Rory McIlroy says “too many stupid mistakes” cost him a strong start to the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. After an erratic opening round, he shot a 2-over 72 and is seven shots behind the leaders. Multiple outlets report that McIlroy’s day involves both execution errors and putting struggles, leaving him well off the pace despite entering the tournament as one of the favourites. In his post-round remarks, McIlroy acknowledges he did not play to the level he expected and points to the number of avoidable errors as a key factor in his score. The round is also described as a rollercoaster, with setbacks that prevented him from building momentum early in the tournament. While the reports focus on his disappointment, they also frame the result as a situation he can potentially recover from in the rounds ahead. Overall, the sources agree that McIlroy’s assessment of the round centres on unforced mistakes and poor timing, particularly around putting, that together left him outside contention after day one.