Troon, Scotland – Drama The Duel at Pinehurst On Thursday on the west coast of Scotland, a championship seemed a long way off as U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and unlucky runner-up Rory McIlroy both dropped out of contention in the opening round of the British Open.
The weather worsened at Royal Troon on Thursday and both players struggled to adapt to the changing conditions and wind direction, finishing with one birdie and one eagle between them for a combined finish of 12-over par.
DeChambeau shot 76 on a par-71 course after making just three pars for 42 over the first nine holes, while McIlroy had two double bogeys, including one in a bunker near the green at the short, par-3 eighth and then hitting his tee shot out of bounds on the 11th and onto the rail line to finish with a 78.
“The course was tough,” said McIlroy, who had one birdie, two doubles and four bogeys. “The winds have been blowing like we’ve never seen this week and the conditions have been very tough.”
“When that happens, you play a practice round and you develop a strategy that you think will help you get around the golf course, but then when the wind blows that you’ve never played in, other options start to present themselves and you start thinking about hitting some clubs that you didn’t hit in practice.
“It was just one of those days where I just couldn’t adapt to the situation.”
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DeChambeau echoed similar sentiments.
“Yeah, it’s a totally different test,” DeChambeau said, noting he’ll need to work on equipment issues given the cooler temperatures and the fact that golf balls aren’t as “compressed.” “I didn’t practice at all, I didn’t play much in the rain. It’s a tough test here. I’m not used to it. I didn’t grow up playing golf, I’m not going to say it’s because of it, but I finished eighth at St. Andrews (in 2022). When it’s warm and the wind isn’t blowing, I can do it.”
That wasn’t the case on Thursday. After relatively calm conditions for the practice round, players began playing in different conditions – rain and winds from the south – which made the first hole, usually the easiest on the course, play very differently.
McIlroy handled it well, birdieing an opening bogey, but the fine line of links golf came into play on the eighth hole, known as the Postage Stamp.
McIlroy, a four-time major champion, hit a seemingly innocent tee shot that was too close to the edge of the green and rolled into a bunker. McIlroy then took a shot, but the ball rolled into the bunker, leading to a double bogey at five.
“But I was feeling pretty good after nine holes a couple over par and thought I could get a couple back and maybe get a shot at par,” McIlroy said. “Then I hit the ball out of bounds on the 11th for a double. The wind helped me on the back nine, but it was way to the left. I was actually surprised at how difficult I found the back nine to play. I thought it would be a little easier than it actually was.”
McIlroy couldn’t add another birdie and bogeyed the 15th and 18th holes for his best score since a 79 he recorded in the first round of the 2021 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
In 2019, McIlroy started the Open with a 79 at Royal Portrush, then bounced back ferociously the next day but still fell short of the cut.
“That’s all I can focus on,” he said.
DeChambeau was more optimistic, after a rough first nine holes before regaining his composure with a bogey on the 15th and an eagle on the 16th.
“I’m proud of how I persevered today,” DeChambeau said. “Yeah, I could have just given up after nine holes and thought I was done. But I have a chance tomorrow and I’m looking forward to the challenge. If I can make the putts, if I can hit the shots the way I want to and if I understand how to use the equipment, I’ll be OK.”
At the British Open, qualifying is by scoring 70 or better over the 36 holes.
