The Open: Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in contention after eventful starts as five share early lead at Royal Portrush | Golf News

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Scottie Scheffler overcome an erratic driving display to put himself in a plan of the first lead to the 153rd open, while Rory McILroy remained in the running after a hectic opening tour in Royal Portrush.

Scheffler found only three fairways off the tee, but mixed five birdies with two Bogeys in a first round of 68, leaving the world number 1 out of three under the five players sharing first place in a congestioned classification.

Jacob Skov Olesen set the initial objective of the clubhouse and was quickly twinned by Haotong Li in China, one of the only two towers without Bogey on Thursday, with Matt Fitzpatrick, Harris English and Christian Bezuiden by also reaching four.

Scheffler was joined by the shot by the English duo Matt Jordan and Tyrrell Hatton, with the champion of the Grand Chelem Mcilroy less than three of his head while he pursues a historic victory on home at home and the second major victory of the year.

The less than 70 of McILroy was nine better than he succeeded in his missed cut in the 2019 competition, held at the same place, the 36 -year -old hit only two fairways, but recording five birdies to delight the record crowd in Northern Ireland.

McILroy begins regularly after 2019 Nightmare

McILroy avoided a rehearsal to get out of the limits in four as 2019, but opened with a bogey with three nervous strokes, missing a putt inside four feet, then bounced with two birdies in his following three holes.

World number No. 2 took advantage of the seventh by five, despite the continuation of fighting with a round on the left of the TEE, while it started its new back with an eight -foot blade to move temporarily alongside Scheffler and in a photo of the Logjam at the top of the ranking.

McILroy displayed consecutive bogeys, then fell further with an abandoned 14th shot, the favorite of the house having to draw 12 feet to save the 15 before producing a late rally with a penultimate Birdie.

“Overall, satisfied with the beginning, very solid,” said McILroy Sky Sports. “I felt like I was cutting out rough or out of the day.

“I made it go there for the first 10 holes and as we returned home, the wind started to take a little and the route was very difficult in these crossed winds. I was on the Bogey train there for a little but I streaked the ship with a very good peer then well played the last three holes.”

Scheffler also fought on the TEE, but sorted up two of its last three holes in three under 68, while the trip to English Lee Westwood, Aaron Rai and Justin Rose – alongside Li as another leaving without Bogey – are all less than two of the head.

Mixed fortune for big names in golf

A starry ranking sees McILroy joined on One Under by the 2013 Champion Phil Mickelson, the 2019 winner Shane Lowry and the former N ° 1 in the world N ° 1 Jon Rahm, with only three shots dividing the 31 best players.

The defending champion Xander Schauffele stutter at a level 71 level and Tom McKibbin in Northern Ireland is another shot, while the stars of the Ryder Cup Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg and Tommy Fleetwood are all sitting outside the planned cut after the opening 73s.

The 2017 champion Jordan Spieth is also six behind, while Padraig Harrington – who sorted out his opening hole after starting the tournament at 6:35 am, he fought against eighty of 75.

The former major champions Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa are among the others seated out of four, while Bryson Dechambeau faces a battle to avoid the major consecutive failures after failing to find a Birdie in his first Tour 78.

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