Bryson, Rory struggle through weather at Open

Mark Schlabach, a senior writer for ESPN, posted a blog at 4:12 PM on July 18, 2024.

In the recent U.S. Open, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy emerged victorious against all competition.

However, during the first round of The Open at Royal Troon Golf Club, they faced challenges overcoming the harsh weather conditions and their own mistakes. Thursday morning was a tough one with strong winds and heavy rain on the west coast of Scotland.

DeChambeau, who won his second U.S. Open championship by beating McIlroy by one shot at Pinehurst No. 2, shot a 5-over 76 on Thursday. McIlroy had a score two strokes higher and was behind first-round leader Daniel Brown by 13 strokes.

DeChambeau promised to play a cautious style of golf at Pinehurst, but his performance on Thursday was anything but that - and not in a good way. He struggled early on, with three bogeys in the first four holes after some poor shots and missed putts.

"The wind was coming from the right on and off, and I was attempting to curve the ball, but it was wobbling a bit," DeChambeau explained. "It was a tough task, and I probably should have just sliced the ball instead."

DeChambeau and McIlroy, along with other golfers, were confused by the unpredictable wind at Royal Troon. Normally, golfers start with the wind at their backs on the front nine and face challenging conditions on the back nine. However, the wind direction was reversed during the first round, throwing off their usual strategy.

During the sixth hole, which was 620 yards long, DeChambeau's first shot went into the rough area. His second shot was only 4 yards away from the tall grass. It took him five shots to get to the green, resulting in a double-bogey score of 7. DeChambeau also had bogeys on the eighth and fifteenth hole before finally stopping the mistakes with a 55-foot eagle putt on the sixteenth hole.

DeChambeau mentioned that it's a completely new challenge. He didn't have the opportunity to practice for it and didn't play much in rainy conditions. It's a tough challenge for him because he's not used to it. He didn't grow up playing in these conditions, but that's not an excuse. He finished eighth at St Andrews in the 2022 Open, so he knows he can perform well when it's warm and calm.

McIlroy appeared to be doing well at the start of the round. He had a bogey on the first hole, but then quickly got a birdie on the third hole. He was at even par after playing seven holes.

During the well-known par-3 eighth hole at Postage Stamp, McIlroy ended up in a bunker with his tee shot. Unfortunately, he struggled to get out of the bunker with his second shot, resulting in a double-bogey 5.

"I had a tough day," McIlroy expressed. "I felt like I was doing alright in the beginning of the round, but then I made a mistake at the Postage Stamp hole and ended up with a double bogey. However, I was still feeling somewhat confident being two over par after 9 holes, thinking that I could make up for those shots and maybe finish the round at even par or close to it."

McIlroy's luck took a turn for the worse after he finished the front nine. Following a bogey on the 10th hole, the golfer with four major championships under his belt sent his tee shot to the right, landing out of bounds beyond the railway tracks. This costly mistake resulted in another double-bogey, pushing his score to 5 over par.

McIlroy expressed that despite the wind on the back nine giving some assistance, it was consistently coming from the left side. He was taken aback by the challenges he faced on the back nine, believing it would be easier. The course proved to be tough, with tough conditions due to a different type of wind than what was experienced earlier in the week.

Brown ended the day with six birdies and no bogeys, putting him in the lead with a one-shot advantage over Shane Lowry.

Justin Thomas, who has not performed well on links courses in the past and has faced difficulty in maintaining good form in the last two seasons, took an early lead in the clubhouse with a score of 3-under 68 in the morning session.

Thomas scored a birdie on the second hole by hitting the ball from the side of the green. He also got three more birdies and one bogey in the first nine holes. By the time he reached hole 10, Thomas had a score of 3-under 33. However, his luck changed on hole 12 when he made a mistake with his tee shot, resulting in a penalty drop and a double-bogey. Things didn't improve on hole 13 either, as he made a bogey after hitting his drive into thick rough on the right side of the fairway.

Thomas explained that he had never experienced playing the first nine holes against strong winds before. He recalled attempting to drive on holes 1 and 3 in 2016, but on this particular day he used a 7-iron on hole 1 and a 3-wood on hole 3, which left him with a wedge shot. It was a unique and challenging experience, but Thomas embraced it as part of the typical conditions one faces in an Open tournament. He emphasized the importance of adapting and making the most out of the situation at hand.

Thomas finished strong by making birdies on the last two holes, sinking a 25-foot putt on the 18th to end the round at 3 under par. This put him one stroke ahead of Alex Noren, Nicolai Hojgaard, Justin Rose, and Russell Henley.

Thomas enjoys playing on links courses but hasn't had a lot of success. He only finished in the top 15 once in his last seven starts at The Open. During last year's Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in England, he started with a disappointing 11-over 82.

Thomas was in first place after the first round of the Genesis Scottish Open last week, but ended up finishing in a tie for 62nd place.

"Things seem to be going in the right direction for me, and I've been focusing on the right priorities," Thomas shared. "As I mentioned before, I haven't seen much tangible progress yet. That's just how things go in this industry sometimes. However, I believe I'm on the right track, and I'll continue to stay focused on my game without worrying about immediate outcomes. If I keep doing that, success will come naturally."