Kiwis struggle at Birkdale

Tough scoring conditions at the year’s third golf major took their toll on the two New Zealanders in the British Open field.

Michael Hendry carded a threeover 73 to be tied 90th while Ryan Fox posted a four-over 74 as wind dominated the first round at Royal Birkdale.

Hendry, 37, posted five bogeys and two birdies as he battled early pumping his fist when the ball fell into the cup.

‘‘I still feel I’m in the golf tournament,’' said McIlroy, who was six shots off the lead held by American players Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Matt Kuchar, who shot five-under-par 65s.

McIlroy has missed the cut at three of his last four tournaments - the US Open, the Irish Open and the Scottish Open - and said he was ‘‘nervous ... anxious, timid’' as he teed off alongside Dustin Johnson and Charl Schwartzel in one of the to find the greens.

After five straight pars, Fox, now inside the top-100 of the world rankings, bogeyed the sixth and seventh holes to drop back. He dropped another shot with a bogey at the 10th, followed by five straight pars. His only birdie came at the par-five 17th, sandwiched between two more bogeys at the 16th and 18th holes. He is tied 106th. marquee groups.

It made a mockery of his pretournament rallying call on Wednesday, when he reacted to being told his odds for victory were 20-1 by saying: ‘‘It’s a good week to back me.’'

Even those odds - unusually long for McIlroy - looked way too short when the world No 4 pulled his tee shot at the first, had a flier to the right of the green with his second shot, sent his chip shot through the green with his third, and two-putted for bogey.