Rory McIlroy remained hopeful he can recover from shooting two over par after his opening round of the British Open that left the Masters champion seven shots off the lead.

There were no “I’m so bad at golf” exclamations from Rory McIlroy this time. The puzzled looks, shakes of the head and sagging shoulders said it all.

The Masters champion missed numerous opportunities at Royal Birkdale and ran up six bogeys.

McIlroy was seven shots off the pace after the opening round at Royal Birkdale

A closer look at the 37-year-old’s Friday action at Royal Birkdale.

The 37-year-old was hoping to move in contention after a slow start on Thursday.

The 37-year-old was hoping to move in contention after a slow start on Thursday.