71. That was always to be expected; the two are friendly and regularly catch up at golf courses in Jupiter, Fla. Koepka, whose fifth major win came at last month’s PGA Championship, was not able to continue that form into Day 1 of the U.S. Open. “I didn’t hit good all day and didn’t deserve shoot much better,” Koepka said.