Rory McIlroy admits to being "groggy" at the RBC Canadian Open after celebrating caddie's birthday a day before - Reports

Rory McIlroy played the first round of the 2024 RBC Canadian Open for a score of 4 under. According to reports, the Northern Irishman may have had this solid showing at Hamilton Golf and Country Club after a night of celebration.

A post on Golfweek's Adam Schupak suggests that Rory McIlroy played while feeling the effects of “a couple glasses of wine” from the night before. Schupak posted the following text:

"Rory said he was a little groggy this morning after having a couple glasses of wine celebrating caddie Harry Diamond’s birthday last night. No birdies on the front but rallied for a 66. Solid start in his bid for a 3rd @RBCCanadianOpen title."

However, McIlroy made no comment on the matter at his post-round press conference.

In the first round, McIlroy played without making any bogeys. He parred the first nine holes in a row and made four birdies on the back nine. With his score of 4 under, Rory McIlroy sits T4 with the round remaining. He is three strokes behind the leaders, Sean O'Hair and Sam Burns.

Rory McIlroy has tee time at 12:55 pm (Eastern Time) for the second round of the tournament. McIlroy is grouped with two Canadians, Taylor Pendrith and defending champion Nick Taylor.

Rory McIlroy praises the "atmosphere" created by Canadian fans

McIlroy is a fan favorite because of the outstanding history he has at the Canadian Open. During his post-round press conference, the Northern Irishman had words of praise for the crowd that attended the first round of the tournament. (Via Ten Golf)

He said:

"One of the main reasons I love coming back here is because of that atmosphere that's created when we're out there to play, and playing with two Canadians today was exactly what I expected. A Thursday morning at 7:40 [a.m.] or whatever we teed off, there was a lot of people out there. It was great to see." [3:22 - 3:38]

This is McIlroy's fourth appearance at the Canadian Open. In the past, he has won twice (2019 and 2022) and finished T9 in 2023.

His 2019 victory was at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, the same venue that is hosting this year's edition. On that occasion, McIlroy posted the aggregate record for the Canadian Open (258) to win with a score of 22 under, seven strokes ahead of Shane Lowry. Then in 2022, McIlroy won with a score of 19 under, two strokes ahead of Tony Finau, at St. George's Golf and Country Club.