Rory McIlroy Shoots 1-Under at 2018 Players Championship Despite Driver Issues

Rory McIlroy carded a one-under 71 in Thursday's first round of the 2018 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

McIlroy overcame a poor driving performance—he hit just 42.9 percent of the fairways—with strong iron play to keep himself in the mix after the opening round. He walked off the course five strokes off the lead pace being set by Dustin Johnson and Webb Simpson with the afternoon wave of play ongoing.

He finished the day with four birdies and three bogeys.

McIlroy has found limited success in golf's "fifth major" throughout his career. He's finished in the top 10 the same number of times he's missed the cut (three each) and never earned a top-five result across eight career appearances at TPC Sawgrass.

"This is my ninth time here, so I'm not a spring chicken anymore. I've got a few years under my belt, and it took me a few years to figure it out, but I've had a few top-10s here and I haven't been quite right in contention but I've been close enough," he told reporters Wednesday. "I think it is about time I step up and give myself a chance on Sunday."

The four-time major champion, who started on the back nine, got off to a promising start with two birdies over his first three holes.

That included a birdie putt from just outside 21 feet on the 11th, via the PGA Tour:

McIlroy failed to capitalize on that early success, however, playing the final 15 holes in one-over par.

Along with missing a lot of fairways, he didn't knock down many putts despite giving himself several makeable mid-range looks throughout the round.

With his putter unable to catch fire, the PGA Tour spotlighted the 29-year-old Northern Irishman pitching in for birdie at No. 4:

His round fittingly finished with a missed 16-foot birdie putt and a tip-in par on the ninth.

All told, McIlroy wasn't in top form Thursday but managed to finish the day under par and within striking distance of the leaders. That's a small victory in an event where he's often struggled to contend.

If his play with the irons remains strong and one of the other two main facets of the game get hot, either driving or putting, he could make a charge up the leaderboard.

He's scheduled to tee off at 1:52 p.m. ET on Friday for Round 2 alongside playing partners Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.