Rory McIlroy is on familiar ground.
Eleven days after finishing tied for ninth at the Tour Championship, McIlroy shot a first-round 68 Thursday at the 2024 Amgen Irish Open. The event is being held at Royal County Down in his home country of Northern Ireland, which ranks 10th. No. 1 on the Golfweek Best list List of courses outside the United States
McIlroy is delighted and says: “I really think it’s the best golf course in the world.”
He won the Irish Open in 2016 at the K Club, but a year earlier, when the Irish Open was held at Royal County Down, he missed the cut. He also missed the cut for the Open Championship in 2019 at Royal Portrush, also in Northern Ireland.
“The two Northern Ireland Opens I’ve played in, the only Open Championship I’ve played in Northern Ireland, haven’t gone very well,” he said ahead of this year’s event. “It’s up to me to try and relax and go about my business like I would any other time of the year. It’s great to play in front of them (the fans) but I’ve got to manage my little world around me to try and get the best out of myself as well.”
McIlroy opened Thursday with a birdie, but back-to-back bogeys on holes 14 and 15 dropped him back to even par. He then birdied his final three holes to finish the day at 3 under par.
McIlroy is tied for third with four others. Sami Valimaki and Alejandro Del Ray are tied for second at 4 under.
Everyone is chasing Englishman Todd Clement, who shot a 5-under-par 66, a round he finished with an eagle on the 18th hole. He hit his second shot on the 540-yard par-5 to 17 feet and then made the putt for eagle.
This article was originally published on Golfweek: Rory McIlroy returns home for Amgen Irish Open, two points clear of first round
