Rory McIlroy's dream of lifting the Claret Jug on home soil turned into a nightmare as the Northern Irishman suffered a disastrous opening round at the Open Championship in Royal Portrush.
The four-time major champion carded a shocking eight-over-par 79, his worst ever round at golf's oldest championship, leaving him fighting to make the cut.
McIlroy's Portrush Meltdown
Playing in front of an emotional home crowd, McIlroy's round unravelled with a quadruple-bogey eight on the first hole after hitting his opening tee shot out of bounds. The 34-year-old never recovered from the disastrous start, carding seven bogeys and just one birdie in a performance that left fans stunned.
Historic Venue, Unforgettable Collapse
Royal Portrush, hosting its first Open Championship since 1951, witnessed one of the tournament's most dramatic opening-round collapses by a pre-tournament favourite. McIlroy, who set the course record of 61 here as a 16-year-old, looked a shadow of that prodigious talent as he struggled with both his driving and putting.
Key moments from McIlroy's disastrous round:
- Quadruple-bogey 8 on the opening hole
- Three consecutive bogeys from holes 5-7
- Failed to record a single par on the front nine
- Finished last among the morning starters
Road to Redemption?
With the cut line projected at +1, McIlroy faces an enormous challenge to play weekend golf at the tournament he most wanted to win. The former world number one will need one of the greatest comebacks in Open history when he tees off for his second round.
Pundits have described the performance as 'uncharacteristic' for a player of McIlroy's calibre, with many questioning whether the pressure of playing in front of a home crowd proved too much for the normally unflappable star.
