It certainly was not the start any golfer would wish but after Rory McIlroy doubled the third hole on day one of The Memorial he’s was not about to dwell on any negatives.
McIlroy hit his second shot the par-4 third hole into the water guarding the green as he still seeks to capture the Jack Nicklaus hosted event for a first occasion.
However, McIlroy was not about to let the mishap ruin his day bouncing back thanks to three birdies in succession from the fifth hole in an eventual one-under 71 that had him sharing 18th place as the afternoon half of the Memorial field took to the host Muirfield course.
THERE’S STILL 6⃣9⃣ @MemorialGolf HOLES TO GO ….
Declares @McIlroyRory after doubling the third hole on day one of @jacknicklaus event – posting a 7⃣1⃣
“I’ve made plenty of double bogeys in my career, and I’ve made plenty of double bogeys in tournaments that I’ve won“.
Well… pic.twitter.com/u9TUAHxOdN
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) June 4, 2026
The double Masters champ was asked post round his thoughts on taking the double.
“I think just understanding that there’s 69 more holes to go in the golf tournament and there’s a long way to go and a lot of things can happen,“ he said.
“I’ve made plenty of double bogeys in my career, and I’ve made plenty of double bogeys in tournaments that I’ve won. So you play enough events, you learn to ride the highs and the lows and not get too excited or too down either way“.
Four players shared the early first round thanks to rounds of five-under 67s – Wyndham Clark, JJ Spaun, Tommy Fleetwood and Ryan Gerard.
