Rory McIlroy began his US Open campaign with a 60 (-1) on Thursday, finding himself tied for fifth on the early leaderboard. After the round, the 37-year-old—who won the Masters earlier this year—said it was a “really good day,” even as he admitted he “missed”
The US Open started with noise, pressure, and fast decisions—and Rory McIlroy responded the only way he knows how: by staying calm long enough to post a number he could live with.
On Thursday, McIlroy shot a 60 (-1) in his first round and sat near the top of the early leaderboard. He is currently tied for fifth overall at -1, and it’s an opening that keeps his name firmly in the mix.
After finishing his round, the PGA Tour superstar didn’t oversell it. “I think overall, really good day,” McIlroy said via Golf Channel. “Obviously it stings a little bit to finish the way that I did… But yeah. it was obviously a really tricky day and just a day to stay patient and hang in there. I hit enough good shots to give myself some chances.”.
There was also a rare kind of candor in how he described his work out there. For all the solid golf, McIlroy pointed to the idea that the best players at a course like this don’t always need to hit every shot perfectly—they need to understand where they’re allowed to miss.
“The main kind of thing is knowing where to miss it,” McIlroy said. He then went further, admitting: “I missed it in pretty much all the right spots today.”
He still produced moments that feel like they belong in a title conversation. McIlroy recorded an impressive eagle during the round, one of the highlights that helped him build momentum even on a day he called tricky.
For a player who already won the Masters this year, the early promise is hard to ignore—but it’s also still early. With Friday’s cut looming, McIlroy and everyone else at the US Open know the priority is simple: make it through.
McIlroy certainly expects to make the cut. And given how his first round played, it would not be surprising to see him put together a push for the 2026 US Open.
Rory McIlroy US Open golf PGA Tour Masters winner first round 60 (-1) leaderboard eagle cut