Reigning Irish Open champion Rory McIlroy singled out a change back to a ‘conventional’ putting grip as pivotal to six birdies in a round of 71 on the opening day of the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio.
McIlroy looked very ‘rusty’ for 16 holes despite having a week’s break from competition following his dramatic and sensational success just 11 days ago at the K. Club.
In fact, was one over par standing on the 17th before holing birdies of near 12 feet and then eight feet at the last on the Muirfield Village course that handed the World No. 3 his one under par tally.
McIlroy was a shot behind playing partner, Jordan Spieth who bogeyed the last in score of 70 and just four days after winning for the first time in his native Texas.
McIlroy did manage six birdies but he also had three bogeys and a par three 16th hole, or the seventh hole of his round, double bogey when he took four shots to get up-and-down from a green side bunker.
Rory McIlroy putting day one 2016 Memorial (Photo – PGA Tour.com)
“Six birdies was great but five dropped shots was the rest of the story,” he said.
“There is enough good in my game as I am driving the ball well and making the birdies but I just need to limit the mistakes and now that the first round is out of the way it was good to salvage something under par.”
However after averaging nearly 32 putts a round on route to victory at the K. Club, McIlroy said he needed to do something to improve his putting.
“In winning the Irish Open I putted left hand low but after having 127 putts in my week when I won the the Irish Open so it is not as though i putted very well all week.
“I won that event with my ball-striking alone and I just felt it was time, and after thinking about it for some time and working on the practice putting green over the past weekend, I felt I should go back to my old putting grip.
“It’s all about going back to the basics like ball position, set-up. alignment and things like that.
“I feel like if I can put good structures in place like that there is no reason for me to go with anything other than what I had before.”
Big-hitting American Dustin Johnson was the early clubhouse leader shooting two shots clear on the back of a blistering eight under par 64 that included a hat-trick of birdies to commence his round and then four in a row from the 12th.
