PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Rory McIlroy got off to an abysmal start Thursday at the British Open with a quadruple-bogey eight on the first hole at Royal Portrush.
Shot 1: Driver out-of-bounds
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) July 18, 2019
Shot 2: Penalty shot.
Shot 3: Provisional shot in rough.
Shot 4: Iron to the left hand rough.
Shot 5: A drop needed.
Shot 6: Chip from the rough to 10-feet.
Shot 7: Missed putt
Shot 8: In the hole
🤦♂️ Rory McIlroy +4 after 1 hole.#TheOpen pic.twitter.com/GAcOO2tuOR
The home-country hopeful was met with a deafening reception by an expectant crowd, with the 148th edition of the tournament set to be the second best attended in history.
McIlroy was out of bounds off the opening tee and struggled to regain his composure from there, despite conditions appearing set fair for low scoring.
The Northern Irishman, a four-time major winner, is seeking his second Claret Jug but already faces a huge task to climb the leaderboard.
Ah...
— Peter Hanson July 18, 2019
A quadruple bogey 8
The applause would be best described as a ‘polite smattering’
Not the start Rory McIlroy or the Portrush natives would have envisaged #TheOpen@OmnisportNews
Compatriot Darren Clarke had the honor of teeing off the action, and he got to 3 under by the fifth but walked off the 15th at 2 under.
Shane Lowry topped the leaderboard after nine holes, making the turn in a 3-under 33, with Charley Hoffman and Alex Noren for company, while reigning champion Francesco Molinari parred the first.
There was also a moment to remember for Argentina's Emiliano Grillo, who lit up the par-3 13th with an ace.
World No. 1 Brooks Koepka goes out at 13:04 local time (8:04 ET), with Tiger Woods not teeing it up until 3:10 (10:10 ET).