Rory McIlroy has been the talk of the PGA Championship all week, and his opening round at Aronimink Golf Club only added fuel to the fire. Before the tournament, McIlroy confidently stated that the course required little strategy, suggesting most holes were simply about hitting driver and figuring out the rest. After just one round, however, that take is looking shaky.

McIlroy’s driver let him down badly in his first round, sending shots left and right off the tee. The punishing, thick rough at Aronimink wasted no time in exacting a toll, leading to four consecutive bogeys to close out his round. It was a stark contrast to his pre-tournament bravado, and golf analyst Paul McGinley was quick to call him out on it.

Speaking on Sky Sports commentary, McGinley didn't hold back. "He didn't putt very well with 36 putts. But it all happens off the tee. All of his shots except the one par three on eight were being wild off the tee and not being able to recover," McGinley observed. He contrasted McIlroy's Masters win, where despite ranking second-last in driving accuracy, he managed to escape trouble. "Today, Aronimink jumped up and bit anybody who was in the rough. A lot of storylines were players saying that was no strategy off the tee. But that is not the case. You miss fairways at your peril out here. These greens are treacherous and you have to be on the fairway to control your spin."

The difference between Augusta National and Aronimink was stark. At the Masters, McIlroy found himself in the pine straw often but could rely on creative recovery shots to save par. Aronimink offered no such luxury, punishing any wayward drive and making McIlroy's earlier comments look premature.

When asked after his round whether he had misjudged the course, McIlroy conceded, "It's hit and miss. I think, if you miss it on the right side going into like — you know, if the pin's on the left, you miss it right, it's fine. But yeah, I got a couple of lies today that were particularly bad. The one on the 10th hole starting off, that's as bad as I've seen. Yeah, there is a penalty for — certainly..." It was a humble admission from a player who learned the hard way that strategy matters—even when you're one of the best in the world.