Rory McIlroy moved into a share of the clubhouse lead at the 2026 Genesis Invitational after opening with a 5-under 66 at Riviera Country Club, marking his lowest first-round score at the course.

Rory McIlroy’s opening-round performance came despite weather conditions on Thursday, when the course was left soft and wet after receiving about half an inch of rain. 

The wind gusts reached up to 34 mph during the day, affecting play across the course. As a result, preferred lies (lift, clean, and place) were implemented for the first round. 

Speaking to reporters after the first round on Thursday, McIlroy addressed the conditions in comments shared by ASAP Sports at the Genesis Invitational.

“I haven’t always enjoyed these conditions. Honestly, I haven’t always had the skill set to excel in them. To start to enjoy them and have the shots to succeed on days like this, that’s a really satisfying thing.”

Earlier in his career, McIlroy found it difficult to adjust when wind and heavy air affected ball flight, as those conditions required a different approach than the one he was used to. 

To address this, he has worked on controlling trajectory by hitting lower iron shots that can move through the wind with more stability. This adjustment has also required changes in his swing through impact to improve control over direction and contact.

Now in 2026, world no 2 continues to rank among the top performers in approach play on the PGA Tour, holding the No. 1 position in Strokes Gained: Approach to Green at 1.703. This reflects his consistency with iron shots across events this season.

Despite the result, McIlroy said he still views his game as evolving over the years in his career.

Nearly Two Decades On, Rory McIlroy Says His Game Continues to Evolve

"Nearly 20 years into a career and still feel like you're getting better at some aspects of the game,” said the 2025 masters winner during the interaction.

Even after reaching major milestones in the sport, the Career Grand Slam winner continues to approach the game with a focus on learning and adapting.

Since turning professional in 2007, he has won 29 PGA Tour events and 20 DP World Tour titles, building a record across both tours.

He has also won five major championships include the 2025 Masters, which completed the Career Grand Slam and marked a defining moment in his career. 

McIlroy has also won the FedEx Cup three times and secured multiple Race to Dubai titles, while spending more than 100 weeks as World No. 1.

Despite his achievements, he continues to view improvement as an ongoing process.

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Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu