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Rory describes his opening round as S*it

Rory McIlroy entered the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club as one of the favorites to win the Wanamaker Trophy after another strong run in major championships. Instead, the world No. 2 walked off the course Thursday, frustrated after an opening-round 4-over 74 left him outside the top 100 on the leaderboard.

McIlroy arrived at Aronimink following back-to-back Masters victories and renewed momentum in major tournaments. But difficult driving conditions, thick rough, and a poor finish to his round quickly changed the tone of his week at the second major championship of the season.

The Northern Irishman struggled badly off the tee throughout the opening round and closed with four consecutive bogeys. After the round, McIlroy offered a blunt assessment of his performance when asked how he would describe it.

Rory McIlroy Gives Blunt Assessment After PGA Championship Round

GettyRory McIlroy of Northern Ireland

When asked by a reporter to describe his opening round, McIlroy answered with one word: “S—.”

The six-time major champion later expanded on the issues that hurt him throughout Thursday’s round.

“I’m just not driving the ball well enough,” McIlroy said. “It’s been a problem all year for the most part. I miss it right, and then I want to try to correct it. And then I’ll overdo it, and I’ll miss it left.”

McIlroy’s struggles off the tee became costly at Aronimink, where thick rough and firm conditions punished inaccurate drives.

He began his round on the back nine and immediately made bogey on the 10th hole after missing the fairway and being forced to hack his second shot back into play.

“The one on the 10th hole starting off, that’s as bad as I’ve seen,” McIlroy said. “There certainly is a penalty for missing the fairway. Probably more than what I anticipated after being here two Fridays ago.”

Despite the early bogey, McIlroy briefly recovered. He birdied the 11th hole and later responded to another bogey on No. 4 with a birdie on No. 5 to return to even par.

However, the final stretch unraveled quickly.

McIlroy bogeyed each of his final four holes and five of his final six holes overall to finish at 4 over par.

“I started missing fairways,” McIlroy explained. “I missed the fairway right on 4, the fairway right on 6, the fairway right on 7, fairway right on 9.”

He added, “From there, it’s hard. I didn’t have great angles either. Then, obviously, you start missing it just off the edges of these greens; it gets tricky.”

Scottie Scheffler Stays in Contention as Rory McIlroy Falls Back

GettyScottie Scheffler of the United States plays his shot

While McIlroy struggled, defending PGA Championship winner Scottie Scheffler finished among a group tied for the lead at 3 under par after the opening round.

Scheffler, seeking consecutive PGA Championship victories, carded five birdies and held at least a share of the first-round lead in a major championship for the first time in his career.

“I think the emphasis would be share of the lead,” Scheffler said afterward. “I think there’s like six or seven guys up there. It’s a really tight leaderboard.”

The conditions at Aronimink proved tougher than many players expected entering the week.

Strong winds and rain made scoring difficult across the field. According to tournament statistics, 48 players finished within three shots of the lead after Thursday’s round, setting a PGA Championship first-round record.

McIlroy admitted the course played far differently than he had initially expected before the tournament began.

Prior to the championship, McIlroy had said, “Strategy off the tee is pretty nonexistent” at Aronimink. After Thursday’s struggles, he acknowledged how demanding the layout became when players missed fairways.

“I think it’s the breezy conditions that are sort of making the scoring what it is,” McIlroy said. “It’s hard to get the ball close. Some of the pins are tucked away.”

McIlroy also dealt with a blister on his toe earlier in the week that forced him to stop a practice round after only three holes. He switched to a wider shoe before Thursday’s opening round, though he later said the toe was not an issue during play.

Now sitting outside the projected cut line, McIlroy faces pressure entering Friday’s second round as he attempts to avoid an early exit from the PGA Championship.