Tags:St. Andrews|Tiger Woods|John Daly|Rory McIlroy|British Open|Camilo Villegas
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland: Rory McIlroy matched the lowest round in major golf history on Thursday, firing a nine-under par 63 to seize a three-stroke lead early in the first round of the British Open.
The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland took full advantage of ideal wind-less conditions on the Old Course for the lowest first round in British Open history to outplay Tiger Woods and John Daly, who won Open titles at golf's birthplace.
McIlroy became only the eighth player in British Open history to fire a 63, just the second at St. Andrews after Paul Broadhurst in 1990's third round.
US fan favourite Daly, who won at St. Andrews in 1995, and Scotsman Andrew Coltart were in the clubhouse on 66 with top-ranked Woods, the 2000 and 2005 Open champion at the Old Course, and Sean O'Hair on the course at six-under.
On a links layout where he has never shot in the 70s, McIlroy fired the first 63 in a British Open since Nick Faldo and Payne Stewart in the last round at Royal St. George's in 1993 and the first in a major since Tiger Woods in the second round of the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills.
Ninth-ranked McIlroy, who won last year at Dubai and in May at Quail Hollow, shared third at last year's PGA Championship and while he missed the cut at this year's Masters and US Open, he served notice in round one he can contend.
McIlroy eagled the par-4 ninth, began the inward nine with three birdies in a row, added a 12-foot birdie at the par-5 14th to move atop the leaderboard.
He missed a five-foot birdie putt at 17, what would have been only the second birdie of the day at the famed Road Hole, but sank a four-footer for birdie at the 18th to complete his historic round.
Daly fired four birdies in a row and set himself up as a people's choice to hoist the Claret Jug just as Tom Watson did last year and Greg Norman had in 2008, although both of them failed in the end.
"I've learned a lot. I've never run from my mistakes," Daly said. "I have been the man you are supposed to be when you screw up and I've screwed up an awful lot. It's how you come back that matters."
Turning back the clock for a third major title would be a stunning feat by Daly, whose struggles with weight, women and alcohol have made him a fan favourite but taken a toll on his game.
"It would be the most gratifying victory I could ever have," Daly said. "I would appreciate it more than any tournament I have won."
Daly, whose other major title came at the 1991 PGA Championship, has not won since 2004 and his status has been reduced to taking US PGA Tour sponsor exemptions. He is ranked 455th and has only once cracked the top 55 on the US tour this year.
The long-driving 44-year-old American opened and closed the front nine with back-to-back birdies and birdied the par-5 fifth as well to make the turn in 31 over the legendary links in the event's 150th anniversary edition.
Daly sank a 10-footer for birdie at the 10th and birdied the par-3 11th before lipping out a five-footer at the 12th to end his birdie streak and begin a set of birdie near-misses that denied him an even better round.
He took a bogey at 17 and another lip-out for birdie at 18 left him only level with his best prior round of 2010 from May's first round at Colonial.
"It was just a great solid ball-striking day," Daly said. "I hit some putts on the back side I thought were in and they just trickled away for me."
Daly, who beat Italy's Costantino Rocca in a four-hole playoff 15 years ago at St. Andrews, wore a pink shirt and light blue vest with purple and green pants, a shock-style fashion that has been a recent trademark.
"It's my good-luck start pants," Daly said.
If anyone was going to have a somewhat redemptive triumph this week, the money literally was on Woods, a betting favourite despite being winless since a five-month hiatus caused by a sex scandal that shattered his iconic image.
Woods, paired with England's Justin Rose and Colombian Camilo Villegas, was greeted with polite applause, similar to his receptions at the year's earlier majors, where he shared fourth each time.
World number one Woods, a 14-time major champion chasing the record 18 major titles won by Jack Nicklaus, seeks a fourth British Open title after having won at St. Andrews in 2000 and 2005 and at Royal Liverpool in 2006.
Woods sank a 25-foot birdie putt at nine to reach three-under, then birdied three holes in a row starting at the par-4 12th to move into contention.
