Rory McIlroy, a veteran of nearly two decades on professional tours, delivered a startling assessment after his opening round at the Irish Open on Thursday. The 37-year-old Northern Irishman, defending his title at Doonbeg on Ireland’s southwest coast, found himself part of a marathon group that redefined the concept of a slow play.
Marathon Round Sets Unwanted Benchmark
McIlroy, playing alongside Robert MacIntyre and Brooks Koepka, teed off at 1:35 p.m. local time. Their final putt dropped at 7:41 p.m., marking a round of 6 hours and 6 minutes — a duration roughly equivalent to a transatlantic flight from New York to Dublin.
“I can’t recall a round of golf that has taken that long before. We’ve had some rounds that are five-and-a-half or five-and-three-quarter hours, but six hours is a first for me.”
McIlroy insisted he was not exaggerating. The glacial pace stemmed from a perfect storm of factors: a one-tee start for the 138-player field, wet and windy conditions that turned the Greg Norman-designed layout into a “bogey-breathing beast,” and a 20-minute ruling involving Erik van Rooyen that halted play early in the round.
“When you’re playing a round of golf and it takes six hours, it’s hard to get into the rhythm of things,” McIlroy said.
Scotsman Ewen Ferguson, speaking Friday, offered a blunter take on the physical and mental toll.
“I made a few mistakes coming in yesterday, just with kind of being knackered and wanting it done, to be honest, and also, like, a lapse of concentration,” Ferguson said. “Golf shouldn’t take that long.”
Defending Champion Chases From Behind
Despite a level-par 70 (officially scored as a one-under 69), McIlroy opened seven shots behind leader Joaquín Niemann, who carded a 65. The slow start stood in stark contrast to the emotional high of his 2024 victory at the K Club near Dublin.
“The scenes of the celebrations and dads and sons hugging each other, it was very fulfilling,” McIlroy said earlier in the week, reflecting on the significance of that win for the Irish public.
On Thursday, however, the scene at the 18th green was subdued, with near-empty grandstands shrouded in fading light greeting the final group.
Friday Reset Yields Similar Score, Different Feel
Fairer conditions greeted the early starters Friday. McIlroy teed off at 9:30 a.m. and avoided the disaster of Thursday — notably a double-bogey at the par-4 14th — but failed to build momentum. A birdie at the 2nd was erased by a bogey at the 7th. A kick-in eagle at the par-5 8th was wiped out by bogeys at 11 and 18. A lone birdie at 17 salvaged a second consecutive 69.
“Frustration,” is how McIlroy described his primary emotion at round’s end. “I just didn’t have it on the greens. I really struggled to read them. It’s hard whenever you struggle to read them, and then when you do get over the ball you’re trying to trust what you’re seeing, but everything else that you have seen hasn’t went the way you thought, so it’s hard to put a committed stroke on it.”
Doonbeg’s Devilish Greens
The putting surfaces at Doonbeg remain a formidable test. While Martin Hawtree’s 2014 renovation tamed some of Greg Norman’s original severe slopes, the greens retained enough tilt to confound the world’s best. On Friday, McIlroy missed eight putts inside 12 feet.
“It’s a reading issue,” he said when pressed. “I’m starting them on my lines, so that’s not really an issue. I feel like I’m pretty good at that. It’s just getting the right read and then trusting it I think is — like the putt that I holed on 17. The only reason I holed that is because I saw what Brooks did before me, it was on the exact same line. So if I can get me some more putts like that where someone can show me the line then that would be good.”
Lowry Surges, McIlroy Hopes for Weather Advantage
At two-under through 36 holes, McIlroy finds himself chasing his “old pal” Shane Lowry. The Offaly native seized control Friday with a spectacular eight-under 62, reaching 11-under par. Lowry briefly threatened the magical 59 barrier on the back nine before settling for the course record.
McIlroy acknowledges the deficit is substantial but eyes Saturday’s forecast — a return to foul weather — as a potential equalizer. He believes tough conditions place a premium on ball-striking, a facet of his game that has been sharp all week.
“If I can do that and just see a couple [putts] go in,” he said, “then hopefully it’s a different story.”
Another fairytale ending at the Irish Open would require a historic comeback, but for a player of McIlroy’s caliber, the script remains unwritten.
