Rory McIlroy forgetting how to make putts leads the 2026 Open Championship storylines after round one

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Thanks to his Masters wins in 2025 and 2026, most people have forgotten about Rory McIlroy's struggles in major championships over the past decade. Of course they have, since he's won two of them.

But it's worth remembering that, outside of the Masters, McIlroy hasn't won one of golf's other three majors since 2014. He famously let the 2024 U.S. Open slip away by making three bogeys in the final four holes to lose by one shot to Bryson DeChambeau.

The biggest factor in those bogeys was McIlroy's inability to convert short putts, including a missed 2 1/2-footer on No. 16 and a miss from inside 4 feet on No. 18.

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Rory McIlroy reacts after missing a short putt during the first round of the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. (Oisin Keniry/R&A)

Well, those woes came back on Thursday during the first round of the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. He missed putts from inside 4 feet on both No. 7 and No. 8 before adding a miss from just over 4 feet at No. 10.

After missing six putts from inside 12 feet on his first 12 holes, McIlroy drained a 23-footer for birdie on No. 13.

He gave the shot right back with a sloppy bogey on the par-5 14th hole but then drilled a 12-footer on No. 15 for birdie.

Unfortunately, he gave that one back with another sloppy