OAKMONT, Pa. – Rory McIlroy’s hopes for a second major title in 2025 are in jeopardy after a rough close to his first round at the 125th U.S. Open.

A winner 14 years ago at Congressional Country Club, and a runner-up at this event each of the last two years, McIlroy found his footing quickly Thursday morning amid pristine conditions at Oakmont Country Club. Starting on No. 10, he made the turn in 2 under and did not make a bogey over his first nine holes.

That bogey-free streak ended on No. 1, his 10th hole of the day, and McIlroy’s opening effort unraveled when he played his final six holes in 5 over. It added up to a 4-over 74, his highest opening-round score in the U.S. Open since a first-round 80 in 2018. On the first page of the leaderboard for much of the morning, he now finds himself eight shots off the early pace set by the man he beat in a playoff at THE PLAYERS three months ago, J. J. Spaun (66).

McIlroy came to Oakmont on the heels of a missed cut at the RBC Canadian Open, and he has now shot 71 or higher in five straight rounds dating back to the PGA Championship. He declined to talk to media after the opening round.

McIlroy’s round appeared in peril on the par-5 fourth, where his drive landed in deep fescue right of the fairway. It took him three swings from there to get back into the fairway, but he was able to salvage bogey with a 30-foot save. But he was unable to build on that brief momentum, making bogeys on Nos. 6 and 7 before a double bogey on the lengthy par-3 eighth hole after missing the green and leaving a pitch shot in the thick greenside rough.

McIlroy’s opening-round stat line included seven of 14 fairways, 13 of 18 greens in regulation and 34 putts. He was the tournament leader in driving distance (331.5 yards) after signing his card, but he was outside the top 100 in the field on the greens.

McIlroy’s score was still the best of his group, as fellow major champions Justin Rose (77) and Shane Lowry (79) also struggled. The Ulsterman missed the cut at Oakmont in 2016 but has had considerable success in the U.S. Open in recent years, finishing inside the top 10 every year since 2019.

McIlroy will look to steady the ship in Friday’s second round, when he will tee off at 1:25 p.m. ET, attempting to work his way back into contention. He’ll also be looking to avoid a notable distinction: McIlroy has not missed back-to-back cuts on TOUR since the summer of 2012, when he made an early exit from both THE PLAYERS and the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday in consecutive starts.