Quail Hollow gets best of major stalwarts McIlroy, Koepka

You'd never know that Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka have 10 major championships between them based on Thursday's performance at Quail Hollow.

The superstar duo both had major issues in the opening round, with McIlroy posting a 3-over and Koepka recording a 4-over. They sit eight and nine shots, respectively, off clubhouse leader Ryan Gerard.

McIlroy's driver is apparently still suffering from a Masters hangover, as the new career grand slam winner hit just 4-of-14 fairways in the opening round. That's only two more fairways than his worst round ever at a major championship, according to Justin Ray of the Twenty First Group.

It was a stunning display of inaccuracy from McIlroy, who's widely considered to be the best driver in the world. He also came into Quail Hollow with four wins at the Charlotte-area course.

Koepka's biggest issue was his approach play. The three-time PGA Championship winner hit only seven fairways to rank 146th in the field early in the afternoon. There are only 20 PGA Club professionals in the 156-man field at Quail Hollow.

Koepka's performance is the latest in a downward trend following his PGA Championship win at Oak Hill in 2022. He has just one top-25 finish in the seven majors since and looks destined to miss his second straight cut after heading home early from the Masters last month.