McIlroy wants ‘common sense’ after slow play warning

Irish Open, leaderboard for the first round

-6 N Elvira (Spa), T Olesen (Den), R Langasque (Fra), -5 D Brown (Eng), B Wiesberger (Aut), A Saddier (Fra), -4 R Cabrera (Spa), M Elvira (Spa), O Lindell (Fin), and D Ravetto (Fra).

Selected others: -3 S Lowry (Ire), -2 T Hatton (Eng), -2 M Penge (Eng), -1 R McIlroy (NI), B Koepka (US), T McKibbin (NI), E S Power (Ire), and -2 P Harrington (Ire).

Following the Irish Open’s first round, Rory McIlroy issued a slow play warning to his group, and he appealed to rules officials to use “common sense.”

The world number two, who was competing with Thriston Lawrence and Kristoffer Reitan, claimed he felt “agitated” after being “pushed out” during the K Club’s round on Thursday.

After bogeying two of his final three holes, McIlroy is now one-under-par and one-under-par, finishing five shots clear of Nacho Elvira, Thorbjorn Olesen, and Romain Langasque, France.

After his round, McIlroy said to the press, “I felt a little rushed out there for the final 12 holes.”

The Northern Irishman believes that officials should take into account when setting pace when playing with the tournament’s headliner, McIlroy’s team attracted large galleries and a number of camera crews.

The Masters champion added, “Our group has to deal with a lot more than any other group on the course, and it’s hard because you feel a little rushed and you’re playing some tough holes.”

“So it’s understandable that we lose time, and I feel like whenever I return to Europe or play in one, two, or three of the world’s groups, we’re always on the clock for that reason,” he said.

We’re going to have to wait on crowds and wait on the two camera crews that are present, so I was a little frustrated during the final few holes because I believe it always happens and don’t believe they use any kind of common sense.

“Our group has a lot more going on than any other group on the course, and I sometimes feel like they need to give us a little leeway and make use of some common sense.”

The struggles of Lawrence (81) and Reitan (77), who both hit their ball into the water on the seventh hole, did not help McIlroy’s group’s pace, which started on the 10th hole.

You can wait your turn, but in my opinion, “should I go first to save a little time,” but not really.

McIlroy said he planned to use the next few weeks to improve his game at the K Club and Wentworth before the Ryder Cup, after finishing the PGA Tour season in low-key fashion with ties for 12th and 23rd in his previous two events.

In a three-round encounter, he combined five birdies with four bogeys. He was pleased with his day’s efforts, though he was unable to make birdie putts on either of his 15 and 18 holes due to back-to-back bogeys.

McIlroy, whose only Irish Open victory was at the K Club in 2016, said, “I thought I was pretty good today.”

I was good for the most part around the greens, but I eventually made two mid-range putts to save par before making the final birdie.

Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka equaled McIlroy’s 71 while Shane Lowry, a favorite here, carded three birdies in his final six holes to maintain his lead at three under.

Former Open champion Lowry, who finished last in the top 10 at the Truist Championship in May, is hoping to improve his form for the Ryder Cup.

The 2019 Open Champion is now three shots clear of the leader, while Tom McKibbin from Northern Ireland is two strokes further back after a 71.

Tyrrell Hatton, an Englishman who plays for the Ryder Cup team in Europe, carded three birdies in the first 70.