Rory McIlroy was safe off the tee on his first hole Thursday at The Open, but his putter let him down.
Six years ago at Royal Portrush, McIlroy, who grew up less than an hour away, hit his opening shot out of bounds on the par-4 first on his way to a quadruple-bogey 8 and a 79. He pulled his tee shot again, this time around, but it settled safely in the left rough.
The Masters champ hit his second shot onto the green, 68 feet away. He lagged his putt inside 4 feet, but missed his par save.
McIlroy got that stroke back on the par-5 second. Despite another tugged tee shot, he made a 15-footer for birdie.