Rory McIlroy curses first-round 74 at PGA Championship in NSFW answer

Rory McIlroy curses first-round 74 at PGA Championship in NSFW answer

TL;DR

Rory McIlroy struggled in the first round of the 2026 PGA Championship, shooting a 74 with four consecutive bogeys. He expressed his frustration with a curse word during the post-round press conference.

Key points

Rory McIlroy shot a first-round 74 at the 2026 PGA Championship.
He had four bogeys in a row and five on his final six holes.
McIlroy expressed frustration with a curse word during the press conference.
He struggled with a faulty driver and a bad blister affecting his performance.

Mentioned in this story

Aronimink Golf Course

Rory McIlroyPGA Championship 2026

Rory McIlroy curses first-round 74 at PGA Championship in NSFW answer

Rory McIlroy began his first round at the 2026 PGA Championship ominously with a bogey created by a wayward tee shot. He ended Thursday at Aronimink Golf Course with four bogeys in a row, and five on his final six holes, in an on-course meltdown that led him to use a single curse word to describe the experience at the start of his post-round news conference.

"S---," McIlroy declared.

The back-to-back Masters winner will need to rally just to make the cut at golf's second major of the year because he couldn't overcome a faulty driver again. McIlroy hit just five of 14 fairways on Thursday and it contributed heavily to his collapse down the stretch. He was also dealing with the effects of a bad blister that curtailed his preparation this week.