RORY MCILROY WAS a frustrated man after his six-over par 78 in the first round of the Memorial Tournament in Ohio.
McIlroy birdied his first hole yesterday, but after four-putting his third hole of the day the Northern Irishman unravelled, with another six bogeys to be at the foot of the leaderboard.
The 24-year-old was at a loss to explain his dismal round at the Muirfield Village Golf Club, and admitted he was upset by how he played, especially given he had enjoyed top-10 finishes at the Wells Fargo Championship and Players Championship.
“I’m pretty frustrated,” McIlroy said. “I’m trying not to let it get to me. It is what it is. A few bad rounds of golf is not going to ruin anything, but I’d definitely like to start playing. I don’t really have many explanations for this.
“I felt like my game was good. I felt like I was coming in here and hitting the ball well. I felt like I needed to hole some more putts and things would be okay. I’m still sort of struggling on the greens a bit, and I just missed a few too many shots out to the right and that cost me. That’s sort of been my big miss all of this year.”
McIlroy is confident he can turn his game around as the year progresses.
“I haven’t lived up to my own expectations this year, but I’m working hard to try to live up to them, working hard to try and get the game back to where I know it can be,” he said.
