[1]Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose both made nightmare starts to the British Open at red-hot Muirfield on Thursday as US wedge-king Zach Johnson set the early pace with a 66.
World number two McIlroy, desperately seeking the form that has eluded him since he changed clubs at the start of the year, had two double bogeys down the back nine en route to a morale-sapping eight over 79.
The lowest point of his round came at the 15th where he shook his head in disbelief after watching his long putt speed over the rock-hard green and bury itself in a deep pot bunker.
A second double-bogey was the end result of that and he looked a disconsolate figure trudging off the 18th green with the question mark over his current form beginning to take on giant proportions.
“I sort of hung in there. I made sloppy bogeys on four and five, then a good birdie on seven.
“I let shots get away from me — too many loose shots,” the 24-year-old McIlroy said.
“Silly mental errors cost me. I missed the ball in wrong places — you can’t do that with the firmness of the greens.
“I made stupid mental errors. It’s got so fast and firm. If you’re not in total control of the golf ball it’ll be quite difficult.”
Last month’s US Open winner Rose needed 17 holes before bagging his only birdie of the day and a double-bogey and three bogeys meant that he came in with a disappointing 75.
Both McIlroy and Rose failed to deal with the exceptional conditions at Muirfield, where two weeks of pure Scottish sunshine had left the famed links course running fast and furious.
More blue skies and temperatures passing 80 degrees Fahreinheit (26 Celsius) on Thursday made the greens treacherous and at times Augusta National fast, especially around the pins.
Johnson, whose sole win in a major came at the 2007 Masters, where his exceptional wedge play was the key, eagled the par-five fifth to set him on his way to a tremendous five-under 66.
“It was a very solid day. I felt great,” said Johnson who lost out in a play-off won by 19-year-old American Jordan Spieth in the John Deere Classic on Sunday.
“Certainly coming into the week I felt great on the tee shots today. I felt pretty comfortable on my approach shots. I had some good numbers to hit some shots close, because that is part of it here, as firm as it is.
“Anytime you shoot under par in an Open or a major, for that matter, you have to be putting at least somewhat decent, and I putted great.”
A shot further back came rising Spanish star Rafael Cabrera-Bello, with three players grouped on 68 — Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez and American sharp-shooters Dustin Johnson and Brandt Snedeker.
Todd Hamilton, who upset the odds to win the 2004 Open at Troon, was on 69 and he was joined there by Angel Cabrera of Argentina, and four-time major winner Phil Mickelson, who won last week’s Scottish Open
“I love the fact that I shot under par, because it’s a very challenging course out there. I don’t expect anybody to beat the lead from the morning wave, I just don’t think it’s possible,” said Mickelson.
Links:
[1] http://103.241.136.51/s1jpg-108