Rory McIlroy hits 392-yard tee shot at Oakmont

During his pre-tournament news conference, Rory McIlroy was a bit combative when discussing his driver, which has caused him some issues since the 2025 PGA Championship.

He missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open last week with a new driver in the bag than what he used when he won the Masters two months ago. Tuesday, McIlroy confirmed he moved on from the TaylorMade Qi35 that let him down and went back into the Qi10 model.

“Every driver sort of has its own character and you’re trying to manage the misses,” he said during his Tuesday press conference. “I’m in a better place with everything going into this week.”

Would his driver issues continue at the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, where accuracy off the tee is essential to success? Early on, it didn’t seem like it.

Coming off a birdie at the par-4 11th hole, McIlroy stepped to the tee of the par-5 12th and blasted his tee shot down the left side of the fairway before it took a huge bounce and continued careening down the tilted fairway. The ball finally stopped 392 yards from the tee box, his longest drive of the season.

McIlroy then found the green in two shots and two-putted for birdie, moving to 2 under early in his round. He has finished in the top 10 at six consecutive U.S. Opens, and even coming in while struggling a bit, McIlroy is off to a brilliant start Thursday.