McIlroy Finishes Round with Ups and Downs at the Irish Open
STRAFFAN, Ireland – Rory McIlroy had a complicated closing round at the Irish Open, marking two bogeys in the last three holes, resulting in a 1-under-par (71) card on the first day. The world number 2, who attracted a large following at The K Club, was looking to fine-tune his game a few weeks before the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, where the Northern Irishman is expected to be a key figure for Europe.McIlroy expressed his satisfaction with his initial performance, achieving birdies on four of the first nine holes after starting on the 10th hole. However, the end of the round took its toll, missing the green on holes 7 and 8 and failing to save par. The golfer, who competed in the British Open in July at Royal Portrush, was five strokes behind the provisional leaders, who were Nacho Elvira, Thorbjørn Olesen, and Romain Langasque. These last ones were ahead by one stroke of Bernd Wiesberger, Daniel Brown and Adrien Saddier. Shane Lowry, another member of the European Ryder Cup team, played in front of his home crowd and signed a card of 69, thanks to three birdies in the last six holes.I feel optimistic about my game. I just need to be more effective in scoring.
Rory McIlroy
