06/18/2026
Eight years ago, Rory McIlroy missed the cut at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, derailed by an opening-round 80.
He hasn't missed a cut at the U.S. Open since, going 7-for-7 in top-20 finishes including two runner-up showings.
He's in the mix again after an opening-round 69 in windy conditions Thursday at Shinnecock Hills, and he explained afterward how that brutal opening round 8 years ago had a silver lining ⬇️
"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," McIlroy said Thursday. "I played those two days in 2018, and then I got to the Travelers (Championship) the next week. I remember like feeling so much in my comfort zone going to TPC River Highlands and thinking to myself, I've got this backwards. I should be in my comfort zone at Shinnecock and not here ...
"I remember flying back from Dubai at the end of 2018, and I would keep, like, a journal or a diary. I wrote in it that from 2019 going forward, I'm going to build my game to compete at the major championships and excel at the toughest tests that we have.
"Again, working on the things that you need to do well to excel at these, which is flighting the ball, hitting your numbers, wedge play, short game, putting, which is all the stuff that I feel like I've improved over the last few years."
