Rory McIlroy graded his performance as “solid”, while Shane Lowry was more critical after the first round of the men’s Olympic competition at Le Golf National on a hot muggy day outside Paris.
McIlroy shot a three-under-par 68, a three-putt bogey on the 18th leaving him chastened and of a mind to be mildly frustrated. Lowry was three shots behind McIlroy on level with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama sitting on top of the leader board on eight under after a day when the weather twice interrupted play.
Lowry was asked if he was happy with his day’s work.
“No. No. It doesn’t take a genius to work that out,” he said. “No, bad finish. I gave myself a lot of chances in the middle of the round, didn’t convert them and then to finish like that. I think it is probably the worst score I could have shot, which is very frustrating.”
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Both McIlroy and Lowry were met with rapturous applause when they began their rounds with Irish flags peppering the first tee and a sprinkling of GAA shirts among the large crowd. The noise level for the Irish pair was beaten only by French player Matthieu Pavon, who was playing behind Lowry’s group.
“There were a lot of Irish people out there which for me was pretty cool,” said Lowry. “I wasn’t expecting that. I was expecting a little bit but the cheer on the first tee was pretty cool and it felt like I was at home. It was nearly off-putting a little bit. I got goose bumps and I hit a really bad tee shot. I’m not blaming them, it was my fault. It was incredible out there.”
McIlroy was the first of the Irish pair to finish and his mood was no disaster but could have done better. He might have been still thinking of a heavy-handed putt on the 18th which drew a grimace as he walked off the course.
Hitting the centre of the green about 30 feet from the hole he put too much weight on his first effort, leaving the ball 12 feet behind the pin. But the putt back didn’t drop and what looked like a comfortable four under finish and a share of sixth place evaporated in the afternoon sun.
McIlroy went par, bogey, birdie for his opening three holes before adding another birdie at the par-four fifth and an eagle at the par-five ninth.
Playing alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler and number four Ludvig Aberg, it was typical McIlroy course management. His approach to the 557-yard green at the par-five third hole just missed to the right. A beautiful wedge to tap-in distance gave him the second birdie of the front nine before he monstered the ninth.
There, a 300-yard 3-wood off the tee and a 5-wood approach set him up to turn in 33.
“It’s okay,” said McIlroy. “A bit up and down which is to be expected. I didn’t do a whole lot between The Open and here, so some good, some not so good. A solid opening round, a little disappointing – the three-putt at the last. But overall, as I said, a solid start and something to build on.”
Three bogeys and three birdies on the back nine allowed McIlroy finish with his 68 and while he is five shots adrift of the leader, he too feels there is a score on the course, which was receptive after a night of heavy rain.
What hurt Lowry down the back nine was his two bogeys on 15 and 18. His bogey finish on the 18th at least had a touch of absurd French humour. Addressing the ball to take his second shot to the green, the hooter for a weather warning sounded and everyone trundled off. Some players returned only to leave and return a second time.
“I think the crowd support we all got out there was amazing,” said McIlroy on his second Olympics after Tokyo 2020. “Obviously, there was a few more flags. There’s a bit more, eh, what’s the word ... I don’t know what the word is ... nationalism you know. We were all really well supported out there it was great to see.
“I think after that big storm earlier this morning, the greens were softer and more receptive. Fairways were softer, so the course played a little bit wider. So probably a little bit easier today than it was on the practice days, so maybe a little bit of a mindset change you have to make.”
McIlroy begins his second round in a share of 15th position with Lowry further down the board at tied 42nd in the no-cut event, both of them with ground to make on leader Matsuyama and Tokyo gold medallist Xander Schauffele, who finished his first round with a six-under par 65.
“Yeah, you sit back after a round and you are looking up and it’s a long way away for third [bronze]. But there is a long way to go in 54 holes,” said Lowry.
