LAST UPDATE | 13 Jul 2023
RORY MCILROY HAS his sights set on heading into the Open Championship on the back of victory in the Genesis Scottish Open after enjoying a superb start to the £7 million event.
McIlroy recorded an eagle and six birdies in an opening six-under-par 64 at The Renaissance Club that left him three shots off the lead held by South Korea’s Ben An, whose flawless 61 equalled the course record.
There was disappointment, however, for Seamus Power who was forced to withdraw with a hip injury after just nine holes of his opening round.
Pádraig Harrington is on three under after an excellent 67, shooting four birdies and one bogey.
Shane Lowry is one over after an opening round of 71 which included two birdies and three bogeys, while Tom McKibben is on level par after a mixed round, shooting six birdies, two bogeys and two double bogeys.
“It’s a really good start,” McIlroy said. “I’ve not had particularly great results around this course the last couple of times but I feel like my game is definitely in better shape now.
“I feel like I’m coming in here playing really good golf, producing good results and getting myself in contention and I’m just really trying to do the same things and adapt to the different conditions we’re going to face over the next couple of weeks.”
An eagle, @McIlroyRory style 🦅#GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/1T95dYYOfe
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 13, 2023
Next week is, of course, the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, where McIlroy won the third of his four major titles nine years ago.
“I didn’t touch my clubs for 10 days after the Travelers,” the 34-year-old added, “but I’ve got some really good feelings in my swing that I think are quite consistent and even if I do take a bit of time away I feel really comfortable getting back into it.
“It was a nice reset but after today it feels like I came back where I left off.”
An, who was the youngest ever winner of the US Amateur as a 17-year-old in 2009, carded nine birdies to enjoy a two-shot lead over American Davis Riley, with Thomas Detry alongside McIlroy on six under.
“I feel like I’m back home,” said An, who won the 2015 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth by six shots but now plays primarily on the PGA Tour.
“This is the Tour I started my professional career. It’s been great coming back and playing links golf. I couldn’t play any better today, I drove it well and hit it well and chipped it well and putted well. That’s a clean scorecard.”
Detry came agonisingly close to winning one of the sponsor’s cars for himself and his caddie with a hole-in-one on the 17th, but was delighted to be back at one of his favourite venues.
“It was inches away so I’m looking forward to seeing the highlights of that shot,” said Detry, who finished 10th last year and lost out in a play-off with Matt Fitzpatrick and eventual winner Min Woo Lee in 2021.
“It’s my playground here. I always play well. I have a lovely little cottage out here on the golf course. I’m staying here with my family and everybody is happy. I feel good.”
Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson led the home challenge following a four-under-par 66, with world number one Scottie Scheffler two strokes further back.
Defending champion Xander Schauffele had to birdie two of his last four holes to return a level-par 70.
Unfortunately so are the 3 other semi-finalists!!
@John O Reilly: I love how they’re getting carried away like they’ve won the UCl already
@Scorpionvenomm: who is exactly ?
Ive seen plenty of confidence in this semi final…and undoubtedly the nutter brigade that think the club will win evrytbing (like all clubs have) but overall I wouldnt agree with your tribalist bullsh!t at all.
@Colin Ahern: it’s our year lol
@Scorpionvenomm: who is your team playing the semis?
@John O Reilly: This, I believe, will be Liverpool’s toughest opponent of all the semi finalists.
Probably the worst team to have won the champions league that Rafa Benitez side. He never get enough credit for that.
@Gary O’Hanlon: thats a fact
@Gary O’Hanlon: very true. It is hard to believe that Djimi Traore and Vladamir Smicer have Champions League medals. Even Jerzy Dudek is still wondering how it happened.
@Inanimate Carbon Rod: when you look at that Milan team too. Dida, Maldini, Cafu, Nesta, Stam, Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf, Kaka, Shevchenko, Crespo and some decent quality on the bench too. Insane, when you really think about it. I was at the final in 2005 the best sign I saw was “who needs Maldini when we’ve got Djimi” kinda summed up the difference between the teams.
@hyippy: the best players don’t win the CL, the best team does.
@KingBen: They also beat one the greatest Juventus sides of all time in that semi lest ye all bitter b’stards forget.
@KingBen: no shoot Sherlock
@Sean: seriously Sean, glad you agree. Now comment on the ‘shoot’ comment above mine.
Fantastic run in the champions league and outstanding players,,especially mo salah but the sad thing about it is man United will still win more trophys this year than the pool..
@Noel O Mahony: Hope the pitch isn’t too dry for them.
@Paul Furey: sure it was fine when they were two up. Classless Klopp the flop saying they’ll play on it in the championship. Imagine Jose saying that.
@Scorpionvenomm: klopp the flop ? Righteo … Taxi for this lad with the chip on his shoulder
@Colin Ahern: what has he won with Liverpool? And the money he has spent
@Scorpionvenomm: he’s only had 2 full seasons at the helm. How may trophies did the Fergie win in the same time period? Zero.
@Noel O Mahony: whens the parade for the second place trophy? Did I miss it?
@Scorpionvenomm: money spent. I want to see your face when you see the net spend for klopp at liverpool :) 34million surplus. Liverpool have done an arsenal since klopp came. Balanced the books got a great team playing nice football and stadium expansion to compete again
@Scorpionvenomm: He says stuff like that all the time
No doubt about it this is one of the strongest sides Liverpool have had in years. This Roma team won’t be any walkover either. Should be a cracking game.
Handy one for Roma tonight
That’s them jinxed so
Where were you in Istanbul?
Get out of our club
@Ollie Watson: does it still hurt that he won pl with man u
@Ac: With only 3 ever, 60+ years including Ferguson era, MU European success is scant. Nottingham F won 2 and retained it, and this over just a 5 year period of dominance. Given their resources this is a far greater footballing level of achievement.
@Nick Leone: nottingham forest and yourselves apart from 2005 won the European cup when just league winners played so considerably easier to win
@Ac: straight knockout easier to win?? Stop making excuses for Utd being unable to win more in europe during their golden period
@Sam Beckett: straight knockout with less top teams to beat along the way hence two of your final wins were club brugge and borussia monchegladbach hardly powerhouses of europe
@Ac: OK so you claim it’s harder now than it was then. United made 3 finals in the last 15 years. Liverpool are heading for their 3rd in the last 15 years. Add that to the “easier” accomplishments of before Liverpool are still far more successful in Europe than United
@hyippy: When, Back in the stone age??
@Ac: showing your stupidity again I see. Was far harder to win then
@Sam Beckett: I’d say English clubs would of won more if Liverpool didn’t get us all banned from Europe in 1985
@Carl Johnson: definitely easier to win then when half top teams in europe not playing in it
@Scorpionvenomm: we’re not allowed talk about that for some reason thats airbrushed out of history
@Ac: ‘… considerable easier to win …’, same rules apply to all for any given era. should have been no problem to MU and their resources.
@Ac: borussia monchengladbach had half the West German WC winning team 1974. What ever the era the best players and clubs were in the latter stages of European competitions. Where else would they have been? Every countries best club was involved, if they were knocked out that’s because the team that beat them were better.
Of course might MU weren’t involved, that’s because they weren’t mightily – just thought them selves as.
Except Liability Lovern
@Stevie Doran: Lovern made 1 mistake, he was very good v MC. Roma pen was unlucky. This is not a major defense issue. LFC now bookies favorites to win CL. BM would be harder than RM because they can defend and grab a goal. RM over the hill. Ron’s last stand.