TROON, Scotland – The drama of their duel at Pinehurst seemed a long way away on Thursday on the West Coast of Scotland, where U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and tough-luck runner-up Rory McIlroy pretty much played their way out of contention in the opening round of the British Open.
Royal Troon turned nasty on Thursday and both players struggled to adjust to the conditions and a different wind direction, combining for one birdie and an eagle between them and shooting a collective 12 over par.
DeChambeau shot 76 on the par-71 course after the first-nine 42 that included just three pars. And McIlroy had two double bogeys, leaving one shot in a bunker near the short par-3 8th green and hitting his tee shot out of bounds and onto a rail line on the 11th, to finish with a 78.
“The course was playing tough,” said McIlroy, who made a single birdie, two doubles and four bogeys. “The conditions are very difficult in a wind that we haven't seen so far this week.
“I guess when that happens, you play your practice rounds, you have a strategy that you think is going to help you get around the golf course, but then when you get a wind you haven't played in, it starts to present different options and you start to think about maybe hitting a few clubs that you haven't hit in practice.
“Just one of those days where I just didn't adapt well enough to the conditions.”
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DeChambeau had similar sentiments.
“Yeah, it's a completely different test,” said DeChambeau, who noted he had some equipment issues to work out in light of the cooler temperatures and the golf ball not “compressing’’ as much. “I didn't get any practice in it, and I didn't really play much in the rain. It's a difficult test out here. Something I'm not familiar with. I never grew up playing it, and not to say that that's the reason; I finished eighth at St Andrews (in 2022). I can do it when it's warm and not windy.”
That certainly wasn’t the case Thursday. After relatively mild conditions during the practice rounds, players arrived to rainy conditions and a different wind, one that was coming out of the south. That meant the opening holes—typically the easiest part of the course—played far different.
McIlroy actually managed them well enough, following an opening bogey with a birdie. But at the 8th hole, known as the postage stamp, the fine line of links golf came into play.
The four-time major winner hit a tee shot that appeared fine, but was simply too close to the edge of the green, rolling off into a bunker. From there, McIlroy hit his shot out only to to see it roll back in. That led to a double-bogey 5.
“But still, felt like I was in reasonable enough shape being a couple over through nine, thinking that I could maybe get those couple shots back, try to shoot even par, something like that,” McIlroy said. “Then hitting the ball out of bounds on 11, making a double there. Even though the wind on the back nine was helping, it was a lot off the left. I was actually surprised how difficult I felt like the back nine played. I thought we were going to get it a little bit easier than we did.”
McIlroy was unable to add any birdies and had bogeys at the 15th and 18th holes to shoot his highest score since a 79 in the first round of the 2021 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
In 2019, McIlroy began the Open with a 79 at Royal Portrush and furiously rallied the following day but came up short of making the cut.
“That’s all I can focus on,’’ he said.
DeChambeau was more optimistic. After his poor first nine, he calmed down, with a bogey at the 15th and an eagle at the 16th.
“I'm just proud of the way I persevered today,” DeChambeau said. “Shoot, man, I could have thrown in the towel after nine and could have been like, I'm going home. But no, I've got a chance tomorrow. I'm excited for the challenge. If I have some putts go in and hit some shots the way I know how to and figure out this equipment stuff, I'll be good.”
The Open has a 36-hole cut of 70 and ties.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau Shoot Themselves Out of Contention at British Open.
