Misfiring McIlroy runs cold at Open
BRITISH Open favourite Rory McIlroy has made a horror start to this year’s final golf major at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
McIlroy went out of bounds on his first shot, then left his ball unplayable in thick brush near the green and ended up with a quadruple-bogey eight.
His first wayward ball hit a fan and cracked the screen of her mobile phone which was in her pocket.
The 2014 champion holds the course record at Royal Portrush, shooting a 61 when he was 16 in the North of Ireland Amateur.
McIlroy went out of bounds left in an internal area of the course off the tee. After hitting his provisional left again into the rough, his approach cleared a bunker but landed in a patch of thick grass and he was forced to drop.
He chipped on to the green but missed a 2m putt.
Earlier, Emiliano Grillo hit the first hole-in-one of this year’s Open.
The 26-year-old Argentine put his shot on the green and it pitched left, rolled down the bank and dropped in the hole on No.13.
The hole-in-one put Grillo at even par. He also had three birdies on the front nine, but a triple-bogey on the fourth hole left him at two-over.
Darren Clarke, who hit the opening tee shot for the first Open in his native Northern Ireland since 1951, made the turn in a solid two-under 34.
His only blunder was a shot off the hosel of his club on the par-5 seventh that squirted so far right he had to take an unplayable lie from thick grass.
He escaped with a bogey.
Two-time Open champion Padraig Harrington was among those at two-under on the front nine.
Australian players including Marc Leishman, Jason Day and Adam Scott had late tee times last night. ROUND 13 in the Old Scholars could make or break two teams with one desperate to play finals football and the other keen to stay fourth.
Fifth-placed University is two wins adrift of Hutchins and faces a danger game against leader OHA.
For Rainbows to win their defenders must shut down Ships forwards, especially Trent Standen who has kicked 70 goals, and make the most of their own chances through full-forward Josh Hall. St Virgils’ bid to open their winning account will not get any easier against a rampant DOSA, which inflicted a 100-point win in Round 8. Saints have not covered their loss of key players to season-ending injuries and their last win was a 15point victory over Hutchins in Round 16 last season.
Richmond will be eager to bounce back from last week’s loss but confronts a revitalised Hutchins. The Blues got home by five points in Round 8 but need to create their own chances to feed forwards Alex Gilmour and Tim Clark.