McIlroy seven shots off the pace
Rory McIlroy is seven shots behind the leaders after the opening round of the US Open at Chambers Bay on Thursday.
The Northern Irishman was slightly disappointed with his two over 72 at the links course, leaving him seven strokes behind leaders Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson.
The world number one took advantage of the benign conditions on Puget Sound, finding most fairways. But it was on the greens that McIlroy struggled. His two birdies on the 11th and 16th were offset by four bogeys.
“I played well from tee to green,” said the 26-year-old on ESPN.
“I thought the course was set up fair. A score in the mid-60s was out there, as you can see with Dustin and Henrik. I thought you could be aggressive here. It’s not a game of chess. I just didn’t putt well enough.
“I hit my irons well. You are going to hit to 20, 25 feet a lot here. I just didn’t take my chances when they came along.
“I had a couple of misreads on the greens and a couple of bad strokes. When you lose the line, you stop trusting yourself…I’ll go to the practice green now and see if I can figure a few things out.”
McIlroy has three wins this year and is looking for his fifth major title this weekend.
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