The winner over some of the most hallowed ground in sport will take home 850,000 pounds (one million Euros) and have his name engraved on the Auld Claret Jug trophy alongside some of golf's greatest legends.
The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland took full advantage of ideal wind-less conditions on the Old Course for the lowest first round in British Open history to outplay Tiger Woods and John Daly, who won Open titles at golf's birthplace.
McIlroy became only the eighth player in British Open history to fire a 63, just the second at St. Andrews after Paul Broadhurst in 1990's third round.
US fan favourite Daly, who won at St. Andrews in 1995, and Scotsman Andrew Coltart were in the clubhouse on 66 with top-ranked Woods, the 2000 and 2005 Open champion at the Old Course, and Sean O'Hair on the course at six-under.
On a links layout where he has never shot in the 70s, McIlroy fired the first 63 in a British Open since Nick Faldo and Payne Stewart in the last round at Royal St. George's in 1993 and the first in a major since Tiger Woods in the second round of the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills.
Ninth-ranked McIlroy, who won last year at Dubai and in May at Quail Hollow, shared third at last year's PGA Championship and while he missed the cut at this year's Masters and US Open, he served notice in round one he can contend.
McIlroy eagled the par-4 ninth, began the inward nine with three birdies in a row, added a 12-foot birdie at the par-5 14th to move atop the leaderboard.
He missed a five-foot birdie putt at 17, what would have been only the second birdie of the day at the famed Road Hole, but sank a four-footer for birdie at the 18th to complete his historic round.
Daly fired four birdies in a row and set himself up as a people's choice to hoist the Claret Jug just as Tom Watson did last year and Greg Norman had in 2008, although both of them failed in the end.
"I've learned a lot. I've never run from my mistakes," Daly said. "I have been the man you are supposed to be when you screw up and I've screwed up an awful lot. It's how you come back that matters."
Turning back the clock for a third major title would be a stunning feat by Daly, whose struggles with weight, women and alcohol have made him a fan favourite but taken a toll on his game.
"It would be the most gratifying victory I could ever have," Daly said. "I would appreciate it more than any tournament I have won."
Daly, whose other major title came at the 1991 PGA Championship, has not won since 2004 and his status has been reduced to taking US PGA Tour sponsor exemptions. He is ranked 455th and has only once cracked the top 55 on the US tour this year.
The long-driving 44-year-old American opened and closed the front nine with back-to-back birdies and birdied the par-5 fifth as well to make the turn in 31 over the legendary links in the event's 150th anniversary edition.
Daly sank a 10-footer for birdie at the 10th and birdied the par-3 11th before lipping out a five-footer at the 12th to end his birdie streak and begin a set of birdie near-misses that denied him an even better round.
He took a bogey at 17 and another lip-out for birdie at 18 left him only level with his best prior round of 2010 from May's first round at Colonial.
"It was just a great solid ball-striking day," Daly said. "I hit some putts on the back side I thought were in and they just trickled away for me."
Daly, who beat Italy's Costantino Rocca in a four-hole playoff 15 years ago at St. Andrews, wore a pink shirt and light blue vest with purple and green pants, a shock-style fashion that has been a recent trademark.
"It's my good-luck start pants," Daly said.
If anyone was going to have a somewhat redemptive triumph this week, the money literally was on Woods, a betting favourite despite being winless since a five-month hiatus caused by a sex scandal that shattered his iconic image.
Woods, paired with England's Justin Rose and Colombian Camilo Villegas, was greeted with polite applause, similar to his receptions at the year's earlier majors, where he shared fourth each time.
World number one Woods, a 14-time major champion chasing the record 18 major titles won by Jack Nicklaus, seeks a fourth British Open title after having won at St. Andrews in 2000 and 2005 and at Royal Liverpool in 2006.
Woods sank a 25-foot birdie putt at nine to reach three-under, then birdied three holes in a row starting at the par-4 12th to move into contention.
The winner over some of the most hallowed ground in sport will take home 850,000 pounds (one million Euros) and have his name engraved on the Auld Claret Jug trophy alongside some of golf's greatest legends.
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