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Rory McIlroy's 194-yard approach sets up birdie on No. 9 at Truist Championship

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Written by Sean Martin

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Having already matched one trivial milestone that will surely be omitted from his Hall of Fame plaque,

Rory McIlroy was determined to avoid another.

“I can't remember the last time I played a round of golf and didn't have a birdie,” McIlroy thought as he walked up his final hole in the rain-delayed opening round of the Truist Championship.

It’s something that McIlroy has done seven times in his lengthy PGA TOUR career, most recently at the 2024 Masters. It felt likely that Thursday would be his eighth on TOUR without a birdie or better. But one incredible approach and his longest made putt of the day changed that, giving McIlroy a 1-under 70.

Quail Hollow’s ninth hole, a brutish par-4 measuring 539 yards, is an unlikely place to find a birdie, especially after a player misses the fairway, as McIlroy did.

But McIlroy hoisted a 9-iron from the left rough 194 yards over the trees, his ball stopping 15 feet from the hole. He raised his arms in sardonic celebration when the putt found the bottom of the hole.

Rory McIlroy's 194-yard approach sets up birdie on No. 9 at Truist Championship

“When I was … walking up to the ball, I was just hoping that the ball was far enough back that I could get it up over that tree,” McIlroy said. “It was a bit of a flier lie. … I've always been pretty comfortable trying to launch it high and get it up there. So it probably wasn't as difficult as what it looked on TV.”

McIlroy set a personal best by starting Thursday’s round with 17 consecutive pars; his previous record of 15 was set back in 2010. He also tied his personal best for most pars in a round. He did it on two previous occasions, making a lone birdie in one of those rounds and a lone bogey in the other.

McIlroy will start the second round seven strokes behind leader Matt McCarty, who took advantage of a Quail Hollow Club softened by overnight rains that delayed Thursday’s start until 12:30 p.m.

Still, it was a solid return to the TOUR for McIlroy, who is making his first start since winning a second straight Masters. He gained approximately a stroke on the field with both his driving and approach play but lost strokes around and on the greens.

“I wasn't frustrated, I was hitting good putts,” McIlroy said. Some days they just don't want to go in.”

May 8, 2026

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