Mcilroy 'encouraged' Despite Up-and-down Irish Open Start

Irish Open, first information leaderboard

-6 N Elvira (Spa); -5 D Brown (Eng), B Wiesberger (Aut), A Saddier (Fra); -4 O Lindell (Fin), A Halvorsen (Nor); -3 S Lowry (Ire)

Selected others: -1 R McIlroy (NI), B Koepka (US); +2 P Harrington (Ire)

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An upbeat Rory McIlroy says his crippled is coming together "a small bit" up of nan Ryder Cup contempt a sloppy decorativeness to his first information astatine nan Irish Open.

Playing successful his penultimate arena earlier helping Europe's bid to clasp nan Ryder Cup against nan United States successful New York later this month, McIlroy recorded 5 birdies and 4 bogeys astatine nan K Club connected Thursday.

And while nan Masters champion fto shots spell astatine 2 of his past 3 holes to sprout a one-under 71 and beryllium 5 disconnected nan early lead, he seemed happy pinch his efforts.

"I consciousness for illustration I played amended than what nan people reflects," nan 36-year-old told Sky Sports.

"I drove nan shot well, deed nan shot well, but conscionable had that disappointing finish, bogeying 2 of nan past 3 holes. But I'm beautiful encouraged pinch really I played. I conscionable didn't people arsenic good arsenic I wanted to."

Spain's Nacho Elvira leads aft opening pinch a bogey-free 66, pinch England's Dan Brown, Austrian Bernd Wiesberger and Frenchman Adrien Saddier 1 back.

Home favourite Shane Lowry vanished pinch a birdie to paper an opening 69, while five-time awesome victor Brooks Koepka matched McIlroy's 71.

McIlroy, who will besides play successful adjacent week's BMW PGA Championship astatine Wentworth earlier nan Ryder Cup, added: "[My] crippled feels beautiful good.

"As I said, disconnected nan tee was good, it was a continuation of what I saw astatine East Lake [at nan Tour Championship] a mates of weeks ago. It's a matter of being a small much businesslike pinch nan scoring."

Having vanished nan PGA Tour play successful low-key manner pinch ties for 12th and 23rd successful his past 2 events, McIlroy said he was readying to usage nan adjacent mates of weeks to fine-tune his crippled astatine nan K Club and Wentworth earlier nan Ryder Cup.

And while location were flashes of brilliance from nan world number two, errors prevented him from reaching nan apical of nan leaderboard.

Starting connected nan 10th hole, he drained a 30-foot birdie putt connected nan 11th and picked up different astatine nan 13th, but gave 1 backmost aft uncovering h2o disconnected nan tee connected nan 15th.

After picking up birdie fours connected nan 16th and 18th holes, he bogeyed nan 2nd aft uncovering nan trees pinch his tee shot.

Another birdie 4 astatine nan 4th moved him to 3 under, but aft missing a chance connected nan sixth, he stuttered to back-to-back bogeys connected nan seventh and eighth earlier letting a birdie putt gaffe past connected his closing hole.

"Ball-striking wise I thought I was beautiful bully today," added McIlroy, whose sole Irish Open title came astatine nan K Club successful 2016.

"Around nan greens for nan astir portion I was good, but I missed a mates of mid-range putts towards nan extremity to prevention par and past that 1 astatine nan past for birdie.

"I consciousness for illustration I deed decent putts, I'm conscionable hitting edges truthful hopefully I tin get it going tomorrow and sprout a debased one."

While McIlroy struggled complete his past fewer holes, Lowry carded 3 birdies successful his past six to enactment successful touch.

Like McIlroy, Lowry is hoping to play his measurement into shape for nan Ryder Cup, pinch his past top-10 decorativeness having travel astatine nan Truist Championship successful May.

Ryder Cup skipper Luke Donald was among nan players successful day action astatine nan K Club. England's Tyrrell Hatton, who is portion of Donald's team, Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin and erstwhile Masters victor Patrick Reed besides teed disconnected astatine lunchtime.

Defending champion Rasmus Hojgaard - who held disconnected McIlroy successful a melodramatic decorativeness astatine Royal County Down past twelvemonth - is not competing aft withdrawing earlier this week.