Rory McIlroy believes that he can bring himself back into contention to win The Open Championship despite getting off to a slow start on Thursday at Royal Birkdale.
McIlroy was the favourite in the eyes of many heading into the final major of the year. He won The Masters earlier this year, while the majority of his performance at the Scottish Open last week felt like a statement of intent.
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Unfortunately, the Northern Irishman has left himself with a lot of work to do if he wants to lift the Claret Jug for a second time this week.
Rory McIlroy assesses his chances of winning The Open Championship
McIlroy opened up with a two over par round of 72 in Southport. There is no question that his putting was the biggest problem, with the 37-year-old letting several opportunities slip through his grasp.
The score leaves McIlroy seven shots back of first round leader Jackson Suber.
But speaking after his first round, McIlroy insisted that he still feels that he can bring himself back into contention over the next three rounds.
“Yeah, I think so. I think you can. If you look at the discrepancy between the scoring this morning and the scoring this afternoon, it looks like that’s going to be flipped tomorrow with the conditions again,” he said.
“Hopefully I can take advantage of the more benign conditions in the morning and shoot one under par and get back in it.”
How far back Rory McIlroy was for each of his major victories after the opening round
History is not particularly kind to McIlroy when it comes to his chances of flying through the field and contending for the Claret Jug.
McIlroy has either led or been within one shot of the lead after the first round for five of his six major victories.
Interestingly, the 2025 Masters may provide some encouragement. McIlroy was seven shots adrift of Justin Rose after the opening day at Augusta National after making two double bogeys.
Of course, everyone knows what happened on Sunday, with McIlroy able to seal the Career Grand Slam.
It is arguably a harder task this time around with so many players in the field. However, it will seem entirely possible if McIlroy gets off to a flying start on Friday.
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