Rory McIlroy struggles to make gains in US PGA Championship first round

Rory McIlroy was unable to hide his frustration after making a slow start to the 105th US PGA Championship.

Following a delay of almost two hours due to overnight frost, Oak Hill member McIlroy failed to register a birdie as he covered his opening nine holes in three over par.

Starting from the 10th, McIlroy began his bid for a first major title since the 2014 US PGA with five straight pars before badly mishitting his tee shot on the par-three 15th to find a bunker 30 yards short of the pin.

McIlroy hit a good bunker shot to nine feet but was unable to convert the par putt and also failed to get up and down from sand on the 17th, before taking a swipe at the tee marker on the 18th following another errant drive.

A third bogey of the day dropped McIlroy six shots off the early lead shared by 2011 US PGA champion Keegan Bradley, Sahith Theegala and Japan’s Kazuki Higa, who had earlier carded four birdies in a row from the 11th.

Play had been scheduled to get under way at 7am local time (1200 BST), but predictions of cold conditions overnight were accurate.

Tournament organisers released a statement early on Thursday morning which read: “Due to frost, all Oak Hill Country Club practice facilities and the golf course are currently closed.

At this time all facilities are closed at Oak Hill Country Club due to a frost delay. Additional information will be provided by 7am EDT.

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 18, 2023

“To protect playing surfaces, everyone on-site must stay off any grass and gates will not open until the frost clears.”

With the temperature slowly rising, officials announced the first group would tee off at 0850 from the first and five minutes later from the 10th, a total delay of one hour and 50