Masters champion Rory McIlroy used a single blunt word to sum up his disappointing opening round at the PGA Championship on Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club, a 4-over 74 that left him with work to do to avoid missing the cut.
"Shit,” world No. 2 McIlroy said when asked to describe his round during his media availability.
Pressed to elaborate, the Northern Irishman pointed to his struggles off the tee, which set up a difficult day that ended with four straight bogeys.
"I’m just not driving the ball well enough. It’s been a problem all year for the most part,” McIlroy said.
"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.”
McIlroy, who started on the back nine, followed an opening bogey with a birdie at his second hole. After a string of 10 pars, he made another bogey that he quickly erased with a birdie at the par-3 fifth hole to get back to even par before limping home with four straight bogeys.
McIlroy, making just his second start since retaining his Masters title in April, was a betting favorite coming into the week along with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
The six-time major champion ended his practice round early Tuesday because of a blister on his right pinky toe but said it did not bother him during his opening round.
The windy conditions at Aronimink also proved challenging for several players.
"I wasn’t expecting it to be as windy today as it was,” McIlroy said. "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.”
McIlroy now faces an uphill battle to make the halfway cut, let alone win a seventh career major title.
"I just need to try to figure it out,” said the 37-year-old. "I honestly thought I’d figured it out. Coming in here, I hit it well on Sunday at Quail Hollow, and then hit it good at home on Monday. Obviously I had to curtail the practice round Tuesday, but hit it decent yesterday.
"Once I get under the gun, it just seems like it starts to go a little bit wayward on me.”