Sitting in the bunker just outside the green on the 18th, Rory McIlroy was setting up for a wedge shot. With his group mate, Scottie Scheffler looking on, the Irishman was eager to get close to the cup. Unfortunately, he overhit the ball, and it bounced off the grandstand and rolled onto the green. That was enough for McIlroy to secure a birdie to close the first round of the 2025 TOUR Championship as both he and Scheffler ended the day with a laugh. However, this time last year, the 36-year-old had a whole different set of problems on a different hole.

Johnson Wagner was at East Lake a few hours ago, representing Golf Channel to explain what troubled McIlroy in the 2024 TOUR Championship. Standing on the 16th hole, he was sharing how dangerous the 16th hole can be to Brandel Chamblee & Co. That’s when he told them, “We’re standing here on the 16th green. This hole location is 5 on and 4 off the right-hand side, and it was very similar last year, seven on and six off the right-hand side.”

After sharing how the position of the hole has been changed this season, Wagner explained why the grounds staff had decided to take the decision. He added, “When I was going through the hole location sheet this morning, I noticed, given the maturation of these greens, they were brand new last year, the Tour staff is pushing this hole location closer to the edge. Right at the 16th hole, this is the feature that Andrew Green brought back last year in his restoration; it’s called the pit over here.”

The camera focused on the downslope that can change the trajectory of someone’s round or tournament. The 45° slope with short grass allowed the ball to roll down a lot farther away from the hole, making the approach shot challenging. As Wagner explained, that is why players avoided hitting the right side of the 16th hole at East Lake last year. While most of them aimed their shot at the center of the green, Johnson says that there were three guys who chose to hit it a bit more safely in the bunker just short of the green: Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, and Rory McIlroy.

“Xander and Patrick both got up and down. Rory didn’t,” Wagner said, suggesting that the Irishman struggled to get a sand save and score a par. He scored a bogey in the second round, which was his only error for the day. That may have led to a loss of momentum as McIlroy ended up having a terrible third round before recovering on Championship Sunday. Unfortunately, a flawless fourth round wasn’t enough to save him, as he finished at T9 in the last playoff event of the 2024 season.

Fortunately, the 29-time PGA Tour champion didn’t have any trouble on the 16th hole at East Lake on Thursday this year. However, he did narrowly miss out on a birdie as his 13-foot putt rolled just 1 inch away from sinking. Beyond that, the Grand Slam champion, who still feels weird getting named alongside Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, had quite a dramatic day. And we’re not just talking about the hilarious incident on the 18th hole. Let’s review how Rory McIlroy played in the first round of the 2025 TOUR Championship.

Cautious or bold? Rory McIlroy takes on East Lake with a different mindset

The 18th hole bounce off the grandstand was certainly the best way to end the first round of the 2025 TOUR Championship. Watching the world #1 and 2 have a laugh as they walked off East Lake was a delightful sight for every fan. X was buzzing, watching their interaction, considering the intense rivalry they often share on the course. But Rory McIlroy gave more than a few reasons for Scottie Scheffler to be surprised with his play on Thursday.

The outstanding eagle on the 6th hole contributed to the Irishman’s great performance. He found the 532-yard hole within three shots after sinking an outstanding 29-foot putt on the green. McIlroy was also quite consistent with hitting great approach shots throughout the day that made it easy for him to get some easy putts. He was the most consistent at finding greens in regulation, and that helped him score 4-under 66 to finish at T8 after 18 holes. In the second round, Rory McIlroy will be grouped with Jacob Bridgeman and tee off at 9:44 A.M. (EST). With three more rounds to go, he would be eager to improve his score and try to become the first-ever 4x TOUR Championship winner.