Rory McIlroy holds steady with 69 before finishing on two bogeys at U.S. Open

Rory McIlroy demonstrated significant mental fortitude and skillful shot-making to card an opening round of one-under-par 69 at the 126th U.S. Open on Long Island. The Northern Irishman's performance was a solid effort in challenging conditions that unsettled many other competitors, including defending champion JJ Spaun.

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It was a day to really just keep yourself in the tournament and not shoot yourself out of it, which is exactly what I did eight years ago here.

The day was marked by a stubborn morning fog that caused a two-hour suspension of play. A stiff southerly wind persisted throughout the day, forcing players and their caddies to second-guess club selections. The course setup, with greens kept moist and not mowed, aimed to ensure playability despite the difficult weather, though some balls did move on the greens.

McIlroy, reflecting on his round, emphasized his strategy of avoiding mistakes. "It was a day to really just keep yourself in the tournament and not shoot yourself out of it," he stated, contrasting it with his opening round struggles in 2018. His mindset focused on making pars and capitalizing on any birdie opportunities while minimizing errors, a strategy he largely achieved.

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I went out with the mindset that pars were going to be good, and if you could pick up a couple of birdies here and there, that’s always a bonus. But really it was about minimising the mistakes. I did that for the most part today.

A highlight of McIlroy's round was an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole, his 14th of the day. After hitting his approach shot to 18 feet, he calmly sank the putt. This eagle briefly placed him atop the leaderboard. However, consecutive bogeys on his penultimate and final holes, the ninth and 18th, saw him slip one shot behind leader Sam Stevens. Despite the closing mistakes, McIlroy described it as "overall, a really good day," positioning him favorably for the remaining three rounds.

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It’s so tough, so difficult. I didn’t feel like I hit two bad iron shots on the last two holes [but] put myself in pretty difficult spots and wasn’t able to get it up-and-down. Overall, a really good day.