Rory McIlroy Shows Clear Frustration With Rule Officials for Lacking ‘Common Sense’ During Irish Open Round

Being on time and still being called for the clock? That’s what makes things a little complicated. Well, this is what has happened with Rory McIlroy, who featured at the Amgen Irish Open of the DP World Tour. The golfer, after a five-shot difference from the leader, has laid out his frustration with the officials as he felt rushed on most of the holes during the first round.

Speaking after his round, McIlroy explained the unique difficulties his group faced. “Our group has to deal with more than any other group on course so it is understandable that we lose time. When I come back to Europe and play in these one, two, three in the world type groups, we are always on the clock for that reason. I felt a little frustrated the last few holes because I feel like it always happens, and they don’t use common sense.”

McIlroy noted that moving from shot to shot was often slowed by crowds and cameras. “Of course, we are going to lose ground because we had to wait on crowds, two camera crews out there, and there is a lot more going on with our group than any other group on course, and sometimes you have to give a little bit of leeway.” Known as one of the tour’s quickest players, he was nonetheless placed under slow-play watch for the final three holes, even attempting to play out of turn at times to maintain pace — a decision he admitted disrupted his rhythm.

The Northern Irishman was paired with Thirston Lawrence of South Africa, the World No. 68 and 19th on the Race to Dubai list. The other partner, Kristoffer Reitan of Norway, is ranked 71 on the OWGR and third in the Race to Dubai rankings. So, it is fair to say that it did attract a lot of the fans’s attention to that particular grouping.

Despite the pressure of the shot clock and his mounting frustration, McIlroy managed to grind out a 1-under 71 to open his campaign. Still, his disappointment was clear, as the constant pace-of-play scrutiny left him feeling that his group had been unfairly singled out.

Further, he even shared, “Everyone is getting timed, so you feel like you are a little bit rushed.” The golfer with the pressure of time, who had four bogeys in the round, found it hard to cover the lead despite five birdies. However, the golfer, after the struggle with the clock, is in a dominant mental state. This is a prominent sign of his game getting back on track before the Ryder Cup.

Rory McIlroy on his game coming together, despite an average first round

The World No. 2 is placed T29 at the Amgen Irish Open after his first round of 1 under. But despite the struggle with four bogeys and the shot clock, he is hinting at getting back to his game. He said, “I feel like I played better than what the score reflects.” Well, away from the four holes where the golfer shared the worry about the shot clock, he has played well, as he recorded five birdies.

He even talked about the further aspect, saying, “But I’m pretty encouraged with how I played. I just didn’t score as well as I wanted to.” McIlroy, apart from leading on the Race to Dubai list, has been lacking with his on-course performance. In 2025, he achieved a driving accuracy of 46.34, which placed him 166th on the tour. Even for average putts per round and putts per GIR, he is placed 54th and 52nd with 29.17 and 1.78, respectively. The Masters winner with his first round was in complete control as he missed the fairway only thrice at the 2nd, 11th, and 15th holes.

However, in 2025, after the great start by clinching three titles in the first half, McIlroy left the track of his great performance. He struggled with mixed results. But now that he’s getting confidence, can he clinch the title and regain his form? What are your thoughts on it? Share with us in the comments below.