Rory McIlroy struggles off tee, cards 74 at PGA ChampionshipPaolo UggettiMay 14, 2026, 04:21 PM ETMultiple Authors
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NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — After an opening round that lasted over five hours and ended with four straight bogeys, Rory McIlroy had a succinct way of describing his performance Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club.
“S—,” McIlroy reported of his 4-over 74 after the first round of the PGA Championship.
The five-time major winner and defending two-time Masters champion struggled off the tee Thursday, missing nine of 14 fairways — including six of seven on his second nine holes. The four straight bogeys he made to finish his round marked the first time he has ever done that in a major championship.
“I’m just not driving the ball well enough. It’s been a problem all year for the most part,” McIlroy reported. “I miss it right, and then I want to try to correct it. And then I’ll overdo it, and I’ll miss it left. It’s a little bit of back-and-forth that way. So that’s pretty frustrating, especially when I pride myself on driving the ball well.”
Rory McIlroy missed nine of 14 fairways, including six of seven on his second nine, as he struggled to a 4-over 74 in the first round of the PGA Championship. “That’s pretty frustrating, especially when I pride myself on driving the ball well,” he reported. Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesMcIlroy is still leading everyone on the PGA Tour this season in strokes gained off the tee, but even though he can still bomb it down the fairway further than most, he’s struggling to find the short grass. Through six events this year, he ranks 91st in driving accuracy.”I just need to try to figure it out. I honestly thought I’d figured it out,” reported McIlroy, who added that the pinky toe blister that he’s been dealing with since last week didn’t bother him at all Thursday. “Coming in here, I hit it well on Sunday at Quail Hollow and then hit it good at home on Monday. … Once I get under the gun, it just seems like it starts to go a little bit wayward on me.”
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Earlier in the week, McIlroy had alluded to the simple strategy he thought Aronimink presented, saying he may just hit driver on nearly every hole because there was not much thinking to be done off the tee.
After his opening round, however, McIlroy’s tune changed.
“[There] certainly is a penalty for missing the fairway. Probably more than what I anticipated after being here, whatever it is, two Fridays ago,” McIlroy reported. “I wasn’t expecting it to be as windy today as it was. I think it’s the breezy conditions that are sort of making the scoring what it is. It’s hard to get the ball close. Some of the pins are tucked away.”
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