Irish professional golfer Rory McIlroy had a less-than-perfect round at Shinnecock Hills during the opening round of the U.S. Open. But the 37-year-old played a smart 18 holes and revealed his strategy post-round.

McIlroy shot a 1-under 69 in the opening round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Thursday, June 18. After the round, he said scoring was difficult due to tough course conditions and that his focus was on safe play. Golf Channel posted his post-round assessment on X on June 18.

"I missed in all the right spots today," McIlroy said. "Really just minimizing the mistakes. I did that for the most part."

McIlroy's smart play paid off, as he finished round one tied for ninth. He built his round on smart course management rather than taking big risks. McIlroy often chose safer shots off the tee, which left him with comfortable wedge shots into the greens.

He later explained that this was his strategy throughout the round.

"Laying back in this championship is always the smart choice," he said. "The penalty for the miss is so severe around these greens that if you can just leave yourself a wedge in your hand, you're never really going to make worse than a par, you hope, and that's never a bad score in this tournament."

McIlroy made one eagle, three birdies, and four bogeys to finish the round at 1-under par. Starting on the back nine, he made a birdie on the 11th hole with a 10-foot putt and another on the 12th with a 25-foot putt, which briefly put him in a share of the lead.

He made an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole after hitting a 396-yard drive, eventually leading to an 11-foot putt. That moved him two shots ahead of the field.

However, bogeys on the eighth and ninth holes erased his lead by the end of the round. Earlier, he also made bogeys on the 13th and par-5 16th holes.

McIlroy also addressed the United States Golf Association's decision on course setup.

Rory McIlroy Praised the USGA for Slowing the Greens in Brutal Wind Conditions

The USGA reduced green speeds from earlier in the week ahead of the opening round. McIlroy approved of the call.

"Greens are pretty slow and quite receptive. I think they need to be at this point," he said. "It's a challenging golf course already, and you put 30-mph winds on top of it, it tests the best players in the world pretty well."

He also drew on the memory of his 2018 collapse at the same venue. McIlroy opened that week with a 10-over 80. Thursday, in contrast, was much better.

McIlroy sat tied for second after the morning wave, one shot behind clubhouse leader Sam Stevens. Playing partner Ludvig Åberg also shot 69. Tommy Fleetwood was one further back. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler opened with a 2-over 72.

Do you think Rory McIlroy can go on to win the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Surjo Ray