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Rory McIlroy Toils at British Open as Putting Woes Leave Him 7 Shots Off the First-Round Lead
- On Thursday, July 16, 2026, Rory McIlroy carded a 2-over 72 at Royal Birkdale during the first round of The Open, leaving him seven shots behind leader Jackson Suber.
- Putting difficulties plagued McIlroy throughout the afternoon, as he ranked 104th in putting statistics after missing three putts from inside four feet on greens he described as "very inconsistent."
- At the par-five 17th, McIlroy contorted his stance to splash out of a bunker only to miss the putt; he salvaged ground with a brilliant approach from 198 yards to five feet on the 18th.
- Facing an uphill battle, McIlroy's seven-shot deficit is historically daunting; the previous 26 Open champions were positioned within five shots of the lead after round one.
- Hoping for more benign conditions on Friday, McIlroy plans to focus on the positives from his opening round, aiming to "shoot a good one" and recover for the weekend.
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Hometown News LPRory McIlroy makes the cut at British Open but needs a big weekend for a 2nd claret jug
By STEVE DOUGLAS SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Rory McIlroy has done enough to make it to the weekend at Royal Birkdale. He’ll have to do much, much more to lift the claret jug. The world No. 2 bounced back with a 3-under 67 in the second round at the British Open on Friday, ensuring he’ll […]
Rory McIlroy laments putting horror show at Open Championship after opening-round 72
Open Championship: Despite a rollercoaster two-over-par opening round at Royal Birkdale, the Northern Irishman targets an early Friday charge to close a seven-shot gap on the leaders.
·Cape Town, South Africa
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Total News Sources56
Leaning Left14Leaning Right7Center27Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
L 29%
C 56%
15%
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