After all the hurt, overwhelming joy for Rory McIlroy after harnessing the magic of St Andrews to deliver a breathtaking early statement at the 150th Open Championship. So often tormented in the majors throughout an eight-year drought, this was a McIlroy that gleefully bounced around the Old Course, ruthlessly capitalising on benign conditions to sizzle throughout his six-under par opener.
The Old Course may well be the most “fiddly” Open venue the Northern Irishman has ever played, but alongside his raw power, the 33-year-old displayed copious amounts of control and composure, continuing a newfound trend to fly out of the traps in the majors.
