Late surge leaves McIlroy in the mix at Irish Open

Irish Open first-round leaderboard

-5 T Clements (Eng); -4 S Valimaki (Fin), A Del Rey (Spa); -3 W Enefer (Eng); R McIlroy (NI), F Celli (Ita), T Lawrence (SA), M Armitage (Eng)

Selected: Level R MacIntyre (Sco), +1 S Lowry (Ire); +2 P Harrington (Ire); +3 S Power (Ire), T McKibbin (NI), L Donald (Eng)

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Rory McIlroy vanished pinch a hat-trick of birdies to paper a three-under 68 and beryllium conscionable 2 shots disconnected nan gait aft nan opening information of nan Irish Open.

The Northern Irishman, competing astatine location for nan first clip since 2019, mixed six birdies pinch 3 bogeys to lead nan Irish situation successful testing crosswinds astatine Royal County Down.

McIlroy's superb finishes keeps him wrong scope of English pacesetter Todd Clements, who vanished pinch an eagle astatine nan par-five 18th to put himself successful rod position, a changeable up of Finland's Sami Valimaki and Spain's Alejandro Del Rey.

World number 3 McIlroy was nan champion of nan location hopes pinch Shane Lowry carding a one-over 72 and Tom McKibbin 2 shots worse off.

“Happy enough. Anytime you tin sprout three-under astir this spot you person to beryllium happy," said McIlroy.

“Conditions were beautiful reliable early connected and past nan upwind seemed to settee a small spot complete those past fewer holes truthful it was bully to return advantage of that and play nan past fewer holes nan measurement I did."

Speaking to reporters connected Wednesday, McIlroy admitted he has struggled pinch nan unit of competing successful beforehand of his location fans successful nan past, having missed nan trim erstwhile nan Irish Open past visited nan Newcastle links successful 2015 and astatine nan Open astatine Royal Portrush successful 2019, carding opening rounds of 80 and 79 successful those 2 events.

This week marks nan first clip nan 35-year-old has played competitively successful Northern Ireland since that Open, and while he endured a miserable week connected nan northbound coast, he did good to clasp his information together present aft a wobble successful nan mediate of nan backmost nine.

Teeing disconnected a small later than his scheduled 13:00 BST start, McIlroy gave nan large crowds that followed him passim thing to outcry astir early pinch a birdie astatine nan opening par-five.

The four-time awesome victor saved par pinch a good up-and-down astatine nan par-three 4th but dropped his first changeable of nan week astatine nan adjacent pursuing a sloppy three-putt.

But McIlroy bounced backmost astatine nan eighth, his birdie putt dropping successful nan beforehand of nan cup, and he gained his 3rd changeable of nan information connected nan par-five 12th pinch a tidy up-and-down.

A wonderfully judged attack from nan unsmooth astatine 13 group up different birdie chance for nan 2016 champion but his putt slid by connected nan correct and his frustrations deepened pinch back-to-back bogeys connected 14 and 15 dropping him backmost to level par.

But arsenic nan sun faded and nan somesthesia dropped, McIlroy delighted nan fans by closing pinch 3 birdies to fortify hopes of his first master triumph connected Northern Irish soil.

But while McIlroy near himself successful a beardown position, his playing partner and chap countryman Tom McKibbin has activity to do aft an opening 74.

McKibbin, who started pinch a bogey aft uncovering problem pinch his opening drive, dropped to 5 complete aft a double astatine 16 but matched McIlroy's birdies astatine 17 and 18 to beryllium 8 shots adrift.

Lowry, too, has activity to do but a birdie connected nan past leaves nan 2019 Open champion conscionable six back, his 72 a satisfactory return aft a mates of early bogeys.

Among nan group astatine two-under are England's Dan Brown, who contended astatine nan Open astatine Troon successful July, and seasoned Dane Soren Kjeldsen, nan 2015 Irish Open champion astatine Royal County Down.