TROON, Scotland (AP) 鈥� So much for the British Open being one last stand for Rory McIlroy in the majors this year. His best hope now is getting beyond one more day.
And he has company from U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.
were no match for a wind that came out of the opposite direction at Royal Troon and caused both of them more problems than they wanted Thursday.
McIlroy took two shots to get out of a deep bunker right of the 鈥淧ostage Stamp,鈥� the famous nickname of the 123-yard eighth hole. Three holes later, he hammered driver that sailed over the railroad tracks and out-of-bounds.
It added to a 7-over 78, his worst start to major in five years.
鈥淭he conditions were tough on that back nine, and I just didn鈥檛 do a good enough job,鈥� he said.
DeChambeau wasn't much better. He couldn't buy a par putt early on, even missing from 3 feet on the par-5 fourth. He tried to hit 7-iron out of the thick grass and moved it only a few feet, leading to a double bogey on the par-5 seventh.
He wound up with a 76 and was headed to the range to figure out his equipment and why his golf ball didn't leave the club the way he expected.
鈥淚t was a weird day,鈥� he said.
They were part of the morning wave and the star attraction coming off a U.S. Open that neither is likely to forget. McIlroy had a two-shot lead on the back nine and still in control of his fate until missing a 30-inch par putt on the 16th hole, and then a par putt from just inside 4 feet on the 18th hole that extended his decade-long drought in the majors.
DeChambeau captured his second U.S. Open by getting up-and-down from 55 yards away in a bunker. The finish was so hard for McIlroy that he bolted from Pinehurst No. 2 without speaking or sticking around to congratulate DeChambeau.
McIlroy played last week in the Scottish Open and tied for fourth, and was optimistic about his form going into the final major of the year. But he and everyone else was thrown off their plans when the wind came from an opposite direction.
It was into their faces on the shorter front nine 鈥� where good scores are to be had 鈥� and helping from the left on the longer back nine, which isn't easy in any conditions.
鈥淚 was actually surprised how difficult I felt like the back nine played. I thought we were going to get it a little bit easier than we did,鈥� McIlroy said. 鈥淭he course was playing tough. The conditions are very difficult in a wind that we haven鈥檛 seen so far this week.鈥�
McIlroy said he had a strategy based on the wind from the practice rounds.
鈥淏ut then when you get a wind you haven鈥檛 played in, it starts to present different options and you start to think about maybe hitting a few clubs that you haven鈥檛 hit in practice,鈥� he said. 鈥淛ust one of those days where I just didn't adapt well enough to the conditions.鈥�
The round didn't end well. McIlroy chose to hit driver off the 18th and found a pot bunker to the left that left him no choice but to blast out sideways. He hit wedge to about 8 feet and missed one last putt, making one last bogey, leaving a that much more work ahead.
鈥淚 have to do a better job in those conditions, and I need to go out there and play better and try to shoot something under par and at least be here for the weekend, if not try to put myself up the leaderboard a bit more more and feel like I have half a chance,鈥� he said.
McIlroy was 10 shots out of the lead when he finished, hopeful it wouldn't be more.
DeChambeau was more of a slow bleed, going out in 42 and not registering a hole under par until he reached the par-5 16th. That was the one happy spot of the day. He easily reached the green on the 565-yard hole and .
鈥淚'm just proud of the way I persevered today,鈥� DeChambeau said. "Shoot, man, I could have thrown in the towel after nine and could have been like, 鈥業鈥檓 going home.鈥� But no, I鈥檝e got a chance tomorrow. I鈥檓 excited for the challenge.
鈥淚f I have some putts go in and hit some shots the way I know how to and figure out this equipment stuff, I鈥檒l be good.鈥�
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AP golf:
Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
