Home favourite Rory McIlroy rewards fans with strong start at Royal Portrush

By Carl Markham, PA

Rory McIlroy put on a show for the thousands of fans who cheered his every move at his home Open at Royal Portrush as the Masters champion moved himself into contention on the first day.

Golf’s newest member of the elite career Grand Slam club was far from his best off the tee but made up for it on the greens, three birdies on his front nine leaving him just two shots off the lead.

While there was no repeat of his out-of-bounds quadruple-bogey eight at the first when the major made its long-awaited return to the Dunluce Links in 2019, McIlroy still missed the fairway and bogeyed.

But with galleries 10-deep in places craning their necks to see their hero from an hour down the road in Holywood, McIlroy kicked into gear, holing from 15 feet at the par-five second and a 27-footer up the slope for birdie at the driveable par-four fifth.

After leaving another birdie attempt inches short at the next, he made life easier for himself at the 607-yard seventh. Having found rough on both sides of the fairway, he hit a brilliant approach to three feet to pick up another shot.

A seven-foot birdie opportunity glided by the hole at the eighth, where he managed to find his first fairway, and he two-putted from 33 feet to turn in 34.

That put him within touching distance of Ryder Cup team-mate Matt Fitzpatrick, who carded the lowest opening round of his major career with a four-under 67. He was in the clubhouse alongside world number 354 Jacob Skov Olesen and China’s Li Haotong, with South Africa’s Chris Bezuidenhout and American Lucas Glover still out on the course.

Fitzpatrick, a former US Open champion, continued his upward trend following back-to-back top-10 finishes in his last two events after an otherwise disappointing season, despite a joint-eighth place at May’s US PGA.

The Sheffield golfer got off to a flying start with a 22-foot eagle putt at the second hole, but the highlight was a slam-dunk chip for birdie from the steep bank on the treacherous Calamity Corner par-three 16th.

“I felt like The Players was the lowest I’ve felt in my career,” Fitzpatrick, bidding to become the first English winner of The Open since Nick Faldo in 1992, said of missing the cut at Sawgrass in March.

“Statistically it could be the worst run that I’ve played as well. I just didn’t feel good or know where it was going.

“Today I just felt like I did drove it well, approach play was good and chipped and putted well. It was just an all-around good day.”

Olesen, a Danish left-hander who won the Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin in Ireland last summer, only turned professional in November after earning his DP World Tour card.

That meant the 26-year-old had to sacrifice his amateur exemptions for this year’s Masters and US Open, so this was only his second appearance at one of golf’s premier events after his debut at Troon 12 months ago.

But he had no regrets about his decision, having come through qualifying a fortnight ago.

“I think it would have been a different decision if I was 19 at the time, but getting out on tour has always been a dream of mine,” he said.

“I had already made the decision before even going to second stage of Q-school that, if I got through, it would be a no-brainer to turn pro.”

World number one Scottie Scheffler missed a birdie putt at the last which would have given him a share of the lead, but his 68 was the lowest score by a player who hit three or fewer fairways in The Open for last 25 years.

“When it’s raining sideways it’s actually, believe it or not, not that easy to get the ball in the fairway. Thank you guys all for pointing that out,” said the reigning US PGA champion.

Asked whether there was a shot he was really pleased with, he replied: “No.”

Scheffler’s playing partner and popular 2019 champion Shane Lowry shot one under and the Irishman said: “I’m happy. I’ve fought with this round of golf in my head for a few weeks now. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

“I felt like I managed to handle myself very well. The crowds were amazing and I tried to use that as motivation.”

Defending champion Xander Schauffele said his level-par 71 “wasn’t a very exciting round”, while 55-year-old Phil Mickelson carded his best Open round since 2018 to sit one under, holing a bunker shot for par at the third, having left his first attempt in the sand.