As Rory McIlroy walked the first hole of the St Andrews Old Course shortly after 10am on Thursday, a cute – not to mention incredibly brave – man in a pink polka dot plus four shouted his support for the Northern Irishman. “Go get it, Rory!” cried. And, Lord, how did McIlroy go and get it. On a fast and fiery track, his seven-birdie, one-bowl day continued in a surreal fashion. This was his fifth round at a St Andrews Open and he has yet to shoot in the 70s. In 2010, he went 63, 80, 69, 68 and now there’s a luxurious, almost relaxed, six-under 66 to throw into the mix. It was his best start to an Open since 2014, when he shot a 66 on Thursday at Hoylake to win on Sunday. Here he hit monsters – a wind-assisted 412-yarder on the 14th. He nailed a battleship putt – a 55-footer on the first for birdie. In almost everything he did, he was in control. He was rarely in danger. His driving was excellent. His placement was impeccable. When faced with 80- and 90-footers on huge fairways, he two-putted with ease and came away with birdies and bogeys. It was deeply impressive. “There are little bits of the round that show you where you’re at with everything mentally, physically, and I came through all those little tests today unscathed and I’m really proud of that,” he said. “It may have looked easy, but there are certain parts of the round that are challenging. “It’s the craziest Open I’ve ever played. It’s the only way I can really describe it. As the tournament goes on, you’re going to have some funny bounces and it’s going to test your patience at times. Fiddly hasn’t really been my forte over the years, but hopefully I’ll do my best this week.”

“McIlroy is next best for R&A behind Woods”

This was the Rory that not only Rory fans wanted to see, but, probably, that the R&A wanted to see as well. This being the 150th Open, they must crave a champion golfer who fits that history, now more than ever. No disrespect to the leader of the night Cameron Young, but it just doesn’t cut it. Neither Cam Smith nor Kurt Kitayama nor Brad Kennedy, all high on the leaderboard, all good performers on Thursday. Those same officials may be quietly saying it’s not one of the others hovering in the rarefied air of a top-10 spot after the opening round – the dreaded LIV set. Lee Westwood is up there, Ian Poulter is in the mix, Bryson DeChambeau is close, and so is Talor Gooch. They are not the only ones. For the 150th Open, the R&A will be dreaming up a name to match and the presence of tracks set so close to the top, even though there is a world of golf still to play, will be uncomfortable for the golf establishment.
A Tiger would be their nirvana, but that is not the case. Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and others would be perfectly acceptable, but McIlroy is the next best thing to Woods. It’s the kind of class and clean ambassador they want to see with this Claret Jug. And he can win. No doubt about it. It may have taken a grueling five hours and 44 minutes to complete – a basic frustration of life at the St Andrews Open with its giant double greens and endless tee times and parties – but it was fine. The Open 2022: Rory McIlroy happy with strong start at St Andrews Staying calm in the deadlock is a challenge in itself, and it’s one that McIlroy met with a calmness that made you wonder – not for the first time, it must be said – if this is the week his eight-year wait for another big one at one end. Eight years. For a player blessed with every required weapon, that’s a ridiculous amount of time. Twenty-three different golfers have won a major championship since McIlroy won the US PGA Championship in 2014, his fourth since retiring. Zach Johnson has won a major title since then. So is Danny Willett. So did Jimmy Walker and Gary Woodland. Francesco Molinari is a more recent big winner than the perennial contender. Woods and Phil Mickelson, glorious lights of other days, made it. Even Sergio Garcia, the forever almost man, has crossed the line more recently than McIlroy. If you had said that Sunday at Valhalla in 2014 that McIlroy would not win any of the next 29 majors, people would have backed away from you with a mixture of pity and fear in their eyes. McIlroy recently said he hadn’t even heard of Collin Morikawa or Rahm at the time. A new generation broke through. Eight different players have won the last eight major championships. It was the narrative of McIlroy’s life for the longest time. “When does Rory win another one of these things?” has become “Does Rory win another one of these things?” “Pressure situations are a challenge for him,” said Paul McGinley, his old Ryder Cup captain. “He doesn’t have a Plan B to go to when things don’t go well,” said Nick Faldo, a man who never really needed a Plan B because his Plan A was usually so good.

“The leaderboard could hardly look better”

McIlroy is one of the most analyzed golfers in recent history because he is one of the most interesting and most talented golfers we have ever seen. He also won almost everything else in those eight long years without studies. The Players Championship, World Golf titles, National Opens, Fed-Ex titles, Race to Dubai crowns. The thought of entering year nine without one of the game’s most coveted trophies is staggering. Thursday made you believe that maybe you won’t have to. “It’s never easy,” he said. “There were key moments in the round. I hit a good birdie putt on the eighth hole, hit it three feet. I didn’t feel as comfortable with the second putt, but I went up there, committed to it. It’s like those little bits of the round that test you . “And I feel like every time the round did that to me, I was able to overcome it. The golf course plays so, so short [on the 615-yard par-five 14th he hit driver, wedge – and his approach was long]. But it’s still hard. It’s not like everyone’s turning off the lights.” McIlroy talked about the delays out there, the game within a game. “It’s quite stop-start, but I think St. Andrews is like that. There’s a lot of crossing and waiting for the greens to clear because of the par drivers. So I think, especially the first two days when it’s full course, it’s to be expected.” The game is good, the mind is good, the leaderboard could hardly look better for him. Since last tasting victory on the biggest stages, McIlroy has finished in the top 10 at majors on 16 occasions and in the top five eight times. “I had a chance at Carnoustie in 2018,” he said. “I played in the final group with Patrick Reed in 2018 at Augusta. I was tied for the lead with nine holes to go at Torrey Pines [US Open, 2021]. I had a few chances and didn’t capitalize.” It’s too early to tell if that’s it, but it’s not too early for his legions of fans – they’re all over here – to start dreaming. Another day of brilliance on Friday and McIlroy’s supporters will be calling for smelling salts.