Rory McIlroy Fumes at Irish Open Officials After Slow-Play Penalty – Calls for ‘Common Sense’

Rory McIlroy was left visibly frustrated after being put on the clock for slow play during the closing stretch of his opening round at the Irish Open. The incident derailed what had been a promising start at the K Club, ultimately costing the Masters champion valuable strokes and dropping him down the leaderboard.

McIlroy was three-under-par and cruising through the morning session when his group — which included Thriston Lawrence and Kristoffer Reitan — was warned for slow play for the second time during the round. With large crowds following and television cameras in tow, the trio were forced to speed up their play over the final three holes.

“In all honesty, I felt a little rushed out there for the last 12 holes,” McIlroy admitted after his round. “We got put on the clock pretty early, and then again on the last three holes to try to make time up. It’s hard because you feel rushed, you’re playing some tough holes, and our group deals with more distractions than most — waiting on crowds, waiting on cameras. Of course, we’re going to lose time.”

The four-time major champion went on to call for more flexibility from tournament officials.

“I feel like every time I come back to Europe, or I’m in one of those one-two-three-in-the-world type groups, we’re always put on the clock. I got a little frustrated because I don’t think they use common sense in those situations. There’s a lot going on with our group compared to others, and sometimes they should give us a bit of leeway.”

Despite being known for his typically brisk pace on the course, McIlroy admitted he let the situation get under his skin, referencing a similar flare-up with an official earlier this year at the Players Championship.

His frustrations compounded when both Lawrence and Reitan found the water on the par-3 7th hole, slowing play even further. McIlroy dropped shots on two of his closing three holes, sliding to one-under-par and outside the top 20 heading into round two.

Meanwhile, Spain’s Nacho Elvira set the early pace with a six-under-par 66, while Shane Lowry delighted the home fans by carding a three-under 69, finishing strong with three birdies in his last six holes.