“Thought someone might shoot 6 or 7” – Rory McIlroy surprised by Round 1 scoring at the Open Championship

Rory McIlroy feels that the first-round leaderboard at the Open Championship 2025 didn't go as low as he expected. He said he was expecting it to reach 6 or 7-under but was happy that he wasn't far behind the lead.

On Thursday, July 17, McIlroy carded a 1-under 70 in the opening round of the Open Championship 2025. He was 3-under after the first 10 holes, but three bogeys on the back nine cost him the lead.

During the post-round interview, McIlroy expressed surprise at the scores.

"I was sort of surprised," he said. "There's a few guys at 4-under, but I'm surprised 4-under is leading. I thought someone might have gone out there and shot 6 or 7 today. Only three back with 54 holes to go, I'm really happy with where I am.

Reflecting on the fans' support, the Northern Irishman said it was incredible to see the entire country backing him.

"But at the same time, you don't want to let them down," he added. "So there's that little bit of added pressure. I felt like I dealt with it really well today. Certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago. I was just happy to get off to a good start and get myself into the tournament."

When will Rory McIlroy tee off at the Open Championship, Round 2?

Rory McIlroy is paired alongside Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood for the second round of the Open Championship 2025. The trio will tee off on Friday, July 18, at 5:09 a.m. ET from the first tee.

Following the first-round action at Royal Portrush, McIlroy is tied for 20th and sits three strokes behind the lead. Here's the leaderboard for the Open Championship after Day 1:

T1. Jacob Skov Olesen (-4)
T1. Haotong Li (-4)
T1. Matt Fitzpatrick (-4)
T1. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-4)
T1. Harris English (-4)
T6. Matthew Jordan (-3)
T6. Scottie Scheffler (-3)
T6. Sadom Kaewkanjana (-3)
T6. Tyrrell Hatton (-3)
T10. Nicolai Hojgaard (-2)
T10. Lee Westwood (-2)
T10. Rickie Fowler (-2)
T10. Rasmus Hojgaard (-2)
T10. Aaron Rai (-2)
T10. Brian Harman (-2)
T10. Maverick McNealy (-2)
T10. Justin Rose (-2)
T10. Lucas Glover (-2)
T10. Tom Kim (-2)
T20. Phil Mickelson (-1)
T20. Sam Burns (-1)
T20. Jon Rahm (-1)
T20. Shane Lowry (-1)
T20. John Axelsen (-1)
T20. Zach Johnson (-1)
T20. Sergio Garcia (-1)
T20. Angel Hidalgo (-1)
T20. Justin Leonard (-1)
T20. Joaquin Niemann (-1)
T20. Rory McIlroy (-1)

About the author

Shobhit is one of Sportskeeda’s most seasoned golf journalists, having already authored 3600+ articles and received nearly 5.7 million reads. Prior to his current role, he worked with the Asiana Times after completing his MSc in Geology, giving him a solid foundation in understanding the terrain, variety and challenges posed by various golf courses.

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Shobhit was a fan of Tiger Woods growing up, but of late, Nelly Korda, Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg have caught his attention.

He likes to spend his downtime singing and writing, while he is also an avid watcher of cricket and tennis.

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Edited by Shobhit Kukreti