Wayne Riley believes that Rory McIlroy would have grabbed Brad Faxon and headed straight to the practice putting green after his first round at The Open Championship.
McIlroy has got his work cut out if he hopes to win a second Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale. The 37-year-old goes into the second round in Southport seven shots off the lead after carding a two over par round of 72.
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There were some amazing shots from McIlroy, including his drive on the ninth hole which found the green nearly 390 yards away.
It could have easily been so much better for the six-time major champion. However, the short game that won him The Masters was nowhere to be found.
Rory McIlroy backed to head straight to the putting green after his first round at The Open Championship
McIlroy missed short putts on seven, eight and 10. They were the putts that McIlroy has arguably not missed since the final three holes at the US Open at Pinehurst back in 2024.
It was jarring to see McIlroy look so baffled on the greens. And speaking on Sky Sports after the round had concluded, Wayne Riley predicted that McIlroy would have been in no rush to leave the course on Thursday evening.
“He was bewildered. He couldn’t get a grip of the pace of the greens. We haven’t seen Rory McIlroy miss putts of that length – birdie putts and par putts – four feet and in, we haven’t seen that for ages,” he said.
“It does happen, but at the end of the day, two over, okay, not out of it yet. But it was a shock today, because those greens, they weren’t really running at 11, they were just under 11. They got slower as the day went on, so he’ll go to the putting green with Brad Faxon, I’m certain, and sort that out, or try to.”
What was even more surprising than Rory McIlroy’s putting performance at Royal Birkdale
McIlroy lost 2.8 strokes to the field with his putting on Thursday, according to Data Golf.
Just eight players performed worse on the greens during the opening round. Ben Griffin was the only one who posted a lower score, with the American proving to be sensational from tee to green.
What is perhaps even more surprising is that McIlroy was the fifth worst player around the green at Birkdale, as he lost 2.16 shots to the field.
McIlroy’s ability to recover was pivotal in clinching his second Masters title back in April. And yet, there was none of that magic on Thursday at Royal Birkdale.
It perhaps bodes well that two strong parts of McIlroy’s game were so disappointing on Thursday. If he can find a fix, he could still be the man to beat this week.
But clearly, McIlroy has reason to be extremely alarmed by just how poor his short game and putting were.
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