Rory McIlroy put his adoring gallery through the wringer again. Hole by hole for the first five, he stepped forward, fell back, stepped forward again, only to fall back before he steadied the ship and heart rates around Royal Portrush to finish the day on three under going into the weekend of the Open Championship.

Rory McIlroy came close to finishing among the leaders in the first round of the Open, but the back nine proved it can be a tough challenge for anyone.

Rory McIlroy opened up on his disastrous start to the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, admitting he "tries to forget" about his first round at the event as Graeme McDowell places his bets on