Late surge leaves McIlroy in the mix at Irish Open

Irish Open first-round leaderboard

-5 T Clements (Eng); -4 S Valimaki (Fin), A Del Rey (Spa); -3 W Enefer (Eng); R McIlroy (NI), F Celli (Ita), T Lawrence (SA), M Armitage (Eng)

Selected: Level R MacIntyre (Sco), +1 S Lowry (Ire); +2 P Harrington (Ire); +3 S Power (Ire), T McKibbin (NI), L Donald (Eng)

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Rory McIlroy finished with a hat-trick of birdies to card a three-under 68 and sit just two shots off the pace after the opening round of the Irish Open.

The Northern Irishman, competing at home for the first time since 2019, mixed six birdies with three bogeys to lead the Irish challenge in testing crosswinds at Royal County Down.

McIlroy's superb finishes keeps him within reach of English pacesetter Todd Clements, who finished with an eagle at the par-five 18th to put himself in pole position, a shot ahead of Finland's Sami Valimaki and Spain's Alejandro Del Rey.

World number three McIlroy was the best of the home hopes with Shane Lowry carding a one-over 72 and Tom McKibbin two shots worse off.

“Happy enough. Anytime you can shoot three-under around this place you have to be happy," said McIlroy.

“Conditions were pretty tough early on and then the wind seemed to settle a little bit over those last few holes so it was nice to take advantage of that and play the last few holes the way I did."

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, McIlroy admitted he has struggled with the pressure of competing in front of his home fans in the past, having missed the cut when the Irish Open last visited the Newcastle links in 2015 and at the Open at Royal Portrush in 2019, carding opening rounds of 80 and 79 in those two events.

This week marks the first time the 35-year-old has played competitively in Northern Ireland since that Open, and while he endured a miserable week on the north coast, he did well to hold his round together here after a wobble in the middle of the back nine.

Teeing off a little later than his scheduled 13:00 BST start, McIlroy gave the big crowds that followed him throughout something to shout about early with a birdie at the opening par-five.

The four-time major winner saved par with a fine up-and-down at the par-three fourth but dropped his first shot of the week at the next following a sloppy three-putt.

But McIlroy bounced back at the eighth, his birdie putt dropping in the front of the cup, and he gained his third shot of the round on the par-five 12th with a tidy up-and-down.

A wonderfully judged approach from the rough at 13 set up another birdie chance for the 2016 champion but his putt slid by on the right and his frustrations deepened with back-to-back bogeys on 14 and 15 dropping him back to level par.

But as the sun faded and the temperature dropped, McIlroy delighted the fans by closing with three birdies to strengthen hopes of his first professional win on Northern Irish soil.

But while McIlroy left himself in a strong position, his playing partner and fellow countryman Tom McKibbin has work to do after an opening 74.

McKibbin, who started with a bogey after finding trouble with his opening drive, dropped to five over after a double at 16 but matched McIlroy's birdies at 17 and 18 to sit eight shots adrift.

Lowry, too, has work to do but a birdie on the last leaves the 2019 Open champion just six back, his 72 a satisfactory return after a couple of early bogeys.

Among the group at two-under are England's Dan Brown, who contended at the Open at Troon in July, and veteran Dane Soren Kjeldsen, the 2015 Irish Open champion at Royal County Down.