Rory McIlroy labels PGA Championship first round ‘s***’ after late collapse

Rory McIlroy delivered a brutally honest assessment of his opening round at the PGA Championship after carding a disappointing four-over-par 74 at Aronimink.

Asked by the moderator of his press conference to describe his first-round showing at the PGA Championship, McIlroy replied bluntly: “S***.”

Watch McIlroy's verdict here:

The 37-year-old Northern Irishman looked set for a steady opening day after recovering from an early bogey at the 10th with a birdie at the 11th. 

McIlroy then reeled off 10 consecutive pars to remain firmly in touch with the leaders before his round unravelled late on.

A bogey at the fourth briefly stalled his momentum, although he responded immediately with a birdie at the fifth. 

But the six-time major champion endured a disastrous finish, closing with four straight bogeys to tumble down the leaderboard.

Frustration was clear to see throughout the closing stretch. 

McIlroy turned towards spectators and spoke to them after a phone camera apparently clicked during his backswing.

Moments later he was then seen slamming his driver into the turf following an errant tee shot on the fourth hole.

Sky Sports Golf analyst Paul McGinley suggested the incident could potentially attract the attention of PGA of America officials under the championship’s updated code of conduct policy. Whether McIlroy receives a fine or warning remains unclear.

McIlroy cut a frustrated figure when speaking to reporters after the state of his driving with his TaylorMade Qi4D after the round. 

“I'm just not driving the ball well enough,” said McIlroy, who found five of 14 fairways on Thursday. 

“It's been a problem all year for the most part. Yeah, I've sort of got, like I miss it right, and then I want to try to correct it, and then I'll overdo it, and I'll miss it left.”

McIlroy had been managing a blister issue earlier in the week, but insisted afterwards that it was no excuse for his performance.

The world number two arrived at Aronimink chasing a slice of history after completing a successful Masters defence last month to secure his sixth major title. 

A win this week would keep alive hopes of becoming the first player in the modern era to win all four majors in a single season.

His latest Masters triumph also moved him level with Nick Faldo on six major championships, leaving him one behind fellow European great Harry Vardon in the all-time standings.

But after an error-strewn opening round in Pennsylvania, McIlroy now faces a significant uphill battle to contend for a third Wanamaker Trophy.