Golf enthusiasts have been curious about the challenges awaiting them at Oakmont Country Club during this year’s US Open. Rory McIlroy, among the competitors, showcased just how difficult the course can be in this third major of the season.
As the 2025 Masters Champion tackled Oakmont on Thursday, he had quite a journey. He started well with a front nine score of 33, making birdies on both the second and third holes while managing to maintain par throughout the rest. However, things took a downturn on the back nine, largely due to Oakmont’s notoriously thick rough.
His first bogey happened at Hall 1, where he had begun his round at Hall 10. McIlroy struggled to locate his ball, ultimately landing it just a few feet ahead. He then took another swing in a fairway bunker but ended up off course again.
Despite the setbacks, McIlroy was determined. His fourth shot on a troublesome hole could have completely derailed his round, but he managed to get the ball back on the fairway near the green, allowing him to save a bogey with a lengthy putt.
Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of his difficulties. What followed were more bogeys and double bogeys, as he wrestled with his swing and found his putting game unhelpful.
On a particularly challenging 289-yard par-3, his tee shot landed deep in the rough behind the green, eliciting an expressively annoyed reaction as another pitch went scant feet forward.
McIlroy finished the round at four over par (74), landing in 64th place on the leaderboard. He wasn’t alone in facing struggles; his good friend Shane Lowry also had a rough day with a score of 9-over-79, and was seen tossing a microphone around in frustration after a poor chip shot.
Even other top players like Justin Rose (7 over), Patrick Cantlay (6 over), Matthew Fitzpatrick (4 over), and Wyndham Clark (4 over) encountered challenges throughout the day.
As the afternoon continued, it would be interesting to see how the leaderboard shaped up as players wrapped up their rounds on Friday, perhaps offering a glimmer of hope to McIlroy and others looking to improve their standings.
