Rory McIlroy plays his tee shot on the fourth hole during the first round at the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif. on Thursday, June 17, 2021. (Robert Beck/USGA)

Rory McIlroy was thrilled to birdie the last and open with a one-under 70 to lie just three shots off the lead in the US Open.

Scores

The Holywood star put his first-round blues behind him when he found deep rough right of the first fairway but found the fairway and knocked in a 12 footer for an opening birdie.

He’d hit every green to the seventh, where he flew over the back from the right rough into more rough but cut up his third and watched it run 15 yards down the green and turn right at the hole, dropping for an unlikely birdie.

While he played the back nine in one-over — he missed an eight-footer at the 10th, three-putted the par-five 13th and failed to get up and down from sand at the 16th — he birdied the 12th from 11 feet, made a 22 footer for par after finding sand at the 17th and then knocked in a seven-footer at the last.

"I got off to a really good start with a birdie at the first,” McIlroy said. "I played well, I played solid. I didn't miss a green until the 7th hole and I was able to chip that in, which was a bonus.
"But that's the key around here, you can get away with some wayward shots off the tee, and I did today, but I was able to recover well and hit greens. And if you can just keep hitting greens out here that's the name of the game and I did that well.”

On his closing birdie, which was made in fading light after the group ran to the tee, he said: "Yeah, it was really nice. The birdie is awesome. I mean, that putt was pretty, I was sort of like, I think it's straight, I'll hit it straight and we'll see. But, yeah, it was nice to get in, get an extra hour of sleep tonight and it was a bonus to birdie in as well.”

He likes the course set up, which is not overly punishing off the tee but knows he will need to hit more fairways as the greens dry out.

"I think as the course gets firmer we're just going to really have to dial in,” he said. "You might have 170 to a pin, but you're really trying to land it like 160, 162. So just really being aware of how firm the course is getting, just have to really concentrate on that.”

Shane Lowry recovered from a nightmare triple-bogey seven to grind his way to an opening 72 that left him tied 41st with 12 groups still to finish.

The Clara man knew he couldn’t win his second Major yesterday, but he certainly avoided losing it as he battled his way around the South Course in one-over to lie just five shots behind early pacesetter Russell Henley.

After a 90-minute fog delay, Henley made six birdies in a four-under 67 to lead by a shot from 2018 Open champion Francesco Molinari and by two from Xander Schauffele and four-time Major winner Brooks Koepka.

But Lowry was still well in touch after a battling display.

He made an unlikely 35 footer at the second to move straight into the red but quickly found himself two-over after running up a triple-bogey seven at the difficult fourth.

Forced to take a drop for an unplayable lie on the left, he was 40 feet from the hole in three but ending up four putting, missing a two and a half footer for a six.

He didn’t panic, however, and rebounded with a brilliant birdie at the sixth, hitting a 205-yard approach from right rough to four feet before making the putt to get back to one-over.

Chances escaped him at the seventh, eighth and ninth, and while he failed to get up and down from sand at the 222-yard 11th, he hit a wedge to five feet at the 14th and rolled in the putt before parring his way home.

“I was ready for it, to make mistakes because it’s a US Open,” Lowry said of the fourth. “It was pretty poor by me four-putting the ball, but you take it on the chin and move on. I did it very well.”

He added: “I could have birdied 16 and had a heck of a shot to shoot par today with a seven, it just shows me how well I’m playing. I’m happy with the way the day panned out after four.

“It was obviously one of those and I came back quite well so I’m happy. One-over, you take it. It’s hard to hit fairways and hard to hit greens. I’m proud of myself and shows me where I’m at when I do play my best.”