British Open: McIlroy limps to ugly 79 on first day

Gullane: Rory McIlroy’s woes continued in the first round of the British Open on Thursday as the world number two slumped to an ugly opening 79, eight over par. The 24-year-old Northern Irishman, whose form has deserted him since he changed clubs at the start of the year after signing a mega-bucks deal with Nike, sported a look of sad resignation when he walked off the 18th green at Muirfield. [caption id=“attachment_967629” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  It was a tough day for Rory McIlroy at Muirfield. Reuters[/caption] The scorching sun may have been beating down on the banks of the Firth of Forth but the storm clouds hovered over McIlroy’s head from the start. The double major champion dropped strokes at the fourth and fifth before getting one back with a birdie at the seventh. McIlroy then dropped four shots in three holes from the 10th before he produced a wonder stroke from the knee-high rough at the 14th, coaxing the ball to within six feet of the pin from a seemingly impossible position. It was, however, a rare moment of delight amid the overall gloom. He then proceeded to putt the ball straight into a back bunker from the front of the 15th green to card his second double bogey in four holes. Two more dropped strokes at the 17th and 18th means he now faces a battle to make the cut on Friday. Reuters