RORY MCILROY WILL look to put his latest major near miss behind him when he tees off in the Open at Royal Troon on Thursday morning.
The Northern Irishman, who faltered over the final few holes in last month’s US Open at Pinehurst to allow Bryson DeChambeau to win, will continue his quest for a first major victory in a decade at 10.09am alongside Ryder Cup team-mate Tyrrell Hatton and American Max Homa.
McIlroy won the last of his four majors at the 2014 US PGA Championship, a month after lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool and since then his record at the Open has brought five top-six finishes in seven outings.
2019 champion Shane Lowry tees off at 2.59pm alongside Cameron Smith and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Tom McKibbin is off at 6.46am alongside Alex Noren and Calum Scott. Darren Clarke is out at 1.48pm with JT Poston and Dean Burmester. Padraig Harrington will play at 2.15pm with Davis Thompson and Matthew Jordan.
And Irish amateur player Liam Nolan is out at 4.05pm alongside Kazuma Kobori and Jaime Montojo.
Defending champion Brian Harman goes out in a group with Viktor Hovland and Sahith Theegala immediately ahead of McIlroy at 9.58am, while world number one Scottie Scheffler is out at 3.10pm, with 2017 Open champion Jordan Spieth and fellow American Cameron Young.
Fifteen-time major winner Tiger Woods is off at 2.37pm on Thursday alongside US PGA champion Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.
The victorious Ryder Cup trio of Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood and home favourite Robert MacIntyre – winner of the Scottish Open on Sunday – begin at 9.36am, with another of Europe’s heroes Ludvig Aberg in the next group at 9.47am with DeChambeau and Tom Kim.
The first shot of the 152nd Championship will be hit by Justin Leonard, winner of the Claret Jug at Troon in in 1997, at 6.35am after being paired with another Troon champion, Todd Hamilton and qualifier Jack McDonald, whose grandad is an honorary member at the club.
