Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy struggle at Open Championship

TROON, Scotland — Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy beat everybody in final month’s U.S. Open.

However within the opening spherical of The Open at Royal Troon Golf Membership, they struggled to defeat Mom Nature — and themselves — in what was a Thursday morning to overlook within the wind and rain on Scotland’s west coast.

DeChambeau, who gained his second U.S. Open title with a one-shot victory over McIlroy at Pinehurst No. 2, carded a 5-over 76 on Thursday. McIlroy was two strokes worse and trailed first-round chief Daniel Brown by 13 strokes.

DeChambeau vowed to play “boring” golf at Pinehurst, however his sport was removed from that on Thursday — for all of the unsuitable causes. He was 3 over via 4 holes after a three-putt bogey on No. 1, badly yanking his tee shot on No. 3 for one more bogey after which lacking a 3-foot par putt on No. 4.

“[The wind] was in and off the precise, and I used to be attempting to attract the ball and the ball was knuckling just a little bit,” DeChambeau mentioned. “It was a very troublesome problem, and I ought to have simply lower the ball.”

DeChambeau and McIlroy weren’t the one golfers left perplexed by the unpredictable wind at Royal Troon. Golfers usually play the entrance 9 with the wind at their backs, then shut with a troublesome again 9 with the wind of their faces, nevertheless it was the alternative within the first spherical.

On the 620-yard sixth gap, DeChambeau pulled his drive into the native space and hit his second shot simply 4 yards out of the excessive grass. He wanted 5 pictures to succeed in the inexperienced, resulting in a double-bogey 7. He carded two extra bogeys on Nos. 8 and 15 earlier than lastly ending the carnage by making a 55-foot eagle putt on the sixteenth.

“It is a fully totally different check,” DeChambeau mentioned. “I did not get any apply in it, and I did not actually play a lot within the rain. Yeah, it is a troublesome check out right here, one thing I am not aware of. I by no means grew up taking part in it, and to not say that that is the rationale. I completed eighth at St Andrews [at the 2022 Open]. I can do it when it is heat and never windy.”

McIlroy did not appear to be in bother on the entrance 9. He made a bogey on No. 1, however rapidly answered with a birdie on the par-4 third. He was even par after seven holes.

On the well-known par-3 eighth gap, often known as Postage Stamp, McIlroy hit his tee shot right into a greenside bunker. He did not get out the ball on his second shot, resulting in a double-bogey 5.

“[It was a] troublesome day,” McIlroy mentioned. “I felt like I did OK for the primary a part of the spherical after which missed the inexperienced on the Postage Stamp there and left it in and made a double. However nonetheless, I felt like I used to be in affordable sufficient form being a pair over via 9, pondering that I might perhaps get these couple pictures again, attempt to shoot even par, one thing like that.”

Issues solely obtained worse for McIlroy after he made the flip. After making a bogey on No. 10, the four-time main champion sliced his tee shot over the railway and out of bounds on the precise. That led to a different double-bogey that moved him to five over.

“Though the wind on the again 9 was serving to, it was rather a lot off the left,” McIlroy mentioned. “I used to be truly shocked how troublesome I felt just like the again 9 performed. I assumed we had been going to get it just a little bit simpler than we did. The course was taking part in powerful. The situations are very troublesome in a wind that we’ve not seen up to now this week.”

Brown completed with six birdies in a bogey-free spherical and has a one-shot lead over Shane Lowry.

Justin Thomas, who would not have an ideal observe document on hyperlinks programs and has struggled along with his kind for a lot of the previous two seasons, grabbed the early clubhouse lead by posting a 3-under 68 within the morning wave.

Thomas chipped in from off the inexperienced for a birdie on the par-4 second and added three extra birdies and one bogey to make the flip at 3-under 33. After one other birdie on the tenth, he badly pulled his tee shot to the left on No. 12 and needed to take a penalty drop, resulting in a double-bogey. He made a bogey on the thirteenth after pushing his drive into excessive tough on the precise.

“I simply had not performed that entrance 9 into the wind earlier than, and that was wild,” Thomas mentioned. “I keep in mind attempting to drive 1 and three in 2016, and I hit 7-iron into 1 at present, and I hit a 3-wood up there on 3 to have wedge in. Nevertheless it simply was very, very totally different. Nevertheless it simply was all very typical of an Open, simply attempting to make the most effective out of the situations that you’ve.”

Thomas closed with birdies on the ultimate two holes, together with a 25-footer on No. 18, to get again to three underneath, 1 in entrance of Alex Noren, Nicolai Hojgaard, Justin Rose and Russell Henley.

Thomas loves taking part in on hyperlinks programs however hasn’t had a lot to indicate for it. He had one top-15 end in seven earlier begins at The Open. Eventually yr’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in England, he opened with an 11-over 82.

Thomas had the first-round lead eventually week’s Genesis Scottish Open earlier than ending in a tie for 62nd.

“I really feel like every part has been turning the precise approach, and I have been engaged on the precise issues,” Thomas mentioned. “Identical to I mentioned, I have never actually had a lot to indicate for it. That is simply how this sport works generally. However I do know that I am shut the way in which it’s, and I am simply going to maintain taking part in and never play for outcomes, simply play for my sport, and it will deal with itself.”