Rory McIlroy acknowledges playing in easier conditions compared to those who teed off earlier at the Arnold Palmer Invitational

Rory McIlroy talked about playing in easier weather conditions than the morning weather at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. McIlroy, who is playing at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week, completed his first round at the Bay Hill Golf Course on Thursday, March 6.

Following the round, McIlroy joined a press conference where he was asked to share about his start in the PGA Tour event. The Northern Irishman replied ( via ASAP Sports):

“Yeah, good start. I think the guys that teed off a little later got a little bit of a reprieve. It was still breezy, but not quite as tough as the guys got it this morning. Yeah, couple under was a good start…I think just crosswinds. The fairways are quite narrow and when you miss them you're in that thick rough, and it just, you lose all control of your golf ball from there and you're just hoping for a good lie to get it up somewhere near the green.”

“I think it demands good ball striking. You have to really control, especially today, control your flight and distance very well with your irons. That's something that I've been working on quite a lot and feel like I'm pretty good at that. I think that's the big thing,” he added.

Rory McIlroy finished at the T6 position after shooting 2 under. He shot 70 in the tournament's first round with three birdies on the front nine and three on the back nine.

How did Rory McIlroy perform in the other golf tournaments in 2025?

Rory McIlroy played in three tournaments before the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. He first teed off at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he won the tournament with 21 under 267. In the first round, he shot 66 with four birdies and one eagle. In the second and third rounds, he fired 70 and 65 with four birdies along with an eagle and seven birdies, respectively. In the last round, he shot 66 with five birdies and one eagle.

McIlroy played at the Genesis Invitational and finished at the T17 with a score of 3 under 285 and shooting 72-67-74-72 over the four rounds. McIlroy also played in a DP World Tour event in 2025, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, where he finished at T4 after four days of competition. He scored 12 under 276 after the fourth round. Here's the full list of McIlroy's 2025 tournaments:

2025 PGA TOUR Tournaments

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at the Pebble Beach Golf Links: Winner, 66-70-65-66, 267 (-21)
The Genesis Invitational at the Torrey Pines (South Course): T17, 72-67-74-72, 285 (-3)

2024-25 DP World Tournaments

Hero Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club: T4, 70-71-69-66, 276 (-12)

About the author

Suchita Chakraborty is a senior golf writer at Sportskeeda. She did her post-graduation at St. Xavier's University. For a year now, she has developed a riveting inclination toward golf, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy being her top-tier motivational figures to indulge in the sport. She even lives by the words of the Hall of Famer, "You can always become better", which impels her to excel every day. Her strong suit in golf is covering the LPGA Tour, especially the nooks and crannies of the international event, the Solheim Cup. As a pastime amusement, Suchita also engages herself in reading about golf controversies. Her favorite pick is ‘LIV and Let Die’ by Alan Shipnuck, which covers the PGA-LIV beef.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar