Rory McIlroy's first round at the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club was a tough one to summarize—unless you're into four-letter words. The six-time major winner stumbled to a four-over-par 74, leaving him tied for 105th place in the 156-player field. But what exactly went wrong? Let's break it down.

Starting on the back nine, McIlroy kept things steady at even par through 14 holes. Then, the wheels came off. He bogeyed the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th holes in succession. According to stats guru Justin Ray, this marked the first time in McIlroy's 990th PGA Tour round (including majors) that he made bogey or worse on each of his final four holes. Ouch.

If you're looking for the root cause, look no further than the driver. McIlroy hit just five of 14 fairways, tying him for 139th in accuracy. "I started missing fairways," he admitted. "I missed it right on 4, right on 6, right on 7, right on 9. From there, it's hard—you don't have great angles. Then you start missing just off the edges of these greens, and it gets tricky."

The frustration was palpable. "I made that birdie on 5 to get back to even par after the soft bogey on 4, then I just got on that bogey train at the end," McIlroy said. He described the struggle as a back-and-forth battle: "I miss it right, then I try to correct it, and I overdo it and miss it left. It's pretty frustrating, especially when I pride myself on driving the ball well."

McIlroy thought he had turned a corner after a solid Sunday at Quail Hollow and good practice sessions at home. "I honestly thought I'd figured it out," he said. "But once I get under the gun, it just starts to go a little wayward on me."

Still, it wasn't just McIlroy who struggled. Aronimink proved a tough test for many, with the leaders sitting at just three-under par. For golf fans, it's a reminder that even the best can have an off day—and that the right gear, from drivers to gloves, can make all the difference when you're trying to find the fairway.