Rory rush turns into right Royal nightmare

definitely think this was a lost opportunity to get right into the mix.

“If you keep the ball in play it’s almost hard to make a bogey.

“I’ve always been good when I get off to a fast start because I usually keep it going.

“I didn’t today – and that’s the most disappointing thing.

“I need to pick myself up, play a good final round, hope for some bad weather, and hope that some guys struggle.”

When Mcilroy chipped in at the first, it seemed the magic was back. After five, he had a sniff of the leaders.

Then the bogeyman who haunted Mcilroy for six horrific opening holes on Thursday reappeared on his shoulder.

The anguish of back-to-back dropped shots at seven and eight was eased by another birdie at the ninth – but then he really did unravel.

Mcilroy was in trouble (below) when he found a bunker with his tee shot at the 10th and a drama became a crisis when his splash out almost trickled back into the sand.

His third shot found more trouble in thick rough to the left of the green. And when Mcilroy missed a 15-foot bogey putt, he was back where he started the day.

“That was a real kick in the teeth,” he said. “I just hit the wrong club off the tee. That was a huge mental error and I lost my head a little bit from there.” Even when he did pick up a shot, at the 15th, it was tempered by the fact that an eagle had beckoned.

The sight of Mcilroy walking off the green with his face buried in his hands said it all. Yet he can feel he is coming back to form.

He said: “This week has been a step in the right direction, there’s no doubt about it.

“It’s almost there, but for a few sloppy swings. I’ve got to trust what I am doing.”