Slumping Rory McIlroy fails to take advantage of a bright start at Oakmont, shoots 74 in first round

OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) - Rory McIlroy made a couple early birdies at the U.S. Open.

That encouraging start was short lived for the slumping Masters champion.

A poor second nine left McIlroy with a 4-over 74 in Thursday’s first round at Oakmont. He played his final six holes in 5 over, and although this U.S. Open course was expected to be tough, this wasn’t exactly a huge step forward after McIlroy shot a 78 in the second round at the Canadian Open last week and missed the cut there.

McIlroy began his round Thursday on No. 10, and birdies on 11 and 12 put him quickly at 2 under. The latter of those included a mammoth 392-yard drive on the 618-yard 12th, which kicked forward on the fairway and rolled all the way to the area where fans were allowed to cross the hole.

After a bogey on No. 1, however, McIlroy’s round went south. His tee shot on No. 4 went into the rough on the right, and his attempt to hit from there traveled about 20 yards into more rough. He needed two more shots to free himself from that.

McIlroy rolled in a 30-foot putt to salvage a bogey on that hole, but he later bogeyed Nos. 6 and 7 as well. Then his shot from the greenside rough on the par-3 eighth failed to reach the putting surface, and he took a double bogey that left him eight strokes behind leader J.J. Spaun.

After winning the Masters to complete the career grand slam, McIlroy went to the PGA Championship and found that his driver had been deemed nonconforming in a routine test. He finished tied for 47th and didn’t speak to the media after all four rounds at Quail Hollow, eventually saying he was annoyed that news about his driver leaked to the media.

He didn’t speak after his less-than-stellar showing Thursday, but although he hit only seven of 14 fairways, he ranked pretty high in driving distance and the "strokes gained" metric off the tee.

Earlier this week, McIlroy admitted it’s a challenge to stay motivated and work hard after his Masters triumph.

"At some point, you have to realize that there's a little bit more golf left to play this season," he said.

Thursday’s round suggested if he’s going to regain the form he showed at Augusta National, it may take a little while.