Rory McIlroy reflects on "disappointing finish" to Round 1 at the Amgen Irish Open 2025

Rory McIlroy admitted he was left frustrated by a late stumble in his opening round at the Amgen Irish Open 2025, finishing with a one-under 71 on Thursday. The Northern Irishman bogeyed two of his final three holes, dropping back to T47 on the leaderboard.

Despite the slip, Rory McIlroy said he was encouraged by how he struck the ball, noting that his score didn’t fully reflect his play. He had started strong with four birdies over his first nine holes after beginning on the 10th, but mistakes around the greens cost him on Nos. 7 and 8.

“Felt like I played better than what the score reflects. Felt like I hit the ball well, I drove the ball well. You know, just had that disappointing finish bogeying the last three holes. But actually pretty encouraged with how I played,” McIlroy said.

The World No. 2, who mixed five birdies and four bogeys in an up-and-down round, added that his putting also left chances out on the course. He missed key looks at birdie on his 15th and 18th holes while failing to save par after late errors.

“Ball striking-wise, I thought I was pretty good today. And then, yeah, around the green, for the most part, I was good. I missed a couple of sort of mid-range putts there at the end of the round to see if par. And then that one at the last for birdie. But, you know, felt like I hit decent putts and, you know, just hitting edges.”

Statistically, Rory McIlroy has been one of the PGA Tour’s most consistent performers this season. He ranks third in Strokes Gained: Total (1.543) and Off-the-Tee (0.671), and sits 10th in Tee-to-Green (0.946).

His approach play (62nd) and short game (54th) have been less reliable, while his putting average is among the best at eighth (1.716) despite being 82nd in total putting. His season-low round of 64 is tied for 90th.