Rory McIlroy Implodes, Shoots 10-Over in 1st Round at US Open 2018

Rory McIlroy couldn't have started his U.S. Open at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, in much worse fashion, shooting a 10-over 80 to fall well behind the leaders Thursday.

While the field struggled in general—at the time of publication, five golfers were tied for the lead at just one under—McIlroy's seven bogeys and three double bogeys represented a nightmare first round.

Here are the key storylines from McIlroy's disastrous Thursday.

Rory Proven Right After Star-Studded Group Struggles Early

The highly anticipated playing trio of McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson was a major disappointment Thursday, as Spieth finished eight over and Mickelson ended at seven over. 

Speaking to reporters in May, McIlroy had warned that such star-laden groupings could adversely affect the quality of play given all the attention paid to such pairings:

"I don't mind playing with the top guys in the first two days, but the objective is to get those top guys in contention on Sunday. ... But I get why they're doing it, and I get why it creates a bit of a buzz at the start of the week. But I would rather see Rickie [Fowler] and Phil and Tiger [Woods] play on a Sunday rather than on a Thursday and two of them going home."

Nonetheless, nobody would have expected the trio to struggle so significantly. 

For all three, making the cut will be a struggle.

McIlroy Faces Uphill Battle to Make Cut at Shinnecock

Barring a miraculous turnaround, McIlroy's title chances are over. 

Frankly, his chances at even making the cut seem slim now. To put McIlroy's first round in perspective, Garrett Rank—an NHL referee—shot a 13-over Thursday. Yes, McIlroy is only three strokes ahead of a referee from an entirely different sport.

At the time of publication, only five golfers had a worse score than McIlroy.

McIlroy's best hope will be that his immense struggles on his first 11 holes, when he shot 10 over, will infect the rest of the field over the next day and a half. He'll also need his play to improve dramatically after a good night's rest.

While McIlroy appeared to tame the storm on his final seven holes, he only shot even. That won't be good enough to see the weekend.