Rory McIlroy finished the opening round of the Olympic men’s golf event in Paris with a score of three-under 68, placing him two shots outside the medal positions in a tie for 15th.
The Team Ireland golfer recorded five birdies and an eagle, but four bogeys—including one on the 18th hole—hampered his performance. He is currently five shots behind the leader, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, who shot a bogey-free 63, featuring eight birdies.
Defending champion Xander Schauffele, who recently made history by becoming the first player to win The Open and the US PGA Championship in the same year since McIlroy in 2014, sits in second place, two shots behind Matsuyama.
Schauffele and Spain’s Jon Rahm were among the late finishers in a round temporarily suspended due to lightning threats. Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, and South Korea’s Tom Kim are tied for third with rounds of 66.
World number one Scottie Scheffler, Great Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood, and Rahm are another shot off the pace at -4.
McIlroy’s Ireland teammate Shane Lowry finished with a level-par 71, which included three bogeys, one of which came at the last hole following the first lightning delay.
After bogeying the par-three second, McIlroy recovered to go out in three-under, thanks to birdies on the third and fifth holes, followed by an eagle on the ninth. However, bogeys on the 10th and 12th holes brought him back to one-under. He then made three consecutive birdies from the 13th hole to reach four-under, but his round concluded on a disappointing note with a five on the final hole after three putts.
McIlroy narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in a playoff during his Olympic debut in Tokyo.
