PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – Of the myriad mistakes Rory McIlroy made during his stunning 79 to start this Open Championship, he was most disappointed with his shortest miscue.
After beginning the opening round with a quadruple-bogey 8, McIlroy battled back with two birdies and was only seven shots off the lead as he played the closing stretch. On the par-3 16th, he left his lag putt from the front of the green about 6 feet short.
“In normal conditions, with not a lot of wind, it was probably a ball on the left,” he explained.