Rory McIlroy made a glorious return to St Andrews as a six-under par 66 left him two shots back of the lead in the 150th Open Championship.
It had been 12 years since McIlroy's only Open appearance at the Old Course, injury keeping him out of the 2015 edition, but 18 holes into the event he's a strong favourite to make up for lost time and win his second Claret Jug.
McIlroy trails Cameron Young by two after the American's flawless 64, with his namesake Cameron Smith the only other player within three of the lead following a five-under 67. Lee Westwood recovered from an early double-bogey to shoot 68 along with Barclay Brown, the young English amateur who plays out of the same club as US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick.
McIlroy made a dream start with a 55-foot birdie putt and was four-under to the turn, which is where he was again after a bogey at the 13th when his third skimmed way beyond the flag and resulted in his only dropped shot.
The four-time major champion responded with a birdie at the par-five 14th following a delicate pitch, before hitting the par-four 18th with an iron and almost holing his second, birdie there the seventh of a fine day's work.
McIlroy delighted with simple start
“I played well, very solid,” McIlroy said. “Everyone knows you have to make your score going out and I did that.
“Started off tremendously with a bonus on the first, birdied the par five (fifth), a couple of the short par fours and then on the back nine you pick off a couple on the 14th and 18th.
“I birdied the holes I should have and only made one mistake and the way this course is playing it’s all about limiting your mistakes.
“I’m driving the ball well, once I put myself in the fairway I’m giving myself chances because my irons a little bit better; I’m putting well, seeing shots well and thinking well and I think that’s the most important part this week.”
Young had missed the cut in his last two starts, but the world number 32 has recorded four top-three finishes on the PGA Tour this season and missed out on a play-off for the US PGA Championship by a single shot.
Young experienced at Old Course
And the 25-year-old revealed this was not his first experience of playing the Old Course thanks to a family trip 12 years ago.
“I came with my parents in 2010 so I would have been 13,” Young said. “I think we played eight or nine golf courses in six days. We played here, the New, the Old. We played Kingsbarns, Carnoustie, Gullane, Crail; I’m probably missing one or two.
“On that trip, the first time I got to be out here, my dad, I think, asked for permission to play from the back tees. I think that’s something you have to do, if I remember correctly.
“So when we came out to hit our first tee shots with the R&A building right there, there were a bunch of R&A members presumably watching. And I’m glad I didn’t know, I’m sure I would have been nervous out of my mind.
“But I think there’s a picture of me hitting there with a bunch of those guys watching. That’s really my first memory of here.”
Eagle lands for Poulter on turbulent day
Westwood’s fellow LIV Golf rebel Ian Poulter had been booed by a handful of spectators on the first tee due to his involvement in the Saudi-backed breakaway series, but turned the jeers to cheers after holing from 162 feet for an eagle on the ninth in his 69.
Poulter admitted fortune played a part, saying: “I knew it might wander a hair right to left through the middle of the putt. Anything inside six feet (from that distance) is a hell of a putt. So for it to drop is beyond lucky.”
Poulter’s effort is believed to be a record for a televised putt in Britain, narrowly beating one of 159 feet by former swimming star Michael Phelps in the Dunhill Links Championship in 2013.
Click the image to watch Ian Poulter's monster eagle putt
Woe for Woods
Tiger Woods got his round under way by safely finding the first fairway, only to see his ball seemingly come to rest in an old divot in a sign of things to come as the two-time St Andrews champion laboured to a six-over 78 which took over six hours to complete.
Woods' approach to the first hole hopped into the burn in front of the green before a shocking missed putt from three feet saw him make double-bogey on one of golf's most innocuous opening holes.
Woods’ round did not get much better for the next six holes as he made back-to-back bogeys at the fifth and sixth before another double at the seventh dropped him to six-over. He at last registered back-to-back birdies either side of the turn but gave a shot back at the 12th after missing the green at the 351-yard par-four.
Woods bogeyed the 13th after three-putting from more than 100ft, but then bombed a drive 412 yards – which included 100 yards of roll down the fairway – at the 614-yard next. Although his approach came up short he two-putted for only his third birdie of the day to get back to five-over before giving back a shot at the 16th, and ending the day with just seven players behind him.
Up ahead, Masters champions Dustin Johnson and Scottie Scheffler both posted four-under 68s and will hope to make further inroads on leader Young when they tee off on Friday morning.