Rory McIlroy played his slowest-ever round. Then came different kind of test

When Rory McIlroy, who has played golf for nearly all of his 37 years and for nearly two decades professionally, came off the course after his first round at the Irish Open on Thursday, he said something alarming:

“I can’t recall a round of golf that has taken that long before. We’ve had some rounds that are five-and-a-half or five-and-three-quarter hours, but six hours is a first for me.”

McIlroy wasn’t being hyperbolic. He and his playing partners, Robert MacIntyre and Brooks Koepka, had started their round at Doonbeg, on Ireland’s southwest coast, at 1:35 p.m. local time. Their group’s final putt dropped at 7:41, meaning their…

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