Rory McIlroy wants to ‘punch myself’ after horror 79 at The Open includes smashing fan’s phone during quadruple bogey on first hole
RORY McILROY felt like punching himself after his Open chances lay in tatters following an opening-round 79 which included a quadruple bogey eight.
The pre-tournament favourite hit a woman and cracked her phone with his tee shot on the first, which flew out of bounds.
After swiping another left off the tee, he then hit his fourth from the rough short left of the green in another thick patch.
McIlroy, who shot a course-record 61 round this Royal Portrush links as a 16-year-old, then took a penalty drop for an unplayable lie and pitched his sixth onto the green.
He then missed a 6ft putt for a triple bogey before tapping in for a quadruple bogey EIGHT.
McIlroy was only one better on the last and his seven led to a first round score of eight over.
That included a three putt from three feet on the par 3 16th in another moment of madness.
McIlroy told BBC Radio 5Live afterwards: "I would like to punch myself. I made a couple of stupid mistakes. I was pretty nervous on the first tee and hit a bad shot.
"I showed some resilience in the middle of the round and was trying to fight back into the championship but then I finished poorly as well.
"At the end of the day I play golf to fulfil my ambitions not anyone else's but I wish I could have given the crowd something to cheer about.
"I let myself down more than anyone else and need to pick myself back up."
That horror show leaves McIlroy 12 shots behind early round one leaders Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka.
And crowd favourite McIlroy went from 8-1 favourite to win to 5-1 just to make the cut.
'I WANT TO PUNCH MYSELF'
The first hole is a real problem area for McIlroy, 30, who won the Open at Royal Liverpool in 2014.
He went out of bounds right in his final practice round yesterday and admitted that was playing on his mind when he teed off at 10.09am.
The four-time Major champion rebounded in practice by driving the green on the 374 yard par 4 fifth.
But he suffered more pain there today when he sliced his tee shot so far right not even the stewards saw it.
Fortunately he found his ball and hacked it out onto the green before just missing a 40ft putt for birdie. And he regrouped somewhat with birdies on the par 5 seventh and par 4 ninth before the late double and triple bogeys.
McIlroy's meltdown comes just two years after he bogeyed five of his first six holes at the 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale.
Latest Open news
That time he recovered to shoot one over after a rollicking from then caddie JP Fitzgerald.
A mini revival was on the cards at Portrush but now it is all but certain that McIlroy's wait for his first Major since 2014 will go on.
Only three players are currently below him with former world No 1 David Duval dead last after recording a 13 in his round of 90.
