Rory McIlroy's bid for back-to-back major titles suffered a major setback at Aronimink Golf Club, where the world No. 2 shot a four-over 74 in his opening round of the PGA Championship. The Northern Irishman was level par with four holes to play before bogeying each of his last four holes, a first in his PGA Tour career.

When asked to describe his round, McIlroy simply replied: "S***." He admitted his driving had been problematic all year, explaining he keeps missing right, overcorrecting, then missing left. "I just need to try to figure it out," McIlroy said. "Once I get under the gun, it just seems like it starts to go a little wayward on me." He missed each of his last six fairways.

Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley told Sky Sports that all of McIlroy's dropped shots, except one, came from being "wild off the tee." While McIlroy won The Masters last month despite ranking second-last for driving accuracy, Aronimink's treacherous greens punish missed fairways severely. He now faces missing the cut for the first time since 2016.

Playing partners Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth both posted one-under 69s, leaving McIlroy trailing significantly heading into the second round.