[Photo: Jamie Squire]<\/p>\n
Rory McIlroy\u2019s chances of pulling off the calendar Grand Slam took a major hit overnight. The reigning Masters champion opened the PGA Championship with a four-over-par 74 that left him seven shots off of the early lead. Needless to say, the 37-year-old wasn\u2019t pleased with the result.<\/p>\n
RELATED: With LIV\u2019s future uncertain, Bryson DeChambeau came to make a statement and made the wrong one<\/a><\/p>\n When asked to describe his round after, McIlroy offered only one, colourful word.<\/p>\n \u201cS\u2013t,\u201d McIlroy said.<\/p>\n McIlroy was then asked to elaborate.<\/p>\n \u201cI started missing fairways. I missed the fairway right on four, the fairway right on six, the fairway right on seven, fairway right on nine. From there, it\u2019s hard \u2013 I didn\u2019t have great angles either. Then obviously you start missing it just off the edges of these greens, it gets tricky,\u201d McIlroy said. \u201cYeah, I felt like I did OK. I made that birdie on five to get back to even-par after the soft bogey on four, then I just got on that bogey train at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n The dreaded bogey train. No golfer wants to hop aboard it, but you usually don\u2019t see one of McIlroy\u2019s stature taking that ride. But that\u2019s exactly what McIlroy did down the stretch.<\/p>\n After birdieing Aronimink\u2019s par-3 fifth \u2013 McIlroy\u2019s 14th hole of the day \u2013 to get back to even-par, Rory ripped off four consecutive bogeys to finish his round. And according to stats guru Justin Ray, that\u2019s the first time McIlroy has ever done that. In nearly 1,000 career PGA Tour rounds.<\/p>\n Today was the 990th official round of Rory McIlroy’s PGA Tour career, including all the majors.<\/p>\n It’s the first time he’s made bogey or worse on each of the last 4 holes of a round.<\/p>\n \u2014 Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) May 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n On the bright side for McIlroy, he also had a one-word answer when asked if his toe \u2013 which caused him to cut a practice round short earlier in the week \u2013 bothered him at all.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d McIlroy replied.<\/p>\n McIlroy will have until 2:05pm Philadelphia time on Friday (4:05am on Saturday, AEST) to tee off for his second round. And he\u2019ll be hoping to catch a birdie train to get back into contention.<\/p>\n FULL GOLF DIGEST PGA CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE HERE <\/a><\/p>\n