Rory McIlroy switched up his schedule in order to play his way into the U.S. Open, and after one round in Canada his plan appears to be paying off.
McIlroy has missed the U.S. Open cut each of the last three years while staying at home the week prior, so he added this week’s RBC Canadian Open in order to remain competitive ahead of Pebble Beach. McIlroy shot an opening-round 67 Thursday at Hamilton Golf and Country Club that left him four shots off the early lead, and it was a round where the Ulsterman saw plenty of positives.
“I really feel like it was the worst I could have shot out there. I played very well,” McIlroy told reporters. “I hit it much better off the tee, and that was a big key. You have to play out of these fairways to give yourself chances.”
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McIlroy made five birdies against just two bogeys, taking advantage of both par-5s on the par-70 layout. He missed just three greens in regulation, and after making an early exit at last week’s Memorial Tournament he’s optimistic about his chances to build some momentum before heading west.
“Definitely an improvement on how I played last week at the Memorial,” McIlroy said. “A little bit of work that I did over the weekend and at the start of the week has seemed to fit in quite nicely. Obviously a lot of low scores. I felt like I could have gone a few lower, but it’s golf.”