Irish eyes smarting amid shifting sands at Muirfield

"BRAIN DEAD". Harsh words indeed, but words used to describe the performance of Rory McIlroy in the first round of the Open Championship at Muirfield.

McIlroy playing 'brain dead'

"BRAIN DEAD". Harsh words indeed, but words used to describe the performance of Rory McIlroy in the first round of the Open Championship at a hard-baked, fast-running Muirfield.

They were not the utterances of McIlroy's critics, however, but of the man himself. He had just come in with an eight-over-par score of 79 and had the haunted look of a player with no idea where to turn.

He was not for blaming the course, or some of the pin positions, as some of his peers were prone to do later in the day, but simply himself. At present, McIlroy is a shadow of the player who sat astride the world a little over eight months ago. And there is no end in sight to his torture.

There are few hiding places at Open Championships, so McIlroy's agony was there for all to see. In barely no time at all, the 24-year-old Northern Irishman has gone from all-conquering to also-ran. It cannot last, he is far too good for that, but at the moment it is impossible to tell how long his slump will last.

McIlroy had good company near the bottom of the field in Luke Donald, the former world No1, who came in with an 80 and waved goodbye to another Open. There will be no coming back from there and it is desperately sad to see such a good player coming up short once again. The more the Englishman tries, it seems, the harder it gets.

At the end of the day, the lead was held by Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion, whose five-under-par round of 67 gave him a lead of one stroke over Rafael Cabrera-Bello, of Spain, and Mark O'Meara - who showed once again that players in their fifties, particularly former Open champions, know how to get around such courses.

Lurking dangerously, putting beautifully, and with that look of old in his eyes is Tiger Woods. The 14-times major champion had a 69 that included a succession of single putts, one of about 35 feet at the 13th, and a back nine made up of four birdies and just one bogey at the 14th where, ironically, he putted off the green.

"I could see how guys were complaining about it," Woods said of the conditions. "As the course dried out, it got quick. I putted the ball off the green today, and it wasn't that bad a putt. Anything that goes four feet by, it's gone."

The best placed British players were Oliver Fisher, of England, and Martin Laird, of Scotland, who had rounds of 70. Lee Westwood, putting as well as he has all year, finished on one over par, as did Ian Poulter. Justin Rose, the US Open champion, had a disappointing 76, while Graeme McDowell came in with a 75.

Asked about the state of the greens and the pin placements, McDowell was philosophical in his reply. "They just get so glassy and crispy around the holes," he said. "But you couldn't single out a pin that was unfair. If you got on the wrong side of them, they could make you look very, very silly." Hence Ian Poulter's scathing criticism earlier in the day.

What, then, are we to make of McIlroy's showing? He spoke eloquently and at length about his poor mental state, but steered clear of mentioning the struggle he has had since changing from Titleist to Nike clubs in January. In that time, his game has virtually gone into free fall.

Among his mistakes in the first round, he three-putted the 4th, the 5th and the 11th greens, took on a flag he should have avoided at all costs at the 12th, and putted his ball off the green at the 15th.

He reached the turn in a respectable 37 strokes and came home in 42. His back nine included two double bogeys, four bogeys, a couple of pars and a birdie.

"I wish I could stand up here and tell you what's wrong or what I need to do to make it right," McIlroy said. "It's nothing to do with technique. It's all mental. Sometimes I feel like I'm walking unconscious. I'm trying to focus and trying to concentrate. But I can't really fathom it."

McIlroy's first task now is to make the halfway cut. With the vast majority of the field finishing the first day over par, he has every chance of doing so. But first, he must clear his mind.

"I want to try to be here for the weekend, but I need to go out there and freewheel it," he said. "Try to make birdies and try to play with that little bit of whatever it is I usually have.

"I know I have the shots and I know I'm capable of hitting them. It's a matter of being in the right place mentally to do it. It's just so brain dead. I feel like I've been walking around like that for the last couple of months. I'm trying to get out of it, but I just don't quite know how."

One of the heart-warming stories of the day was that of Matthew Fitzpatrick, the Boys Amateur champion, who put some of the more illustrious names to shame with a round of 73 that was only slightly spoilt by a doublebogey at the last.

The day began a little bizarrely for the young Englishman when he was mistaken for one of the ball collectors on the practice ground rather than one of the players. And that's a tale he will be telling if he goes on to lift the Claret Jug one day. Wish him luck.

The Times