It was tough going for Rory McIlroy on day one of the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow.
McIlroy definitely didn't have his 'A' game on Thursday at Quail Hollow, and he struggled to get anything going all day long.
The 37-year-old is playing his first event since winning The Masters in April for the second consecutive time.
It's understandable that Rory McIlroy may be carrying a little bit of rust at the Truist Championship this week.
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However, the Northern Irishman loves Quail Hollow. McIlroy's first PGA Tour win came at the Truist Championship (formerly the Wells Fargo Championship) way back in 2010.
So it was somewhat of a surprise to see him struggle his way to an opening round score of 70 on Thursday afternoon.
McIlroy will head to Aronimink for the PGA Championship next week in search of his seventh major championship win.
Incredibly, McIlroy made 18 pars during his first round at Quail Hollow on Thursday.
He was on course to complete the first round of his career with 18 pars before he finally made his first birdie of the day on the final hole.
And after his opening round in North Carolina, McIlroy was asked to sum up how his game feels right now.
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" I felt like I hit the ball well and hit enough good shots to be a little better than what I was, but I got three more days to try to catch up to everyone, " McIlroy said.
" I wasn't frustrated (with his putting), 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 I 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. I was just sort of trying to — it was more of a read thing than — 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 will undoubtedly be a lot sharper than he was on Thursday by the time the PGA Championship rolls around at Aronimink next week.
The 37-year-old will be expecting to improve upon his opening round performance every single day for the rest of the week in Charlotte.
It really shouldn't surprise anyone if he's in one of the final groups on Sunday at Quail Hollow.
Rory McIlroy may not have had his best stuff on day one of the Truist Championship, but there is a very good chance that he will be in fine fettle for the PGA Championship at Aronimink.
All he needs to do is get some more reps in on the range and some more competitive rounds under his belt, and he'll be just fine.
