Rory McIlroy believes he handled the pressure of playing in The Open on home soil after overcoming a poor driving display to stay in contention at Royal Portrush.

McIlroy was the pre-tournament favourite when The Open was last held in Northern Ireland in 2019, where he quadruple bogeyed his opening hole and struggled to a first-round 79 on his way to a shock mixed cut.

The Masters champion was the fans’ favourite once again for this year’s contest, his first event in his home country since winning The Masters and completing the Grand Slam, where he mixed five birdies with four bogeys to post a one-under 70.

McIlroy found just two fairways off the tee on the opening day – the fewest of his Open career and matching his lowest ever in a major, but overcame a mid-round wobble to stay with three strokes of the five-way tie for the early lead.

“I feel the support of an entire country out there, which is a wonderful position to be in, but at the same time, you don’t want to let them down,” McIlroy admitted. “There’s that little bit of added pressure.

“I felt like I dealt with it really well today. Certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago. I was just happy to get off to a good start and get myself into the tournament.

“There’s a few guys at four under, but I’m surprised four under is leading. I thought someone might have gone out there and shot six or seven under today. Only three back with 54 holes to go, I’m really happy with where I am.”

How McIlroy enjoyed better opening round in Portrush

McIlroy was three shots better after the opening hole than he was six years ago, despite a wayward iron off the tee and a three-putt – including a miss from inside four feet – resulting in a bogey.

The left miss off the tee quickly became a regular theme for McIlroy, who had to lay up at the par-five second after an errant drive but made a 15-foot birdie and then rolled in from 25 feet for another at the fourth.

McIlroy recovered from another wayward drive into left rough at the seventh by delivering a wonderful wedge from the rough with his third shot, setting up a close-range birdie, seeing him reach the turn in 34.

He started his back nine with an eight-foot birdie but failed to convert from a similar distance to save par at the next, with McIlroy finding a fairway bunker off the tee at the par-five next and three-putting from the next to card back-to-back bogeys.

McIlroy got up and down from the back of the green to scramble a par at the 13th but had to hole from six feet just to make bogey at the next, having needed to lay up out of a fairway bunker.

The five-time major winner converted from 12 feet to save par at the 15th and scrambled a par from off the green at the par-three next, before finding a birdie at the 17th and going close at the last to end the day in red figures.

“Overall happy with the start, very solid, considering I think I only hit two or three fairways for the day,” McIlroy told Sky Sports. “I felt like I was chopping out of the rough or out of the fairway bunkers most of the day.

“To play those last four holes in one under and shoot under par was great. I had it going there for the first 10 holes and as we turned for home, the wind started to pick up a bit and the course did start to get very difficult in those cross winds.

“I was on the bogey train there for a bit but steadied the ship with a really good par but on 15, then played the last three holes well.”

Where can McIlroy improve to contend?

Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley: “I think refine his swing. Rory likes to play on the front foot and play aggressively, he knows this golf course and the strategy will be well thought out because he thinks he’s playing to his strengths.

“His driving is not his strength at the moment. It normally is, but today it wasn’t. But still one under par, that’s a good effort. He’s done well and he has gone a long way.”

Former major champion Rich Beem: “I thought he handled everything beautifully.

“He’s going to have to come up with a little better gameplan off the tee going forward for the last 54 holes if he wants to seriously contend. But it was a great start.”

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