Rory McIlroy shot an even par 70 at Memorial Park for the Texas Children's Houston Open.
He could not get much going as McIlroy fought the elements throughout his round. The 35-year-old made two bogeys and two birdies on the day.
"Sort of tale of two halves. It felt like I was scrambling for the most part on the first nine, and then yeah, I feel like I left a couple out there on the last nine," McIlroy said after his round.
He was very specific in explaining how he played.
"A little pedestrian is a good way to describe it," he said. "We had to deal with those conditions early on — rainy and not too pleasant to play in. Made a few par saves early on that I needed to and then had quite a few chances on the second nine there that I didn't convert."
McIlroy hit just 8-of-13 fairways but picked up +0.790 in strokes gained off the tee.
After struggling with his driver in Florida, he still felt better about the big stick after Thursday.
"I drove it better once I got my rain gear off," McIlroy said. "Couldn't find the middle of the club face for the first few holes. Once it brightened up and as the conditions got a little better, I felt like I drove it pretty well."
However, his putter was ice cold. Despite hitting 12-of-18 greens in regulation, McIlroy could not convert many putts.
He made just 49 feet in putts and lost -1.779 in strokes gained putting.
This week marks McIlroy's first start at the Houston Open since 2014, but it is the first time he has taken on Memorial Park.
His first round was not the best, but it was not close to the worst score on the course. He managed to navigate the course without making too many mistakes.
McIlroy sits five shots off the current leaders. He will look to make a move up the leaderboard on Friday and avoid missing the cut for the first time in 2025.
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