Rory McIlroy makes 17 straight pars to start Truist Championship at Quail Hollow

Talk about par for the course. In a rare feat, Rory McIlroy almost made par on every hole on Thursday in the first round of the 2026 Truist Championship.

With four career wins at Quail Hollow Club and being well rested (this is his first start on the PGA Tour since he won the Masters), one might think McIlroy would've found several circles to put on his scorecard. Well, after making par on his first 17 holes, including all three of the course's par 5s, he finally did.

McIlroy's approach shot on No. 9, his final hole of the day, seemed wayward but finally came into view on the green, about 15 feet from the hole. From there, his birdie putt was true and he raised his arms and titled his head back in mocking relief.

"I was thinking more like I knew that I made so many pars, but I was thinking I can't remember the last time I played a round of golf and didn't have a birdie," he said after his round. "I think I was like just try to make one. ... I didn't make birdie at 7, didn't make birdie at 8, so then I thought my chance had passed me by, but nice to see one putt go in there at the last."

McIlroy had legit birdie tries on Nos. 12, 14 and 15 on his first nine and then on Nos. 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 but just couldn't stop burning the edges. Still, he seemed pleased with his putting.

"I wasn't frustrated, I was hitting good putts. Some days they just don't want to go in. No, I wasn't, I was just trying to stay patient because felt like I was hitting good putts, I over-read a couple on the front side. Then I under-read a couple as a reaction to the over reads," he explained. "I was starting the ball on my line and hitting good putts. I just needed to figure out the reads a little bit better. But sort of felt like I got into it by the end of the round."

McIlroy had never carded 18 pars in one round. Seven times in his PGA Tour career he failed to record a birdie or better, but the last three times were in majors. His last PGA Tour event without a birdie or better came at the 2012 Memorial Tournament.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Rory McIlroy makes par on first 17 holes at Truist Championship