Rory McIlroy | Round 1 Highlights | 2024 Amgen Irish Open

This is game number 30. On the tee, the leader in the race to Dubai from Northern Ireland, Rory McIlroy. There will be no lack of support on home soil for Rory McIlroy. What's he got for us this week? Well, a few of those. He might have quite a lot for us. Great start for McIlroy. He's made short work of the firsts. Tremendous hitting. Well, let's see if Rory McIlroy can earn another 400 pounds for the charitable cause this week. Make a wish, Ireland. Yes, you can. With an opening birdie and just one off the lead here at Royal County Down. What a swing. It's just so elegant and powerful. Is that envy or jealousy? All of the above. Superb. Using the contours. Using the wind. Great spin control. Looking good, isn't it? Really nice positive start for McIlroy. Just needs to get the flight right and get it chasing. Has to go low. Got no choice. But he's quite good at these normally. Well done, Rory. Don't let me down. Everyone oohs and aahs about McIlroy's long game, but I think his short game, especially bunker play, is underrated. Such a great player around the greens. Excellent. Another good up and down from McIlroy. Just trying to stay out of one of them, really. Everything's kicking left. No, it is good, Rory. Yeah, I mean, he knows this course better than anyone. And that's just ideal, isn't it? The back left pin. Perfection from McIlroy. Looks good. He's got that draw going nicely. Has he overdone this? He looks a little concerned. Some view here. This is unbelievable. The mountains are more than the distance. Yeah, what a difference being on the fairway. This is, well, simple. Not really simple, is it? It's too hard out here, but it wouldn't get much with a gap wedge. 123. Got plenty of control on this if he can hold it against the breeze. Yeah, which he does nicely. Can't quite pick the distance. Three or four short, but that's good from there. Right, Jay, you wanted to see drives. We came here to see McIlroy hit drives, and he has absolutely unleashed one. Is it straight, though? Where is it? Where is it? I'm not so sure. It's angles. It's more mindset and pace of swing. This one's up the hill. He putted after leaving a wedge well short early on today, so this is important. OK, good speed. Yeah, the difficulty is when he hits the ball so far, because the hands are so fast, you know, and they're so fast with everything. And suddenly you get to an 80 yarder. The hands are still fast. So what's the difference between hitting at 70, 80 or 90? Must be very hard with that pace of head speed to gauge it. Must be tough, but there must be a way to sort it. He's come off this a little. Yeah, this is right. Right, mild right. I'm not sure the hanging around was doing any favours, Tom. Well, he's OK. Well, he's found one of the most beautifully prepared pathways in all of golf, and there's about 15 of them on this golf course. I'll get a closer with this, hopefully, in a while. My goodness, they're a pleasure to walk on and play from, I should say. What a touch of luck for McIlroy. Never had anyone get quite so excited about pathways. He's got a new set of encyclopaedias, Tom, if you want them. Yeah. He buys every newspaper every morning, David, as well. Just trying to run this in, get a bit of spin on it. Just like that. Wonderful, wonderful shot from McIlroy. It is McIlroy within two. Decent crowds out today following Rory. They're going to get bigger and bigger as the week progresses. We're going to be on early, by the way, tomorrow morning. We're going to bring you the whole of Rory's second round. At 143. Well down the grip on something. And holding on for dear life with the last three fingers of his left hand. Or me likey. Oh, that's when you've done your homework. Yeah, that dude is pretty good, isn't he? He's not bad. Yeah, three with down breeze gets him on that front, I think. 316, that's doable. I think they've been very mean to you, David. Indeed, always. That's the way I like it. McIlroy. Could you help with an explanation then, Wally? No, not with David. No chance. No idea. No chance. I thought he was still walking up that hill. Well, a green tide for McIlroy. That's in great shape. He's just on the downslope. He's a little bit worried they're going to tee off behind, actually. But he's perfectly pinned high pitching on the upslope. On you go, Dom. He landed on a little bit of a downslope kick forward. Again, a good pitch. I think he'd have putted it closer, Dom. Good holding pace there for Rory. Did everything he was supposed to. McIlroy next up again with an iron. He leads the race to Dubai rankings from Tristan Lawrence. Same deal for McIlroy. Bunkers down that right shouldn't be in play. It's a wide fairway. That's the safe side. To 17. McIlroy second. Wind off the right. Hill second shot. Oh, brilliant shot from McIlroy. Rory hit that wonderful shot in. Can he pick up a second birdie in a row? He can. Oh, he hasn't had the best day with the putter, but all of a sudden he's only one back. You can bet everyone in the field knows where he stands. And the par 5 18th Yes. High push draw. Exactly what you'd expect on the face of McIlroy with a three-wooden hand. It's a reminder that how much power the young man's got. He's not such a young man now, is he? Looks tailor-made for him. High draw. Fear not, Rory. It's safely on. And the eagle putt will come his way. Five or so minutes. But barely a seat in the house free. This would be at some moment what a finish this would be for a three. I think the thousand plus or so people around the 18th are going to be wishing this one in. It is a three birdie finish for Rory McIlroy. And an opening round of 68. McIlroy one off the lead. Considerably better than he started here in 2015 when, remember, he opened up with a round of 80. Well done, Rory McIlroy. Right in the mix. 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